The PDT Project: Bijou

There was a bit of bad weather last week that stole my focus away from the PDT Project, but now that Sandy's been replaced by something more manageable for New Yorkers (a blizzard), I can refocus my attention and trudge on to the next recipe in the PDT Cocktail Book, the Bijou.

Bijou is French for "jewel," and it is speculated that the various ingredients in the drink represent different precious stones. Supposedly the gin, sweet vermouth, and Green Chartreuse represent the diamond, ruby, and emerald, respectively. Another fact about the Bijou cocktail that I haven't been able to substantiate is its creator. On one hand the PDT Cocktail Book gives credit for its recipe to C.F. Lawlor, who published The Mixicologist in 1895, yet many also give credit to the legendary Harry Johnson at around that same period of time.

Bijou
1 oz. Tanqueray Gin
1 oz. Dolin Sweet Vermouth
1 oz. Green Chartreuse
1 dash PDT House Orange Bitters (equal parts Regan's and Fee's Orange Bitters)
Lemon twist and brandied cherry, as garnish

Tools: barspoon, mixing glass, strainer
Glass: chilled coupe

Method: Stir ingredients with ice in a mixing glass and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Add garnish.

In terms of flavor and texture, the Bijou is sweeter and more viscous than most classic cocktails, which is not at all surprising given the ingredient ratios. For myself, I like to bring up the gin to 1.5 oz. and decrease the Chartreuse to 0.5 oz. to give the gin's botanicals some breathing room, because I think the herbal qualities of Chartreuse tend to dominate otherwise. Gotta let the jewels breathe, know what I mean?

*This post is part of a series in which Payman takes on the task of making and writing about every cocktail featured in the PDT Cocktail Book, as well as providing an awesome photo of each drink taken by Vanessa Bahmani Photography.

**Got a question? He can be found on twitter @paystyle, you can email him at payman [at] pdtproject.com, or simply drop him a comment below.