The Chrysanthemum is another cocktail that’s experienced some amount of recipe flux since it’s creation. Reportedly the original was actually equally parts dry vermouth and Benedictine. Most interpretations have turned this down even further, leading to a 2:1 ratio of Dry Vermouth to Benedictine. At an ounce of Benedictine, this seems like a lot. Still, there are few cocktails that feature Dry Vermouth as the main ingredient, so this feels like it’s worth a spin.
Chrysanthemum
The Chrysanthemum is sweet, herbal, and floral. The start of the sip is nigh cloying with candy spiced sweetness that gives way into a mix of herbal notes. The herbs pick up some of the spice before bringing in the brightness of the wine. The spices are amazingly layered, ranging from cinnamon to clove to nutmeg. The flavor of the herbs are earthy, almost garigue like, with a green wormwood character. Overall, it’s a deeply flavored cocktail with a good layering that with its low ABV won’t put you down and out.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
Like all cocktails with limited ingredient sets, there’s not a lot of places to hide. So the quality of these ingredients are important to the final outcome. Regardless of the ingredients you use, you’ll note this drink is deeply on the sweet side of things. This is largely due to the Benedictine, and the almost comical ounce of the ingredient. Some of the more modern takes on this drink counter this by adjusting the ratio of sweet vermouth to 2 ½ oz while reducing the Benedictine to ½ oz.
- Dry Vermouth – There are few drinks that call for Dry Vermouth as the primary ingredient. As such, consider one of a high quality such as Dolin or Noilly Prat.
- Benedictine – Due to the herbal notes and honeyed sweetness that go into this brandy based liqueur, we don’t recommend swapping this for anything else. Similar to certain other classics, this is both a specific liqueur and a brand recommendation.
- Absinthe – The amount of absinthe is low in this drink, but you can think of it similarly to bitters in an Old Fashioned. As a result, your choice of absinthe is your seasoning of choice or whatever you happen to have on hand. Our default absinthe of choice is St. George Absinthe Verte.