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1930’s Inspired Seventh Heaven Cocktail Recipe

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Gin forward, bright and strong, the Seventh Heaven Cocktail should be a staple in your vintage cocktail repertoire.

This post is sponsored by Drizly, who I adore. FYI, I only work with companies that I love and believe in. All opinions are my own.

PERFECT FOR A VINTAGE COCKTAIL PARTY

The Seventh Heaven Cocktail is not for the faint of heart or the pallet of vintage cocktail newbies. It’s quite strong and has an interesting (and to be honest, slightly medicinal) flavor from the maraschino liqueur.

horizontal image of two cocktail glasses filled with a cocktail and with a cherry garnish. There is gin, cherries and wedges of grapefruit in the background.

That being said, I love it. I serve it in a chilled glass and ice-cold, which is perfect for sipping while dolled up in a vintage outfit. It’s fantastic for a little pre-gaming before you and your friends go to that new speakeasy in the city.

My inspiration for the Seventh Heaven can be found on page 145 of The Savoy Cocktail Book, and is actually called Seventh Heaven Cocktail (No. 2). As always, I made the Seventh Heaven Cocktail using the ratios Mr. Harry Craddock recommends, but it was not quite to my liking. So, up with fresh grapefruit juice and down with the maraschino! The new ratio is perfect for me, and when you play around with this cocktail feel free to change it!

a recipe for the Seventh Heaven Cocktail No. 2 from the Savoy Cocktail Book.

A LITTLE BIT O’ GRAPEFRUIT INFO

Grapefruit is truly the star in this version of the Seventh Heaven. According to Julia F. Morton in Fruits of Warm Climates, “it was first described in 1750 by Griffith Hughes, who called it the ‘forbidden fruit’ of Barbados.”

Originally it was thought to be a mutation of the pummelo, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. As of the late 1940s citrus specialists consider the grapefruit to be a pummelo and orange hybrid. [note]Morton, Julia F. “Grapefruit.” In Fruits of Warm Climates, 152-58. Accessed September 14, 2016. https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/grapefruit.html.[/note] The pummelo supplies the sour element and the orange supplies the sweet element to the flavorful grapefruit…nice job mother nature!

vertical image of two cocktails with an orange and luxardo cherrie garnish and cocktail picks in the background.

THE LIQUOR STORE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Okay…you are looking at this recipe and thinking, “Yes! I do want the delightfully strong Seventh Heaven Cocktail to grace my lips tonight,” but sadly realize you only have grapefruits on hand…none of the liquor.

Don’t despair, Drizly has you covered! Drizly is a wonderful service that will deliver wine, beer, or liquor to you when you run out of a necessary cocktail ingredient, don’t have time to stop at the liquor store, or those lazy Sunday mornings when you want a mimosa in your life, have oj, but don’t want to leave the house.

Horizontal image of two cocktail glasses filled with the seventh heaven cocktail and bottles of alcohol in the background

Drizly kindly supplied me with the Luxardo Maraschino (which you can get here), Bombay Gin (and here), and Luxardo Maraschino cherries for this recipe, and I have to say, their service is wonderful. I placed my order, they delivered exactly what I needed on time, and confirmed that they were delivering to the correct person (and checking that I was over 21) by checking my I.D. when they arrived. All the details are taken care of online, no dealing with cash, and liquor directly to my door…I can get used to this!

two classic cocktail classes filled with the seventh heaven cocktail and luxardo cherry garnishes. A bottle of gin, luxardo liqueur and cherries are in the background.

So, what do you think? Are you going to give the Seventh Heaven a try? Let me know in the comments below what you think and as always, tag me on Instagram (#cupofzest) with your version of this cocktail!

SEVENTH HEAVEN COCKTAIL RECIPE TIPS

-Shaken, not stirred. Even though the original version is stirred, this version definitely needs to be shaken vigorously, and you need to know why. Check out why you shake or stir cocktails from this post on Food 52.

-Use different types of gin when making this cocktail! I make it with Hendrick’s and Bombay Sapphire and they are both great!

-If you like this cocktail, so why don’t you try out my version of The Corpse Reviver No. 2. It’s also gin forward, strong, and my favorite cocktail!