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Bijou Cocktail (Difford's recipe)
It is not uncommon to see Bijou recipes with equal parts gin, Chartreuse and sweet vermouth, as called for in Harry Johnson's Bartender's Manual. In fact...
Michael Pulcinella
17th January at 00:00
This is one of my favorite cocktails but it MUST be balanced properly. Follow Difford's recipe!
9th January at 12:37
Somewhat in anticipation of burns night/reminiscence of Hogmanay added a leftover shortbread biscuit as further garnish - matches the almost honeyed herbal sweetness here. Delish!
14th January at 06:22
I hope the shortbread garnish was just in the general vicinity of the cocktail and not dissolving in the bottom of the glass. Agree with T. Cull that 30 ml is just as easy to measure out as 25 so went with a full ounce of gin (Hendrick's). A full ounce of Chartreuse would overwhelm the drink, however, while half an ounce provides herbal complexity but probably better balance. And while the Jamie Gordon Bijou seems in retrospect a bit like a Negroni-with-added-Chartreuse, I went with Dopo Teatro to get some bitterness along with the sweet ingredients; this was incredibly good, 5 stars. Happy New Year!
11th January at 05:27
Hey just had to check in over the holidays, friend. Bliadhna mhath ùr dhuibh uile!
21st December 2025 at 06:17
I’ve had other Bijou’s before and never loved them. This one, though, is freaking perfect. Delicious.
Don’t bother trying to measure 5/6 oz gin. Just do an ounce and move on.
Don’t bother trying to measure 5/6 oz gin. Just do an ounce and move on.
9th January at 12:35
You’ll likely find that’s a nice round 25ml in the new money 😉 But agreed that this is just the perfect little drink.
7th September 2025 at 00:56
Gin and chartreuse play wonderfully together, sweet red fruit on the tongue followed by a delicate green herbal mix that lingers.
24th August 2025 at 23:07
Love this drink! Used Beefeaters to try an old classic London Dry and used my Genepy sub. Which I’ve grown fond of..and Carpano. Did not see bitters until later. I’ll try that next. I have now Green Chartreuse but save it for special occasions now!
22nd August 2025 at 02:10
Wow, now that's perfection in a glass. First sip lovely fruity vermouth leads leads into an explosion of Chartreuse complexity balanced by refreshing lemony gin. With a cherry on top!
16th July 2025 at 14:56
My depth of winter tipple (apparently) since it’s roughly a year since having one of these. Bijou in both size and character - the perfect, jewel-like epitome of flavour, colour and intensity.
22nd May 2025 at 22:11
Love the blend of flavours!
30th March 2025 at 00:49
Tried with the ratios recommended by Anders Erickson :
-1,25 oz (37,5 ml) Gin
-3/4 oz (22,5 ml) Vermouth Rouge
- 1/4 oz (7,5 ml) Chartreuse Verte
- 1 dash Bitter à l’Orange
Rated 4/5
I personally prefer the last word and its variations.
-1,25 oz (37,5 ml) Gin
-3/4 oz (22,5 ml) Vermouth Rouge
- 1/4 oz (7,5 ml) Chartreuse Verte
- 1 dash Bitter à l’Orange
Rated 4/5
I personally prefer the last word and its variations.
15th March 2025 at 19:51
Probably one of my favourite drinks. Made with Roku gin and Karminia Rosso Vermouth. Really nice after dinner (and before).
30th January 2025 at 12:26
Pretty damn good with Cocchi di Torino. As if I need to add another drink to my regular rotation. Thanks a lot, Simon.
22nd August 2025 at 02:00
Agreed with the Cocchi!
10th December 2024 at 22:24
Perhaps it's because I use Carpano, or perhaps because I'm a Chartreuse lover, but I prefer this one in equal parts.
26th June 2024 at 13:44
Enjoyed comparing using Dolin rouge versus carpano. The latter wins on flavour punch, the former on subtlety and play of the herbal qualities, especially in the gin and chartreuse. Yum!
