Cocktail Recipes

Chrysanthemum

Classic | Cocktail | by Hugo R. Ensslin | from Anders Erickson

Chrysanthemum appears in Hugo R. Ensslin’s 1917 Recipes for Mixed Drinks (and may well have been in his 1916 First Edition).

Chrysanthemum Cocktail
- 3 dashes Absinthe
- ½ Benedictine
- ½ French Vermouth
Stir well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve with a twist of Orange Peel.
Hugo R. Ensslin, 1917

It then reappears in Harry Craddock’s influential 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book where Craddock says, “Well-known and very popular in the American Bar of the S.S. Europa.”.

Chrysanthemum Cocktail.*
- 3 Dashes Absinthe.
- 1/3 Bénédictine.
- 2/3 French Vermouth.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.
* Well-known and very popular in the American Bar of the S.S. "Europa."
Harry Craddock, 1930

This cocktail may be named after The Chrysanthemum, a 1904 piece by the famous ragtime composer and pianist Scott Joplin and released on record in 1916.

Ingredients

Amount	Ingredient	Brand
1 1⁄2 oz / 38 ml 2 1⁄4 oz / 56 ml 3 oz / 75 ml 4 1⁄2 oz / 113 ml	Dry Vermouth	Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Dry
3⁄4 oz / 19 ml 1 1⁄8 oz / 28 ml 1 1⁄2 oz / 38 ml 2 1⁄4 oz / 56 ml	Bénédictine	Bénédictine D.O.M.
3 dashes 4 1⁄2 dashes 6 dashes 9 dashes	Absinthe	St. George Verte
1 swathes 1 1⁄2 swathes 2 swathes 3 swathes	Orange Peel

Notes

• Method: Stirred
• Pour: Julep Strain
• Glassware: Coupe
• Garnish: Orange Peel
• Special Prep: Place the swath of orange peel in the mixing glass and stir it with the cocktail. This is called a regal stir, similar to the regal shake. Expressed orange oil over the top of the cocktail.