Monday, October 31, 2011

3, 2, 1

1 1/2 oz Old Overholt Rye
1 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
For my second drink at Green Street, I asked bartender Philip MacLeod for the 3-2-1. The 3-2-1 is a drink I was revisiting, for I recall ordering one the first few times we went to Green Street back in 2007. Since then, I do not recall spotting this recipe anywhere other than in the bar's drink book, so I am unsure of its origins other than the name reflecting the proportions (*). A quick glance makes me think that it is a Yellow Chartreuse variation of sorts of the Green Chartreuse-laden Hague or St. Moritz. The 3-2-1 greeted my nose with a Yellow Chartreuse aroma of herbal and minty notes along with a touch of the rye whiskey. The sweet sip provided malt and a mild herbal flavor, while the bulk of the Chartreuse and vermouth flavors appeared later as a minty and intensely herbal swallow. The rye's barrel notes at the end functioned to dry out the drink a little. Moreover, after finishing the drink, it did seem in a way like a less bitter and more sweet Green Point.

(*) Post note 2/22/23: apparently this was indeed created at Green Street. Writer Robert O. Simonson inquired if Misty made its successor, the 4-5-6, at Brick & Mortar.

4 comments:

dfan said...

The 3-2-1 is a regular in our household. I think I overheard the proportions from Misty back when she was at Green Street, making me think that she invented it, but I'm not totally sure. I really like the way the sweetness of the yellow Chartreuse complements the dryness of the dry vermouth.

frederic said...

The Misty genesis of the 3-2-1 makes sense since I cannot find a thing in the literature or the web about this drink (other than people mentioning that they had it at Green Street). It must have been one of her early drinks or when she hit a naming roadblock since she's generally pretty crafty and creative with the names.

confusedandlost said...

I don't think my regular bar carries Punt e Mes. On Wikipedia its says it half way between regular rosso vermouth and Campari. In the absence of Punt e Mes, can I use half of rosso vermouth and half Campari instead of 1 Punt e Mes?

frederic said...

One bartender did that before he got Punt e Mes at the bar. It turned out somewhat similar. Read more:
http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2010/03/fritz.html