26th June 2024 at 13:48
Carpano version is certainly tasty, but a lighter vermouth had that magical quality where the drink somehow just disappears from the glass of its own accord!
18th June 2024 at 13:34
Well Simon wins again (!) This is definitely the best version. The dilution of the chartreuse in fact allows its components to be more easily discerned. I accidentally did orange twist and no bitters to start, which worked quite well. A light touch with the bitters is good here. Overall, super delicious!
23rd June 2024 at 16:11
Perhaps a mistake to play with a winning formula, but I have just tweaked the vermouth up to to 30ml/1oz.
1st April 2024 at 17:12
This is a great use for the (superb) Chartreuse.
I mixed straight into a frozen glass.
Bathtub gin and Antica F vermouth made this an affordable luxury.
I mixed straight into a frozen glass.
Bathtub gin and Antica F vermouth made this an affordable luxury.
23rd March 2024 at 18:08
This is lovely!
24th November 2023 at 18:11
This is a new favourite. Surprisingly like gingerbread and very drinkable
15th November 2023 at 12:18
I found a different ratio more pleasing:
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
2 dashes orange bitters
Garnish: 1 maraschino cherry (optional).
Depending on the bitterness of your vermouth I suggest to replace the orange bitters with an orange zest twist.
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
2 dashes orange bitters
Garnish: 1 maraschino cherry (optional).
Depending on the bitterness of your vermouth I suggest to replace the orange bitters with an orange zest twist.
19th June 2024 at 02:03
Agreed re replacing the bitters with orange twist. May work better depending on the vermouth.
18th June 2024 at 13:04
I see where you’re going here with reducing the chartreuse, but do feel it’s lost something of what this cocktail is about. Haven’t quite made my mind up about it as a drink.
17th July 2023 at 17:20
A great classic cocktail. Sweet, bold and botanically spicy because of the Gin and Chartreuse. A nice combination of flavors.
12th March 2023 at 23:15
Adding 5 ml (inspired by Jamie Gordon's recipe) makes it a bit drier than Gordon's version and more complex then this recipe. Perfect balance for me.
1st March 2023 at 00:31
Quite good with white (sweet) vermouth as well. It emphasizes the botanicals nicely, though it may not be as visually appealing.
5th January 2023 at 02:28
I like this one with Monkey 47 gin and a spritz of absinthe in the glass. It reminds me of a lighter version of Manhattan riffs.
31st October 2022 at 00:53
I had the opportunity to taste green chartreuse recently and then found it in my local US store (last bottle). Definitely a lot more expensive than in the UK BUT well worth it. Tried this Bijou and the proportions are great. It definitely is good on the rocks.
4th October 2022 at 00:51
I am usually not a fan of cocktails which are a 5 on the sweetness scale, but this was an excellent aperitif. The herbal of the gin and green chartreuse work together perfectly. While it is on the sweeter side, it has a spicy quality like a good, strong gingerbread. It is my first sweet cocktail on my favourites. Thank you.
22nd July 2022 at 20:30
I think this is the best bijou recipe, but I disagree with the presentation. Given the drink's evolution with dilution, I think a double rocks glass with ice is better.
10th April 2022 at 20:42
Swapped the gin for clairin (Sajous) in a 3:2:1 ratio - quite nice.
16th September 2021 at 21:02
I have to admit I did this drink with yellow chartreuse and as a late night sipper. Although we both like herbal notes, in my opinion this drink lacks a citrus part like a zest twist to be round.
18th November 2020 at 08:42
Hi. I've just been looking through Harry Johnson's books but I didn't find anything about Bijou. Could someone tell where Bijou can be found?
18th November 2020 at 12:19
Please see page 257. If you search for Vintage Cocktail Books in our site search above for clickable link or see https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/1900-Harry-Johnsons-Bartenders-Manual-Mixellany/256/