This nearly forgotten classic was supposedly invented by Harry Johnson in the late 1800s, and is listed in his seminal work, the Bartenders Manual, a tome which provides not only many recipes, but also instruction on how to tend bar in general that’s still valuable to this day.
My wife turned me on to green chartreuse long ago, and it remains one of my favorite herbal liqueurs, along with Benedictine. Sometimes I just sip it neat, but generally I prefer it in cocktails. Here it combines with gin, sweet vermouth, and orange bitters in a brilliant symphony of tastiness.
The drink is an herbal explosion, especially when paired with sweet vermouth that has lots of stuff going on. I actually prefer softer vermouth like Martini, Dolin or Noilly Prat here, rather than a spicy/bitter one like Carpano Antica Formula or Cocchi. I also like to stir this one a lot in order to get a decent amount of dilution. Trust me: The ingredients can stand up to it.
This article is a modified and enhanced version of a post that ran on my nightly cocktail blog, DrinkShouts.
The Bijou Cocktail Recipe
Equipment
- Bar spoon
- Cocktail Strainer
Ingredients
- 1 oz. London dry gin Gordon’s
- 1 oz. Sweet vermouth Martini
- 1 oz. Green Chartreuse Green Chartreuse
- 2 dashes Orange bitters The Bitter Truth
- Luxardo maraschino cherry Garnish
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a pint glass over ice and stir thoroughly. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Luxardo maraschino cherry.
