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Colleen Bawn
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Colleen Bawn
Serve in a Coupe glass
| 1 fresh | Egg (white & yolk) |
| 3⁄4 oz | Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.) |
| 3⁄4 oz | Yellow Chartreuse (or génépy liqueur) |
| 3⁄4 oz | Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur |
| 1⁄6 oz | Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup) |
How to make:
- Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
- Prepare garnish of grated cinnamon and nutmeg.
- BEAT egg and pour into shaker.
- Add other ingredients, SHAKE with ice and strain back into shaker.
- DRY SHAKE (without ice) to emulsify.
- FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
- Garnish with a dusting of freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon over surface of cocktail.
Allergens:
Recipe contains the following allergens:
- Egg (white & yolk) - Eggs
Review:
A hearty drink that's best suited to a winter's night – perhaps a night with little food as it's something of a meal in itself.
History:
Colleen Bawn is an anglicization of the Gaelic 'cailín bán', meaning girl or young woman. The Colleen Bawn (or The Brides of Garryowen) is also the title of a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault and first performed on 27th March 1860 at Miss Laura Keene's Theatre, New York City.
The first recipe for the Colleen Bawn cocktail appears in print in Frederick and Seymour Davies' 1896 book Drinks of All Kinds For All Seasons and is repeated, almost verbatim, in Edward Spencer's 1903 The Flowing Bowl.
Colleen Bawn
Frederick and Seymour Davies, Drinks of All Kinds For All Seasons, 1896
Put into a small tumbler one egg well beaten, with a teaspoon of icing sugar, one-third of a wineglass of yellow chartreuse, one-third of a wineglass of benedictine, one-third of a wineglass of old rye whisky ; shake well, strain, add dust with cinnamon, nutmeg, and pink sugar.
Colleen Bawn
Edward Spencer, The Flowing Bowl, 1903
Small tumbler, one egg beaten, with a teaspoonful of sugar, one-third of a wineglass of yellow chartreuse, and like quantities respectively of benedictine and rye whisky ; shake well, strain, add dust with cinnamon, nutmeg, and pink sugar.
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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An interesting historical note: this drink was created the year after the only other (classic) drink I know that contains both Chartreuse and Benedictine: the Widow's Kiss. Can't help but wonder if it was inspired by the recent creation of that most "evocative" concoction.