So as a result of my extreme procrastination in setting up my own blog, I will post my findings on the matter of Bitters here. Unfortunately I do not own nor was I able to borrow a digital camera for this, so just use your imagination The Bijou --------------------- Chartreuse is a word that until about a year and a half ago was something I associated with fishing, 'Charteuse' being a vivid neon green color popular for plastic worms. I always thought it was a bit odd of a name for a color, little did I know that it's namesake was even more unique. Thr purchase of my first bottle of Green Chartreuse coincided closely with my first bottle of Mr. Regan's orange bitters, and after reading that one of Mr. Hess' favorite drinks to use orange bitters also used Chartreuse, I decided to give it a spin. So with my beautiful girlfriend and trusty sidekick in cocktailian adventures by my side, I mixed up my first Bijou about 6 months ago. I remember my first sip, sweet, rich, savory all at once, with a nice zing from the spicy orange bitters. It immidiately became a favorite, though the high price and rich flavor of Chartreuse makes it an occasional drink. Chartreuse has since become one of my favorite ingredients, and I am always on the lookout for drinks to use it in. But since this is about bitters and not herbals, we must move on. I recently bought a bottle of Boodles gin to try and after making a Bijou with it I will likely never make it any other way. The dry and powerful flavor of the Boodles goes toe-to-toe with the rich Chartreuse and both tames and accentuates it better than any other gin I have tried. Anyway not long after falling for the Bijou, I came across a slight variation, the Tailspin. The Tailspin is a virtually identical drink, though with the substituion of a dash of Campari for the orange bitters. Since I began using orange bitters at home I had been slightly depressed by their scarcity and had wondered if Campari, which tastes both orangey and bitter, could be a stand-in. Here was the perfect opportunity to test it out. I loaded up one of my Hazel Atlas dasher bottles with Campari and mixed up a Tailspin, being sure to add several generous dashes of Campari. The drink was such a disappointment. As much as I love Campari, it just can't compare to the spicy zing of the ROB#6. Now a caveat: I have before, by mistake, omitted the bitters from a Bijou, and the resulting drink was very lackluster (I would say it is one of the best examples of how bitters benefits a drink in fact). IF you are craving a Bijou, and the bar you are at has no orange bitters (or even a lesser example like Fee's) then the Tailspin would be a fine choice. But if, by any means, you can get it made the right way, then do so. You'll thank me. You'll thank yourself. You'll thank Mr. Regan. After a few of them, you'll probably thank everyone you meet. Verdict: Regans>Campari>Fee's>No Orange bitters At least in a Bijou And now for the recipes: Bijou ------------------ 3/4 oz Gin 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth 3/4 oz Chartreuse dash orange bitters Stir/strain/up For a Tailspin, substitute a dash of Campari for the orange bitters. -Andy
