“This really is one of my favorite cocktails,” Sidle says. “It’s maybe right behind a Sazerac in my book.” As a riff on Jerry Thomas’s Improved Holland Gin Cocktail, technically this is a cocktail that’s been twice “improved”: while the original is made with dashes of absinthe and orange Curaçao, Sidle subs in more substantial amounts of green Chartreuse and maraschino liqueur. “The amount of maraschino is minimal, but crucial,” he cautions; the drink feels too heavy without the “higher notes” of the cherry liqueur.
Improved Genever Cocktail
Troy Sidle, ZZ's Clam Bar | New York
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 1/2 ounces genever, preferably Genvieve
- 1/4 ounce green Chartreuse
- 1 barspoon maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo
- 1 barspoon demerara syrup
- 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish: orange peel
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
- Garnish with an orange peel.