A low-proof aperitif built on fortified wine rather than spirit: dry vermouth lengthened with honeyed, herbaceous Bénédictine and lifted by a few dashes of absinthe, its anise note carried over an expressed orange peel. Stirred cold and served up, it drinks gentle and contemplative — dry at the edges, rounded by honey and herbs in the middle, with citrus oil and a whisper of anise lingering after each sip.
Garnish: Orange Peel
Stirred · Coupe · Up
add
Add the dry vermouth, Bénédictine, and absinthe to a mixing glass filled with ice.
stir
Stir until well chilled and properly diluted.
strain
Strain into a chilled coupe.
express
Express an orange peel over the surface to release its oils.
garnish
Drop the orange peel in or balance it on the rim.
No inventor is on record for the Chrysanthemum; it is known only from the books that printed it. It surfaces in Hugo Ensslin's 1916 compilation Recipes for Mixed Drinks, where vermouth and Bénédictine share the glass in equal measure. By 1930, Harry Craddock had tipped the balance toward the vermouth in The Savoy Cocktail Book, calling for two parts to one for a drier result. That leaner Savoy proportion is the one most bartenders reach for today.