Bijou

The Bijou, first cocktail of the new year from the new book.

PDT Interview
Personal Preferences: dark liquor, slow sipping
Style of Drink: classic, rocks
Spirit of Choice: scotch, bourbon
Last Drink: Manhattan

Over the Christmas break, the beverages for the fam vacillated between Manhattans and Tequila Sunrises.  It was a cooler evening on Friday, so for the first beverage in the new year from the new book, I was thinking an amber beverage was more appropriate to the mood and weather than a tequila cocktail.  I was also willing to push the envelope a bit with an accent liquor.   Interestingly enough, the Bijou, first mixed in 1895, fit the bill when considering my PDT Interview criteria.  French for jewel, what a jewel the Bijou is.  Look at that picture!  Rich ambers, the flash of red & yellow from the garnishes.  Meehan notes in the text that the liquors are supposed to represent the jewels of their color:  Gin=diamond, vermouth=ruby, Chartreuse=emerald.   And how about my new Waterford rocks glasses?  One of my Christmas gifts from The Partner!  Not a coupe, but I wanted to start with new glassware.

We were very pleased with the choice.  It was indeed a slow sipper, allowing us to pass the time and share our day while waiting for our late dinner reservation.  I was taking a risk here since Chartreuse is one of those very herbal liquors with occasional licorice notes – a flavor The Partner just can’t stomach.  ("Hmm...what all's in this?  Wait, don't tell me until we've finished it.  I wanna keep liking it.")  The flavors are complex and shift as one sips.  We added an ice cube to both keep it cool and dilute a bit as we sipped.  Impossible to drink quickly, it was a one-rounder.  It is just that rich.  It is so complex we both felt our next beverages – Martinis at dinner – seemed downright weak & one-dimensional by comparison.  A marvelous, grown-up cocktail to linger over while having good conversation with a spouse or friend.

Bijou
1 oz. Gin
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. green Chartreuse
1 dash orange bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.  Garnish with cherry & lemon twist.