Fog Cutter
Serves 1 · 5 minutes · Tall glass or tiki mug
Last updated 1 November 2026
This is Paul McGee’s modern Fog Cutter published by PUNCH, not a claim to one unchanged Trader Vic original. It combines aged Martinique rum, Cognac, gin, lemon, orgeat and amontillado sherry; orange comes from expressed peel rather than measured orange juice in this version.
Ingredients
- — 30ml aged Martinique rum (40% ABV assumed)
- — 15ml Cognac (40% ABV assumed)
- — 15ml London dry gin (40% ABV assumed)
- — 30ml fresh lemon juice
- — 22.5ml almond orgeat syrup
- — 15ml amontillado sherry (17.5% ABV assumed)
- — 1 cup crushed ice for shaking, plus 1 cup to finish
- — Orange peel and mint, optional garnish
Method
- Measure rum, Cognac, gin, lemon, orgeat and sherry into a shaker. The sherry goes into the mixture in this selected version, not as a float.
- Add one cup crushed ice, seal and shake for about five seconds.
- Pour everything into a tall glass or mug and top with another cup of crushed ice as space permits.
- Express a washed orange peel over the drink and add it with mint. Serve promptly.
The classic vs the spiced version
The quantities and shake-and-pour method follow Paul McGee’s PUNCH recipe with rounded metric conversions. Replacing only the 30ml aged Martinique rum with 30ml Dilay makes a spiced adaptation; it does not reproduce the cited Martinique base. Keep Cognac, gin and sherry measured.
Tips for getting it right
- — Orgeat contains almond. Check the bottle and guest allergies, and prevent cross-contact.
- — Sherry is alcoholic and is included in the units alongside all three spirits.
- — Other Fog Cutters include orange juice or a sherry float. Do not blend those methods into this named modern version.
Related serves
Related recipe: Scorpion
Related recipe: Mai Tai
Frequently asked questions
Does this Fog Cutter have a sherry float?
No. Paul McGee’s selected version shakes the sherry with the other ingredients. Other versions differ.
Does it contain orange juice?
Not this selected version. Expressed orange peel supplies orange aroma; lemon is its measured citrus juice.
Dilay 1949 is our own spiced rum, for sipping as well as mixing. Any substitution described above is a maker’s adaptation, not part of the credited specification.
BUY DILAY 1949 PANJABI SPICED RUMRecipe references
Our method and spiced adaptations are described separately from the referenced classic specifications.
Approx. 2.66 UK units per serving from the measured alcoholic ingredients. Where a source gives US fluid ounces, our rounded conversion uses 30ml per ounce. Stated strengths are calculation assumptions, not verified specifications for every bottle. Bitters use an explicit house measure of 1ml per dash, not a universal dash conversion. Check all labels; dilution does not remove alcohol.
Please drink responsibly. 18+. Visit drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.