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Alaska

Classic/vintage · Hall of Fame and must know/try · Nightcap/sipping

4.0 129 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Old Tom gin
3/4 oz Chartreuse Yellow
1/6 oz Chilled water
1 dash Orange bitters

How to make

Serve in a nick & nora glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

  1. 3 STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. 4 STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. 5 EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour profile

30.7% alc./vol. · 1.6 standard drinks · 173 calories

History

Made with Old Tom gin, amplified botanicals and minimal sugar, this is a spirituous, complex, and tasty cocktail if dilution is right.

This cocktail is adapted from Jacques Straub's 1914 book Drinks. Straub's recipe is followed precisely, with the exception that Straub suggested shaking the Alaska, whereas this version is stirred. [A splash of water has been added to subtly increase dilution.] Alaska Cocktail. 1 dash orange bitters. 1/3 jigger yellow chartreuse. 2/3 jigger Tom gin. Shake. It is conjectured that the cocktail is named for its golden hue, a nod to the Alaska Gold Rush, a significant event around the time of its inception. The Klondike Gold Rush, in Canada's Yukon region, began in 1896. By the summer of 1899, many prospectors departed the Klondike for an area near Nome in western Alaska, prompted by a gold discovery there. Notably, the Nome Cocktail, a variation on the Alaska, is referenced in David Embury's 1948 book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, within the Alaska Cocktail entry. ALASKA 1 part Yellow Chartreuse 5 to 7 parts Gin Stir. A twist of lemon over each drink. Note that this is merely a Dry Martini with Chartreuse in place of vermouth. Because of the sweetness of the Chartreuse, a larger proportion of gin may be used than with the Dry Martini. This is also sometimes called the Oriental. It can be greatly improved by using less Chartreuse and adding 1 to 2 parts dry sherry. This is the Nome.

Also known as Oriental · Created by Jacques Straub