Purgatory

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (95 ratings)

Photographed in a Speakeasy Nick & Nora 4.75oz

Ingredients:
1 13 oz Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
13 oz Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
13 oz Green Chartreuse (or alternative herbal liqueur)
13 oz Chilled water omit if using wet ice
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Nick & Nora glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.
  3. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 9/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 6/10

Review:

Too many, and you're in it.

View readers' comments

History:

Created in 2007 by Ted Kilgore at Monarch Restaurant, Maplewood, USA. This recipe is an adaptation from an adapted recipe by Gary Regan and first published in his column in The San Francisco Chronicle. Apparently, Kilgore created this drink as a pick-me-up, but perhaps better suited to being a (put-you-down) late-night nightcap.
Comment: Too many and you're in it.

Nutrition:

One serving of Purgatory contains 157 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.7 standard drinks
  • 33.23% alc./vol. (33.23° proof)
  • 23.3 grams of pure alcohol

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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Erik Maloney’s Avatar Erik Maloney
27th June 2024 at 05:57
This one's delicious (reminds me distantly of a Preakness Manhattan); the three ingredients really bring out one another's spicy qualities, from the peppery bite of the rye to the subtler, sweeter herbal spice of the liqueurs. Could see it working well in a range of proportions, from heavier on the liqueurs to a drier mix.
Hunter Newsome’s Avatar Hunter Newsome
4th August 2023 at 20:26
I'm a fan of chartreuse and benedictine so I had to bump up both for more herbal digestive sweetness. I think 1-0.5-0.5 would be good in the Nick & Nora glass and 1.5-0.5-0.5 would be best on-the-rocks in an old-fashioned glass.
2nd June 2023 at 20:44
Very good!
Added a dash of Angostura bitters and spritzed absinthe on the glass
John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
8th July 2021 at 04:31
Excellent evening sipping cocktail. Not as sweet as I was expecting, but it does benefit from a long stir.
Tuber Magnatum’s Avatar Tuber Magnatum
9th April 2021 at 23:07
I really enjoyed this. Your description of this as a put-you-down late-nightcap is right on though! Made the mistake of drinking this before dinner! :)
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Anonymous

19th October 2020 at 15:43
Nice herbal aromas and A little sweet (Experimented on a sweet tooth) even after Reducing the amount of Benedictine DOM And Chartreuse to 10ml each.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
31st October 2020 at 23:07
Many thanks for bringing to my attention. I have scaled the recipe back and will re-shoot in a more appropriately sized Nick & Nora glass.
16th October 2020 at 02:40
Added a few drops of mole bitters and liked the result.