The Alaska Cocktail
The first day of fall was Wednesday which means it’s time to start thinking about warmer drinks and cocktails made with bourbon or scotch. But in several places (including here in So Cal) it still feels like summer. (It’s actually in the 80’s here.) That means you don’t need to pack up the vodka and gin just yet. There’s still plenty of time for mojitos, martinis and the occasional tiki drink, which is perfect because today’s cocktail is just what you want to be sipping when the leaves are still green but that cool wind starts to blow.
Part of the family of martini alternatives, the Alaska is simply an herbal version of the classic cocktail. Made with gin, yellow chartreuse (yes, I said yellow) and orange bitters, this drink is elegant, cool and bracing all at the same time; kind of like that cool breeze that’s tickling the back of your neck. Just like its green cousin, the Yellow Chartreuse was created by monks in the 1800’s. But unlike it’s more popular cousin, the yellow is definitely sweeter, making it a nice alternative when one’s looking for an herbal drink. Plus that yellow hue screams autumn.
While I’m sure you’ve heard of the Dirty Martini, the Gibson and the Vesper, the Alaska might seem like a newfangled concoction. But this drink actually dates all the way back to the early 1900’s. Although my research failed to turn up the drink’s origin or how it got its name, I did discover, like many cocktails from this time, it’s gone through a couple changes. When originally published back in 1913, the drink was made with Old Tom gin and orange bitters. But 17 years later when the cocktail appeared in Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book, the Old Tom had been replaced with a London Dry and the orange bitters were nowhere to be found. Maybe they’d been switched out because Old Tom tends to be a little sweeter than the London Dry, and it was thought that since the yellow chartreuse is sweet in its own right, the cocktail was too sweet. Whatever the reason, this newer version is a delightful combination of subtle sweetness and herbal notes. (I kept the original recipe’s orange bitters for a little more depth and that citrus scent that further reminds of autumn knocking.)
Overall, the Alaska is a delightful cocktail that perfectly bridges this time of year when the weather and the calendar can’t seem to agree.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 ounces London Dry gin
- 1/2 ounce Yellow Chartreuse
- a dash of Orange Bitters (optional)
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until chilled.
- Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a twist of lemon and serve.
