In early April, I received a request for a guest post – I would gladly honour guests posts from any of my à la Claude followers (hint, hint…).  This request rung true to my heart as it promised to be about a cocktail.  I’ve featured many cocktails on this blog and welcome the opportunity to showcase another unique liqueur – Chartreuse – a French concoction made from a slew of herbs, plants and flowers.  It would be the perfect mate to the other main ingredient – gin.

Before posting the cocktail, I wanted to try it myself so I can provide a first-hand account.  The trickiest part of making the cocktail was finding the right ingredients.  Chartreuse is available in most liqueur sections but where do you find Celery Bitters?  I considered making my own from this guide but who ever heard of gentian root and it needed to steep for 12 days…  My compromise?  I would make celery simple syrup and see if any of the bottles of bitters I currently owned could substitute.  

I stayed true to the recipe (other than the flavoured simple syrup) and eventually substituted cherry bitters for the celery bitters.  I truly enjoyed the rosemary and grape tones of the cocktail and will add this to my rolodex of cocktails.  Enjoy!   

Mojo Pin – submitted by Nick Stokes, SEO expert @ D.W. Alexander

Problem with cocktails and with most other drinks in general is that they are seasonal. For example, there is nothing better than a cold beer during summer, but during winter it is simply out of place. It is the same thing with hard liquor. The main issue is that some drinks keep you warm while the others cool you off. Only a real master can pull of a cocktail that can do both.

Mel James from Lake St. Louis, Montana made a cocktail which is great for any season. Mojo Pin is a mixture that manages to combine spicy with sweet. To be honest, without gin, it would be completely herbal drink. Gin gives it just enough strength to pack a punch and keep you warm. At the same time, you have bitters which add acidity to the mix. Rosemary, grapes and Green Chartreuse are great for the summer and really refreshing. Entire mix feels really natural; green color of the drink only adds to that feeling. If you have to choose, the mix is probably better suited for summer. It sits really well with red meat and different pastas. Also, it is good as a night cap after hard, long day. Although there are better and more innovative mixtures than Mojo Pin, it is perhaps one of the most versatile cocktails, usable for different occasions.

As previously mentioned, this is an excellent cocktail for any occasion. Although it is quite new, we hope that it will find its place among other popular cocktails which are served at renowned bars, such as Toronto’s D.W. Alexander.