Recipe
- 1 oz Whiskey
- 1 oz Cognac or Brandy
- .5 oz Gentian Amaro
- .5 oz Green Chartreuse
- 2 dashes Salt & Smoke Bitters
- 2 dashes Orange Bitters
- Garnish: 3 Olives
Strain all ingredients in mixing glass until very chilled and extra diluted (45-60 seconds). Strain into a chalice, wine glass, or coupe. Garnish with three olives on a cocktail pick.
View other Holy Day cocktails.
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I’ve been doing one cocktail for each day of Holy Week, but the three days starting with Maundy Thursday are there own special holiday, called the Paschal Triduum (the “three” days are from Thursday night to Easter morning). So I’m offering a bonus cocktail for this weekend.
This drink is boozy with an herbal sweetness, with a touch of sweetness.
Similar to my Maundy Thursday cocktail, the whiskey and cognac/brandy are for the bread and wine of Thursday. The smoke and amaro are for the darkness and blood of Friday. The chartreuse hearkens burial herbs and the quiet, restful devotion of the monks who still make it to this day. The orange bitters hint at the Easter brightness to come.
The three olives are for each day of the Triduum. They also remind us of the Mount of Olives, as well as the saltiness of tears in both the Passover meal and crucifixion witnesses.
Ingredient Notes
Use whatever whiskey and brandy or cognac you like. The chartreuse is a strong flavor, though, so I’d consider taking it down to a quarter ounce.
The amaro and smoke bitters are the more obscure pieces here. I used the Salt & Smoke “Pooter” Bitters by Crude, which are fantastic. You could maybe use a rinse of a very smoky scotch or liquid smoke. Or try the drink without it and let me know how it is.
I used Lo-Fo Apertif’s Gentian Amaro, which is a great one to have, but it’s a bit pricey and hard to find. You could use any liqueur or amaro with gentian root and it’d work fine. The most common and available one is probably Suze Apertif Liqueur.
Recipe Card
the long way home 