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Chrysanthemum
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Chrysanthemum
Serve in a Nick & Nora glass
| 1 2⁄3 oz | Strucchi Dry Vermouth chilled |
| 1⁄2 oz | Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur |
| 4 dash | La Fée Parisienne absinthe |
Prepare:
- Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.
- Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.
How to make:
- STIR all ingredients with ice.
- FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish:
- EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.
Allergens:
Recipe contains the following allergens:
- Dry vermouth - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites
Strength & taste guide:
No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Cocktail of the day:
9th September 2025 is Chrysanthemum Day
Review:
Herbal and aromatic, this benefits from the dilution that comes with a good long stir.
Variant:
Chrysanthemum No. 2 by Jamie Boudreau, Canon bar, Seattle, USA.
STIR all ingredients with ice and fine strain into a chilled and absinthe-rinsed coupe glass.
75ml (2½oz) Dry vermouth
15ml (½oz) Bénédictine
7.5ml (¼oz) Lemon juice
Other variations:
Caprice
Ford Cocktail
Merry Widow(er)
Minnie the Moocher
Poet's Dream
Poet's Martini
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth Wine
Rolls Royce
Tip Top
Vancouver
History:
The Chrysanthemum appears in Hugo R. Ensslin's 1917 Recipes for Mixed Drinks (and may well have been in his 1916 First Edition).
CHRYSANTHEMUM COCKTAIL
Hugo R. Ensslin, 1917
3 dashes Absinthe
½ Benedictine
½ French Vermouth
Stir well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve with a twist
of Orange Peel.
It then reappears in Harry Craddock's influential 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book where Craddock says, "Well-known and very popular in the American Bar of the S.S. Europa.".
CHRYSANTHEMUM COCKTAIL.*
Harry Craddock, 1930
3 Dashes Absinthe.
1/3 Bénédictine.
2/3 French Vermouth.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.
*Well-known and very popular in the American Bar of the S.S. " Europa. "
This cocktail may be named after The Chrysanthemum, a 1904 piece by the famous ragtime composer and pianist Scott Joplin and released on record in 1916.
Nutrition:
One serving of Chrysanthemum contains 112 calories
Alcohol content:
- 0.9 standard drinks
- 18.84% alc./vol. (18.84° proof)
- 12.5 grams of pure alcohol
- More After dinner/digestif cocktails
- More Classic/vintage cocktails
- More Hall of Fame & must know/try cocktails
- More Short & stirred cocktails
- More Spirit-forward cocktails
Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.
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Showing 10 of 14 comments for Chrysanthemum.
See discussion in the Forum
The Noilly extra dry is certainly a specific profile. Fairly yeasty and almost briny. It's the only dry vermouth I've been able to find locally so far.
Any suggestions about a specific vermouth that might make this more palatable? With the ingredients I used it ended up tasting like medicinal yeast water!