The Yellow Jacket cocktail was inspired by chance circumstances and a little harassment. For weeks, we had toyed with the idea of mixing together Partida Reposado tequila and St-Germain elderflower liqueur, but there was a piece of the puzzle missing. Then one evening, a bunch of obnoxious cocktail geeks came into Employees Only to stump the bartenders by ordering the Last Word cocktail. After being satisfied with that drink, they asked if we knew of another drink with Chartreuse. At that moment, Yellow Chartreuse became the ingredient needed to bind together the elderflower and tequila. So pretty and elegant, the rich yellow color grabs your attention. The true beauty of this drink, though, is the interplay of the ingredients. The light oak on the Partida Reposado tequila works so well with the St-Germain, and they in turn produce a perfect ground for Yellow Chartreuse to bring it all into balance. The orange bitters play a key role. This cocktail is similar in style to the Widow’s Kiss cocktail (page 141), as they both contain very sweet herbaceous ingredients balanced by high alcohol content. It’s named for the yellow jacket wasps that inhabit agave farms and tequila distilleries.

　　

Ingredients

makes 1 drink

　　2 ounces Partida Reposado tequila

　　1 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur

　　3/4 ounce Yellow Chartreuse

　　1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6

　　1 lemon twist, for garnish

　　

Step 1

Pour the tequila, liqueur, Chartreuse, and bitters into a mixing glass. Add large cold ice cubes and stir for 40 revolutions. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

　　

tasting notes

Step 2

Dominant Flavors: lemon oil on the nose followed by roasted agave

　　

Step 3

Body: full, honeyed mouthfeel

　　

Step 4

Dryness: medium to off-dry

　　

Step 5

Complexity: high

　　

Step 6

Accentuating or Contrasting Flavors: floral, earthy, and herbal notes surround agave

　　

Step 7

Finish: long, honeyed with slight bitter orange overtones

　　

Step 8

Glass: cocktail

　　Reprinted with permission from Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined by Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric, © 2010 Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.