Bijou (cocktail)

A bijou is a mixed alcoholic drink composed of gin, vermouth, and chartreuse.[1] This cocktail was invented by Harry Johnson, "the father of professional bartending", who called it bijou because it combined the colors of three jewels: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby, and chartreuse for emerald.[2] An original-style bijou is made stirred with ice as Johnson's 1900 New and Improved Bartender Manual states "mix well with a spoon and serve." This recipe is also one of the oldest in the manual, dating back to the 1890s.

Bijou Cocktail
Cocktail
TypeCocktail
Primary alcohol by volume
ServedStraight up; without ice
Standard drinkware
Cocktail glass
Commonly used ingredients
PreparationStir in mixing glass with ice and strain

The bijou was popular for several decades. Unlike the Manhattan and the martini, however, the bijou disappeared after Prohibition. It was rediscovered by "the King of Cocktails" Dale DeGroff in the 1980s, when he stumbled upon the recipe in Johnson's book. While the original cocktail had equal parts of the three ingredients, DeGroff tripled the ratio of gin to vermouth and chartreuse to soften the taste profile. Eventually, his recipe became the standard.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Bijou Cocktail". Washington Post. 28 Nov 2007.
  2. "The good mixer: cocktail recipe for rosemary bijou". The Guardian. 12 September 2014.
  3. "This Cocktail Was Once as Popular as the Martini. And Then It Disappeared". Esquire. 18 July 2016.
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