The Bijou is a classic cocktail from the turn of last century, with origins shrouded in mystery. Most folks attribute it to Harry Craddock’s Bartender’s Manual, although there are similar recipes with slightly different ingredients that go back even farther.
Since it’s been around so long, there have got to be about as many Bijou recipes as there are bar books by now – some better than others. Moderator Hebug from Reddit’s /r/cocktails community took a scientific approach, trying out five different recipes from equally-trustworthy sources before settling on the version served at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco.
We replicated his research, and came to the same conclusion. The Bourbon & Branch Bijou is the version that we find most balanced, letting the gorgeous flavor of Green Chartreuse shine through without overpowering the rest of the ingredients.
