The original drink, which earned Maud Loty first place in a 1929 celebrity cocktail competition, took its name from a revue staged the same year, penned for her by Cocktails de Paris author Rip. It translates to, “And me, I’d tell you … Maud,” but conversationally, it can be understood as “That’s Maud for ya.” Think shrugging, mischievous resignation in response to outlandish but on-brand behavior, the “It’s Britney, bitch” of its era.
Together, Loty’s trio of ingredients yields a rich, enveloping result, with “pronounced baking spice, almond, cacao and wet-grass-on-a-summer’s-day notes,” observes Franky Marshall. This has inspired a personal flourish: a healthy dash of cinnamon-fig bitters, adding after-dinner appeal that will speak to “the brown-and-stirred contingent.”