Recently, I’ve snagged two bottles of Chartreuse – one green, one yellow – from my favorite liquor merchant, Paul Patel, of Midtown Corkdorks (the bestwine/spirits/beer/
and everything else store in town, BTW) and I’ve been playing with new (to me) recipes using both.
More of these delights will be coming to you in the months ahead, but today I present the Alaska.
This cocktail dates well back into the mists of cocktail history – late 19th/early 20th century – but tastes as fresh and current as a spring breeze. Essentially, it’s a variation on the old-style, very wet, Martini – 2 parts gin to 1 part vermouth. The Alaska uses Chartreuse in place of the dry vermouth.
Crisp, bitter, sweet, delicious! Every bit as breath-taking as a good Martini. A delight to the palate, and a lovely soft golden color to please the eye. Perfect as we slide gently into fall weather!
Stir up a couple of these and you’ll be ready for crisp weather and fall color – if not “Christmas before Halloween” at Costco.
Alaska
1.5 ounces gin
.5 ounce yellow Chartreuse
1 dash orange bitters
Garnish with a lemon twist if you’d like
Shake with ice until your fingers freeze, and strain into a cocktail glass. A twist of lime peel makes a nice garnish.
More about Chartreuse: As I pointed out last month, this delicious herbal liqueur is made by Carthusian monks in the mountains near Grenoble, France, and they only make a set quantity every year – market demand be damned. As such, it’s hard to get your hands on a bottle and the price in recent years has become startling. Two years ago, I found a bottle of yellow in Palm Beach – the last bottle on the island, according to the guy at the counter – for $70. This year I paid $80.