Alaska Cocktail recipe
13⁄4 oz. contemporary style gin
3⁄4 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Citrus Bitters
Stir ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass (a Nick & Nora glass if you have it). Garnish with a lemon twist.
Gin recommendations
Yellow Chartreuse will bring a touch of sweetness. While early recipes called for Old Tom style gins, I prefer something modern and dry. Pairing with a citrus forward gin like Kokoro, Liverpool Valencian Orange or Tanqueray 10 will balance the herbal notes from the Chartreuse, and add the citrusy brightness that I think makes the Alaska Cocktail work.
History of the Alaska Cocktail
While another cocktail with somewhat obscure origins, it’s present in several pre (and post) prohibition cocktail books.
Jacques Straub Drinks (1914)
Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930)
Jean Lupoiu, Cocktails (1938)
888 Cocktails by Aladar v Wesendonk (1967) suggests the Alaska Cocktail be specifically made with Schlichte. One of the rare Steinhager specific cocktails in print.
