Bijou is a cocktail consisting of gin, vermouth and chartreuse. It was invented in 1876 by Harry Johnson, the father of professional bartending, who called it bijou because it combined the colors of three jewels: diamond (gin), ruby (vermouth) and emerald (chartreuse).
This cocktail was once as well-known as the Martini. Then suddenly it vanished, and now it has emerged from decades-long hibernation. There are some famous variations of Bijou including:
The dead rabbit: In this variation,2 dashes of Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters or Angostura Bitters are added with the main ingredients.
The Tailspin: Although Tailspin recipes date back to the 1930s, they are identical to those for the original Bijou. A coupe with Campari get rinsed and discarded in this variation.
