Apple brandy forms the backbone of the Widow's Kiss, with herbaceous yellow Chartreuse and honeyed, spiced Bénédictine layered over it and a couple of dashes of aromatic bitters knitting the three together. Stirred cold and served up beneath a twist of lemon peel, it drinks rich, warming and deeply botanical — equal parts orchard fruit and apothecary.
Garnish: Lemon Peel
Stirred · Coupe · Up
add
Combine the apple brandy, Bénédictine, yellow Chartreuse and aromatic bitters in a mixing glass with ice.
stir
Stir until well chilled and properly diluted.
strain
Strain into a chilled coupe.
garnish
Express a lemon twist over the surface and drop it in.
George J. Kappeler, who ran the bar at New York's Holland House Hotel, is the drink's documented creator, and he printed it in his 1895 book Modern American Drinks. His recipe called for half a pony each of yellow Chartreuse and Bénédictine to a full pony of apple brandy, and he shook it rather than stirring. The 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book later carried it over almost word for word, and the modern revival tends to stir it for a silkier texture.