The Suffering Bastard recipe
for your table
Shake for ten seconds, just long enough to chill without diluting the drink too much.
Pour everything, unstrained and with the ice, into a highball glass and top up with fresh ice if needed.
Top up with chilled ginger beer and stir gently once with a bar spoon.
Garnish with a sprig of mint and, optionally, a slice of orange.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is enough. If you would like to add something, we will review it first before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the Suffering Bastard recipe to your own email so you have it at hand when you make it. You will also receive a €5 discount code for purchases from €50, for the glasses that go with it.
The story
The Suffering Bastard is attributed to Joe Scialom, bartender at the Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo. He is said to have created the drink in 1942 for Allied soldiers who came to recover in the hotel bar after long evenings and bad local liquor during the campaign in North Africa. Scialom was looking for something refreshing that would tame the worst hangover. According to the story, the name came from the soldiers themselves; in polite company, it was called the Suffering Bar Steward. According to tradition, large quantities were sent to the front during the battles around El Alamein. Later, Trader Vic used the name for a completely different drink based on rum, related to his Mai Tai and served in a mug depicting a moaning man.
The right glass
The IBA names two options: a Collins glass or the original Suffering Bastard mug. At home, a 33 to 47 cl highball glass is the most convenient choice. You pour the shaker unstrained, so the ice comes along, and then add another 10 to 12 cl of ginger beer. A tall, narrow glass keeps the fizz longer than a wide tumbler. View our highball glasses. Want to go the tiki route? Take a look at our tiki glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Diamond Highball Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Arcoroc Islande Highball Glass 33 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 35,90.
The right tools
For a Suffering Bastard, in addition to the glass, you use a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining, and a bitters bottle. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you'll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 144,70.
What do you make a Suffering Bastard with?
For a Suffering Bastard, you need cognac and gin. Well-known bottles include Angostura, Hennessy, and Rémy Martin. On each drink page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, how it tastes, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Scialom's original recipe is said to have used lime cordial instead of fresh juice, making it sweeter and rounder. Many bars use bourbon instead of cognac, as it pairs well with ginger. There are also stronger siblings, the Dying Bastard and the Dead Bastard, which add bourbon and rum. Want it lighter? Leave out the gin and you'll be close to a Horse's Neck. With dark rum and ginger beer, you're in Dark 'n Stormy territory.
Servingtip
Choose a spicy ginger beer, not a sweet ginger ale; the ginger's bite makes this drink. Pour the ginger beer along a bar spoon to retain more carbonation. Clap the mint sprig between your hands before placing it in the glass, so you smell it with every sip.
Good to know
Suffering Bastard with cognac or bourbon
The IBA specifies cognac or brandy, which gives the roundest, fruitiest version. A young cognac, VS or VSOP, from a producer such as Hennessy or Rémy Martin is enough; an old XO would be wasted here, because the ginger overwhelms the finer notes. Many bars use bourbon instead of cognac. It makes the drink sweeter and fuller, with vanilla and caramel that pair well with ginger. Both versions are good; it is a matter of taste. If you are unsure, make them side by side with the same gin and the same ginger beer, and you will immediately taste which character you prefer.
Which gin works best
Choose a classic London Dry with a clear juniper note, such as Tanqueray London Dry. That juniper and the citrus in the gin are needed to balance the round cognac and sweet ginger. A soft, floral gin disappears in this drink, as does a gin with lots of cucumber or rose. The alcohol content can be a little higher: a gin around 43 percent ABV holds its own alongside the ginger beer. An Old Tom, which is slightly sweeter, can also work, but reduce the ginger beer a little so the drink does not become too sweet.
Ginger beer or ginger ale
The IBA calls for ginger beer, and that is a deliberate choice. Ginger beer is sharp, sometimes slightly cloudy, and has a distinct kick of fresh ginger. Ginger ale is softer, sweeter, and clearer, more like a soft drink with a hint of ginger. In a Suffering Bastard, the ginger needs to stand up to the two strong spirits, and ginger ale cannot do that. Choose a ginger beer with real ginger on the label and not too much sugar. Taste it on its own first: if it tingles in your throat, it is good. Chill the bottles beforehand, because warm ginger beer foams over and loses its carbonation.
Trader Vic's tiki version
In tiki bars, you will encounter a very different Suffering Bastard. Trader Vic used the name for a drink with light and dark rum, lime juice, and a few dashes of curaçao, orgeat, and sugar syrup, related to his Mai Tai. It was served in its own mug: a stocky little man suffering from his hangover with his hands on his head. Many tiki bars still serve it in that kind of mug. The IBA sticks to Scialom's version with cognac, gin, and ginger beer; the tiki version is more closely related to the Zombie than to this recipe.
Making a Suffering Bastard for a group
For a group, prepare the base in advance. Per person, mix 3 cl cognac, 3 cl gin, 1.5 cl lime juice and 2 dashes of Angostura in a bottle and refrigerate for at least an hour. When serving, fill the highball glasses with ice, pour 7.5 cl of the base into each glass and top up with cold ginger beer. Shaking is not necessary, as the base is already cold and the ginger beer mixes in on its own. Never add the ginger beer to the bottle in advance: it will lose its fizz within fifteen minutes. Allow one liter of ginger beer for eight glasses.
How much alcohol is in a Suffering Bastard
Expect 11 to 12 percent in the glass. The 3 cl of cognac and 3 cl of gin, each at 40 percent, provide a total of 2.4 cl of pure alcohol, diluted in a drink of around 20 to 22 cl once the ginger beer and melted ice are included. That amounts to almost two standard drinks. The ginger beer and lime make it taste like a refreshing long drink, so it is stronger than it seems. That makes the name even more ironic: as a hangover cure, you are better off not ordering it too often.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Suffering Bastard?
A Suffering Bastard is a long drink made with equal parts cognac and gin, lime juice, Angostura bitters and ginger beer. It is attributed to bartender Joe Scialom of the Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, who is said to have created it in 1942 as a hangover drink for soldiers. It is on the official IBA list.
Why is it called the Suffering Bastard?
Because the drink was intended for soldiers suffering from a hangover after an evening of bad liquor. According to the story, the name originated among the soldiers themselves. In polite company, it was called the Suffering Bar Steward, but the rough name stuck.
Can you use bourbon in a Suffering Bastard?
Yes, many bars do. Bourbon makes the drink sweeter and fuller, with vanilla and caramel that pair well with ginger. The IBA mentions cognac or brandy, which produces a rounder, fruitier version. Use the same amount of 3 cl and leave the rest of the recipe unchanged.
Which glass do you use for a Suffering Bastard?
A highball glass holding 33 to 47 cl, or the special Suffering Bastard mug if you have one. The ice from the shaker goes into the glass, followed by 10 to 12 cl of ginger beer, so you need some room. A tall glass keeps the fizz longer.
Everything for your bar,
to one address
Glasses in hospitality quality, delivered per set. Order today, receive them quickly.
Shop glasses →