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Bijou

After dinner/digestif · Classic/vintage · Hall of Fame and must know/try

4.2 351 ratings

Favorite

Ingredients

5/6 oz Gin
1/2 oz Chartreuse Green
1 oz Rosso/sweet vermouth
1 dash Orange bitters

How to make

Serve in a nick & nora glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist and skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

Method

  1. 3 STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. 4 STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. 5 EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and discard.
  2. 6 Garnish with skewered cherry.

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Flavour profile

26.3% alc./vol. · 1.3 standard drinks · 154 calories

History

While equal parts gin, Chartreuse, and rosso vermouth are commonly found in Bijou recipes, as specified in Harry Johnson's Bartender's Manual, this equal-parts approach results in a very potent cocktail where the Chartreuse can be overpowering, despite a fondness for it. The name 'bijou,' French for 'jewel,' is believed to be inspired by the jewel-like colors of the drink's components: gin representing diamond, rosso vermouth ruby, and Chartreuse Verte emerald.

The Bijou cocktail initially surfaced in C. F. Lawlor's 1895 book, The Mixicologist, featuring equal parts gin, Grand Marnier, and sweet vermouth. The present recipe is adapted from Harry Johnson's 1900 Bartender's Manual, which outlines the use of "1/3 wine glass Chartreuse (green); 1/3 wine glass vermouth (Italian); 1/3 wine glass of Plymouth gin; 1 dash orange bitters". Lawlor's full instructions for the drink were: "Bijou Cocktail. Take 1/3 Grand Marnier. 1/3 Vermouth. 1/3 Plymouth Gin. Mix and strain; a delicious drink. Grand Marnier can also be served in pony-glass like any liquor." Harry Johnson's manual provided more detailed steps for his version: "BIJOU COCKTAIL. (Use a large bar glass.) ¾ glass filled with fine shaved ice; 1/3 wine glass chartreuse (green); 1/3 wine glass vermouth (Italian); 1/3 wine glass of Plymouth gin; 1 dash of orange bitters. Mix well with a spoon, strain into chilled glass; add a cherry or medium-size olive, squeeze a piece of lemon peel on top and serve."

Also known as Amber Dream