The Bijou is a lush, spirit-forward stirred drink of gin, green Chartreuse and sweet vermouth in equal measure, with a dash of orange bitters to sharpen the edges and an expressed lemon peel brightening the nose. Herbal, faintly sweet and bracingly aromatic, it drinks like a jewel-toned cordial with a backbone, the Chartreuse's alpine bite pressing against the vermouth's dark fruit while the gin holds the middle steady.
Garnish: Lemon Peel, Maraschino Cherry
Stirred · Coupe · Up
add
Add the Old Tom gin, green Chartreuse, sweet vermouth, and orange bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
stir
Stir well until thoroughly chilled and diluted.
strain
Strain into a chilled coupe, served up.
express
Express a lemon twist over the surface and drop it in.
garnish
Garnish with a maraschino cherry if desired.
Harry Johnson, the bartender remembered as the father of professional bartending, devised the Bijou in the 1890s and put it in print in the 1900 edition of his New and Improved Bartender's Manual. Its name, "jewel," came from the three gemstone colours he saw in its spirits — diamond for the gin, emerald for the Chartreuse, ruby for the vermouth. The recipe turned up again in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, yet the drink slipped out of fashion after Prohibition. Dale DeGroff brought it back in the 1980s, typically leaning harder on the gin and easing off the Chartreuse and vermouth.