12 Apr 2024: Alpine Spring Cocktail

I’ve been a fan of Liber & Co’s cocktail syrups for a while now. It started with the realization that the cloying Grenadine syrups readily available in grocery stores were much different that actual crafted Grenadines. One could say the rest is history. I use Liber & Co’s syrups in cocktails, of course, but they are great ingredients to use when building mocktails.

One of the latest offerings is a bright tasting Lemon Lavender Cordial. Since New England’s version of spring is definitely not very “spring-like” these days, I took Liber & Co’s suggestion for this beautiful, 3-ingredient cocktail tonight. Hopefully it will inspire Mother Nature to get with the program and turn the corner on the dismal late-winter cold we’ve been experiencing.

Alpine Spring

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Lemon Lavender Cordial

• 2 oz gin

• ½ Yellow Chartreuse

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice

• Shake vigorously for 20 seconds or until shaker tin is ice cold

• Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish

04 Mar 2023: The Greenpoint

My Dad used to drink an occasional Manhattan, and recently I’ve discovered I also enjoy this style of spicy, strong cocktail as well. I’ve also discovered, though, that there are as many variations on the Manhattan as one can imagine - at least as many as there are boroughs in New York.

This variation, the Greenpoint. was invented in 2006 by Michael McIlroy of the Milk and Honey Bar. It’s unusual in that along with the usuals, Yellow Chartreuse is added to the drink. I honestly wasn’t sure how that was going to fit in, but it did - and the drink is delicious!

Just a heads up that recently Chartreuse - Yellow and Green - is sometimes hard to come by. Whenever I see it on the shelves, I grab a bottle just in case.

The Greenpoint Cocktail

• 2 oz Rye or Bourbon (I used Mad River Rye, a local craft rye)

• 1/2 of Sweet Vermouth (I used Cocchi di Torino)

• 1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse

• Dash Angostura Bitters

• Dash Orange Bitters

Add all of the above to a mixing glass, add ice and stir for 15-30 seconds until well chilled. Serve in a chilled coupe or martini glass. Express lemon oil over the drink and rub the peel over the rim of the glass before discarding it.

28 Feb 2023: The Alaska Cocktail

No one seems certain as to how this cocktail got its name, but that should not stop anyone from giving it a try. Harry Craddock records the Alaska Cocktail’s proportions in his Savoy Cocktail Book 2:1 gin to Yellow Chartreuse. Most modern version of the cocktail add a dash of orange bitters, which I did as well. Shake, serve in a chilled cocktail glass and add a twist of orange. Delightful!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (I used our current London Dry favorite, Bombay Dry)

• 3/4 Yellow Chartreuse

  Dash Orange Bitters

17 Oct 2022: Alaska Cocktail

The Alaska Cocktail recently crossed my radar as I was looking for a cocktail that would use Yellow Chartreuse. White Negroni’s can’t be the only drink using this delicious liqueur from France and, as it turned out, it was not.

Just 3 ingredients and a quick stir, and this beauty hits the glass. While some of the resources I checked call for Old Tom Gin, I prefer the junipery flavor of a London Dry.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (Used Bombay London Dry)

• 1/2 oz. Yellow Chartreuse (accept no substitutes)

• Dash of Orange bitters

Put all of the ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir for about 30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled favorite cocktail glass and garnish with lemon peel.