• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Midnight Snack
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • About

Eatnik logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Contact
    • Newsletter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Table-side Chicken Caesar Salad
    • Hot Cross Bun Pudding
    • Pumpkin Coconut Dal
    • Garlic Oyster Sauce Scissor-Cut Noodles
    • Strawberry and White Chocolate Cookie for Two
    • Slow Cooker Japanese Beef Curry
    • Roasted Capsicum Pasta
    • Lo Bak Go (Turnip Cake)
    • Beans alla Vodka
    • Vegetable and Tofu Dumplings
    • Lemon Iced Tea
    • Steamed Eggplant with Chilli Oil
    Home » Recipes

    June 2, 2023 · by Andrea Love · This post may contain affiliate links · No Comments

    Bijou

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Bijou cocktail in a Nick and Nora glass sitting on a brassy silver tray

    A gem of a cocktail: the Bijou is a fragrant and sweet drink named after three jewels represented by the main ingredients: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby, and chartreuse for emerald.

    The Bijou was created by Harry Johnson, known as the father of professional bartending. It is one of the oldest cocktails in his Bartender's Manual, dating back to the 1890s. It gained popularity alongside the Manhattan and the Martini, but post-prohibition it just kind of...drops away?

    In the 1980s Dale DeGroff (Rainbow Room, NYC) stumbles across the recipe and revives it, altering the ratios from the original recipe, using triple the amount of gin compared to vermouth and chartreuse. This eventually became the industry standard.

    Bijou cocktail in a Nick and Nora glass sitting on a brassy silver tray
    Bijou cocktail in a Nick and Nora glass sitting on a brassy silver tray

    While it's still not uncommon to see equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and green chartreuse, everyone seems to have their own preference on ratios of ingredients for the Bijou. It is also how Harry Johnson writes the recipe in the Bartender's Manual. You may find the green chartreuse to be far too dominant with equal amounts, as I do. I prefer to drop it back to 15 millilitres to give that gentle, herbaceous hum. The original recipe also calls for Plymouth Gin, but I prefer London Dry.

    For me, the Bijou ticks all the boxes as a spirit-forward, sweet sipping cocktail perfect for the cooler weather. If you're a fan of the Manhattan or Boulevardier, you'll enjoy this.

    Watch the video here. If you make this one, don't forget to tag me on Instagram and TikTok, I love to see it!

    Bijou

    A gem of a cocktail: the Bijou is a fragrant and sweet drink named after three jewels represented by the main ingredients: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby, and chartreuse for emerald.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 serve
    Author: Andrea

    Ingredients

    • 30 mL gin
    • 15 mL green chartreuse
    • 22.5 mL sweet vermouth
    • 2 dashes orange bitters
    • Maraschino cherry for garnish
    • Lemon peel

    Instructions

    • Add gin, green chartreuse, vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass. 
    • Add ice and stir to chill.
    • Place cherry in the base of a chilled cocktail glass (I like a Nick and Nora). Strain drink over the top. Express lemon zest and discard before serving. 

    Looking for more cocktail recipes? Try a Gin Basil Smash or the Hunter cocktail.

    More Recipes

    • Banoffee Icebox Cake
    • Pea, Zucchini and Mint Salad
    • Basil Lime Soda
    • Chorizo and Herb Potato Salad

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Andrea! I'm a self-taught home cook and I love to create food that makes me happy, whether it be wholesome or indulgent (or a little bit of both). Eatnik gives me a little corner of the internet to be able to share my recipes and as a result I hope your feel inspired to recreate them at home.

    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest
    • Facebook

    Latest posts

    • 10 Dinner Ideas for Easy Weeknight Meals

    • 7 Simple Canapés for Christmas

    • Apple Honey and Thyme Tarts

    • Chicken Liver Pâté

    Summer Salads

    • Vietnamese Salad with Poached Chicken

    • Simple summer salad with radish, walnuts and chives
      My go-to simple summer salad

    • Pouring tahini dressing over pumpkin and chickpea salad
      5 Salads of Summer: Roast Pumpkin and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

    • Plate of poached coconut chicken salad with herbs
      5 Salads of Summer: Poached Coconut Chicken Salad

    • A platter of roasted root vegetable salad and herb yoghurt dressing
      5 Salads of Summer: Root Vegetable Salad with Herb Yoghurt Dressing

    • Pesto Broccoli Salad

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About Me

    Work with me

    Contact

    Midnight Snack

    Instagram

    TikTok

    YouTube

    Copyright © 2024 Andrea Love