Gin · Classic · Citrusy
Bronx Recipe
Gin and both vermouths meet fresh orange juice — a Prohibition-era classic named for the borough. Gin's botanicals meet both sweet and dry vermouth, rounded out by a splash of fresh orange juice — a dry, citrus-tinted spin on the classic Martini-family structure, once one of America's most popular cocktails.
- Prep Time
- 1.5 min
- Method
- Shaken
- Glass
- Coupe glass
- Strength
- Balanced
Every recipe on Sipped Right is tested for taste and balance before it's published.
Last updated October 20, 2026
About the Bronx
The Bronx was created around 1906 by bartender Johnnie Solon at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, reportedly named after a recent visit to the Bronx Zoo. It briefly ranked among the most popular cocktails in America in the early 20th century, built on the same gin-and-double-vermouth structure as the Martinez and Martini, with fresh orange juice added as the defining twist.
The build uses both vermouths together — ¾ oz sweet to ½ oz dry — against 1½ oz gin and 1 oz orange juice, so neither vermouth dominates and the orange juice adds brightness without turning the drink sweet. Drop the orange juice entirely and it's closer to a Perfect Martini; add bitters instead of juice and it becomes an Income Tax Cocktail, a well-documented Bronx variant.
Ingredients
- Gin1 ½ oz
- Sweet vermouth¾ oz
- Dry vermouth½ oz
- Fresh orange juice1 oz
- Orange zest twist, for garnish1 twist
Method
- Measure and pour the gin, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth and fresh orange juice into the shaker.
- Add a scoop of ice to the shaker.
- Shake for 15 seconds.
- Fine strain the cocktail into a chilled coupe.
- Cut a swath of orange peel.
- Express the peel over the drink and drop it in.
Glass & Garnish
Coupe glass, chilled. Garnish with an orange zest twist.
Notes
1.5 oz gin, 0.75 oz sweet vermouth, 0.5 oz dry vermouth and 1 oz orange juice. Some recipes add orange bitters; they are optional and left out here.
Tools Used
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FAQ
- What's the best gin for a Bronx?
- A classic London dry gin works best — its juniper-forward profile holds up against both vermouths and the orange juice without getting lost, the same reason it's the standard choice for a Martini.
- Can I make a Bronx with just one vermouth?
- You can, but using both sweet and dry together is what defines a Bronx and sets it apart from a Martini — dropping one moves it toward a different, related drink instead.
- Does a Bronx need an orange twist?
- Yes — expressing the oils from an orange peel over the drink reinforces the orange juice already inside it, brightening the first sip rather than just decorating the glass.
- What is a Bronx made with bitters instead of orange juice called?
- That's an Income Tax Cocktail — the same gin-and-double-vermouth base with orange bitters swapped in for the fresh orange juice, giving a drier, more aromatic result.
- Who invented the Bronx cocktail?
- Bartender Johnnie Solon is credited with creating it around 1906 at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, reportedly naming it after a recent visit to the Bronx Zoo.
- How do I scale a Bronx up for a party?
- Use the servings control above to scale the gin, both vermouths, and the orange juice evenly, then batch everything into a bottle ahead of time — shake with ice per glass, since orange juice benefits from being freshly incorporated.
