You are here: Home » Drink of the Day » The Bijou Cocktail is March 8th Drink of the Day!!

The Bijou Cocktail is March 8th Drink of the Day!!

March 8, 2014 | By Shaun Daugherty | Add a Comment

This is a great pre-Prohibition cocktail that is another example why they have staying power. This dates back to the early 1890s and was a recipe in Harry Johnson’s bartender book, “New and Improved Bartender Manual”, which was published in 1900. Bijou means “jewel” in French and the three primary ingredients represent the color of a jewel. Green Chartreuse is green for emerald. Sweet Vermouth is red for ruby. Gin is the color of a diamond.

Originally, this cocktail calls for the drink to be stirred to combine the ingredients. However, I liked this much better shaken and that’s why I am showing it to you this way on the video. Either way, you have a beautiful cocktail both visual and aroma wise. If you want to make it the way they did originally, please stir, (I can feel the penalty flags being thrown by purists as I type this).

Harry Johnson, known as “The Dean” by his peers, was a German immigrant who came over to the United States with his parents at a very young age. He began tending bar at the age of 15. Luckily, he published some bar manuals to keep his drinks alive for us to enjoy, long after he was gone. Harry’s manuel, (originally published in 1882 with many revisions), has been republished and is available on amazon.com. Harry is considered one of the greats who took bartending to a new level. I highly recommend you getting his book if you like to dabble in the history side of this trade.

Bijou Cocktail

3/4 oz. Gin

3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse

3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth

2 Dashes of Orange Bitters

Method: In a mixing glass filled with ice, pour in the measured amounts of all the ingredients. Stirring is the original way of preparing the cocktail, but I shake mine due to preference. Strain the cocktail into a chilled cocktail glass. Add two maraschino cherries for garnish.

This Day in History:

1945 - Phillis Mae Daley, the first African-American nurse to serve in World War II, received her US Navy Commission.

1948 - The US Supreme Court ruled that religious instruction in school violated the Constitution.

1950 - The USSR claimed that they had an atomic bomb.

1965 - The first US troops arrived in Vietnam.

Notable Birthday:

Associate justice of the US Supreme Court and son to the writer with the same name, Oliver Wendell Holmes was born on this date in 1841.

Notable Quote:

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.