Waxen Cocktail

From Jacques Straub's Drinks (1914), this is the "Waxen".

a.k.a.

WAXEN COCKTAIL


3/4 ounce (22 ml) Italian vermouth
3/4 ounce (22 ml) apple brandy
1/2 ounce (15 ml) yellow Chartreuse
3/4 ounce (22 ml) Tom gin


Stir and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.




It's hard for me to believe that this recipe has escaped further attention.

These are all popular ingredients in today's craft bars, and the ratios even look great on paper.

It's sweet and dry, sharp and smooth, spicy and mild. It's a drink of contradictions. Even the name is a contradiction, belying the stupendous drink with it's tepid name. Why I could wax eloquent for many an hour on it's many...wait, OK, now the name may make more sense...

I went with Carpano Antica for the vermouth, Laird's 100 proof "Bottled in Bond" Apple Brandy, and Hayman's Old Tom gin for my drink.

Mixed on their own they would be good, but the addition of yellow Chartreuse is a game-changer. It adds a "honeyed-herbal-complexity" to the already "sweet-and-spicily-herbaceous" Carpano Antica, that really makes this recipe a standout.

Enjoy!