The Fairbanks cocktail is another cocktail of those honouring the early days of the film industry and politicians.

A cocktail named Fairbanks was first published in Jacob A. Grohusko’s 1908 Jacks Manual where he calls for rye whiskey, apricot brandy, and bitters.

According to Robert Vermeire’s 1922 How to Mix Them, the cocktail is named after Charles W. Fairbanks an American politician who served as a senator in Indiana from 1897 to 1905 and the 26th vice president of the United States from 1905 to 1909.

Years later, Douglas Fairbanks Sr. started his career in 1914. An American actor, extremely popular during the silent film era. He was best known for silent cover and sword films like Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro. Also in 1920, he married Mary Pickford. 

The Douglas Fairbanks cocktail appears in Jose Abeal y Otero 1934 Sloppy Joe’s where he presents a very different recipe from the Jack Manual calling for gin, apricot brandy, lemon juice, and egg white. It seems more like a White Lady cocktail with apricot brandy instead of Cointreau.

Sloppy Joe’s recipe is confirmed in David A. Embury’s 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.

Harry Craddock also published in his 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book two recipes named Fairbanks No1 and Fairbanks No2 but completely different from the ones I mentioned before.