New Cocktails: the Chartreuse Daiquiri, Two Ways

Hey there, long time no see. As the lack of posting might suggest, I haven't been drinking a ton this year, but inspiration struck recently. The hot PNW weather made me hanker for a daiquiri, but I wanted something a bit more interesting than the standard formula. So why not punch it up a bit with some Chartreuse?

Chartreuse Daiquiri #1

1.5 oz rum
0.25 oz green Chartreuse
0.75 oz lime juice
0.5 oz rich simple syrup

Combine all ingredients, shake with ice, then double strain into a chilled couple.

The aromas are balanced between herbal notes from the Chartreuse and a rounded rummy-ness with a hint of lime. The sip begins sweetly with balanced lime acidity, then opens up into gentle herbal notes and leads into the finish with a touch of rum. The finish is pleasantly tart with fading Chartreuse.

While this is good, it feels like it's missing something. I think it would work better with a more assertive rum, while the Hamilton White Stache I used is a bit too soft in this application. A funkier rum like Probitas or a grassy blanc agricole might play better. With that said, I wouldn't turn this down if served.

Chartreuse Daiquiri #2

1.5 oz rum
0.5 oz green Chartreuse
0.75 oz lime juice
0.5 oz rich simple syrup

Combine all ingredients, shake with ice, then double strain into a chilled couple.

The aromas are dominated by the green Chartreuse's herbs, with a touch of lime. The sip opens with sweet rum, quickly joined by gentle lime, then seguing through a burst of slightly bitter herbs at the back. The finish continues the herbal theme with lime pith. The mouthfeel is pleasantly thick throughout between the syrup and liqueur.

Wow, what a drink. You have to really like Chartreuse for this to work since it dominates most of the experience, but it's still mellowed significantly by the rum. It obviously makes nods to the Last Word, albeit in a less complex fashion without juniper or maraschino. Dangerously drinkable, especially on a hot day.

Classic Cocktails: the Caprice

I knew I wanted something stirred, but couldn't quite decide on what. Thankfully my bookshelf overflows. This comes from the book The How & When  published in 1937 by Gale and Marco by way of The PDT Cocktail Book.

Caprice

1.5 oz gin
1.5 oz dry vermouth
0.5 oz Bénédictine
1 dash orange bitters

Combine all ingredients, stir with ice, then strain into a chilled coupe.

The aromas are dominated from the gin's florals (in this case Hendrick's Midsummer) and herbal Bénédictine notes. The sip opens with floral honey, then fades into gentle bitterness at the back. The finish is dominated by the dry vermouth and lingering gin florals.

That is a pretty dang good drink. Contra some other recipes I've seen that take it in more of an accented Martini direction, this is very wet and almost sweet. While that suits my taste since I've never been particularly fond of dry Martinis, it does constitute a significant departure. Though I quite like it, I think a less floral gin might have been called for here since the aromas were nearly soapy. On the other hand the flavors felt much more integrated, so if your primary purpose is drinking it might not be such a bad direction. Overall, a solid one to add to your arsenal.