Mike Romanoff was a complete and total fake. He claimed he was a prince of the Russian royal family. He wasn’t, at all. But he was a character, and he did run Hollywood’s most popular (and his eponymous) restaurant in the Bogart and Bacall era (they were regulars), and his house cocktail was pretty damn tasty. The original recipe was without bitters, but it really does help pull the thing together.
2 ounces vodka
1 teaspoon Cointreau
1 teaspoon apricot brandy
3/4 ounce lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
