Alaska

A deceptively simple gin classic that swaps a Martini's vermouth for Yellow Chartreuse, layering the spirit with honeyed, herbal-spiced depth. First printed in Hugo Ensslin's 1916 manual and canonized by the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book — which dryly noted it was "probably first thought of in South Carolina, hence its name" — the Alaska has no documented inventor. A dash of orange bitters and an expressed lemon twist sharpen its quietly complex, almost monastic profile.

ClassicSpirit-Forward

Ingredients

  • 2.25 ozGin
  • 0.75 ozChartreuse Yellow
  • 1 dashOrange Bittersoptional

Garnish: Lemon Peel

Preparation

Stirred · Coupe · None

  1. 1.

    add

    Add the gin, Yellow Chartreuse, and orange bitters (if using) to a shaker.

  2. 2.

    shake

    Fill with ice and shake well until chilled (the Savoy method; stir as a spirit-forward alternative).

  3. 3.

    strain

    Double-strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass, served up.

  4. 4.

    express

    Express a lemon twist over the surface.

  5. 5.

    garnish

    Drop the lemon twist in or perch it on the rim.

Flavor Profile

herbal
62%
floral
39%
citrus
33%
spiced
33%
heat
25%
dilution
20%
Open in App