statesman

2 oz Beefeater 24 Gin
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear
1 barspoon (1/8 oz) Green Chartreuse
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

While flipping through the PDT Cocktail Book after dinner last Wednesday, I spotted a drink that I had been curious about since Spring of 2009. The drink was the Statesman that appeared on the Bourbon and Branch cocktail menu, and I discovered it via Google while searching for other things to do with our Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear Liqueur besides the Prickly Pear and a few other drinks. I went so far as to write Bourbon and Branch for the recipe, but alas, they ignored my request. But thanks to Jim Meehan, this recipe created by Erick Castro in 2008 was made available to the public. I was wrong in my first estimation of a 2:1/2:1/2 ratio for the Green Chartreuse here is more of an accent than a major component.
The lemon oils from the twist began the drink and prepared the mouth for the fruity sip of orange and pear flavors. Next, the swallow featured the gin's and Green Chartreuse's herbal notes. Together, the pear and Chartreuse almost worked like a vermouth to shape the gin-heavy drink into something akin to a Martini. Andrea commented that the Statesman was a good showcase for the Beefeater 24 for the components accentuated the gin's floral notes.