french alaska

2 1/4 oz Citadelle Gin
3/4 oz Bergamot Syrup (*)
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Scrappy's Lavender Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe pre-rinsed with spritzes of Pernod Absinthe. Garnish with a flowering lavender sprig.
(*) Slice up Bergamots and cover with sugar overnight to extract oils from the peel. The next day add water. End product is a combination of oils and juice.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I were celebrating our anniversary at Journeyman, and afterwards we stopped into Backbar for a nightcap. The drink that bartender Sam Treadway made for me was the French Alaska. Based off the classic Alaska, the drink added extra French notes to the original's Yellow Chartreuse by utilizing a French gin, French absinthe, lavender frequently associated with Provence in France, and Bergamot orange which grows in southern France.
The lavender sprig garnish contributed greatly to the drinks aroma along with the absinthe's anise notes. The sip was a lightly citrus-tinged honey flavor that led into an herbal gin and Yellow Chartreuse swallow. Lastly, the lavender returned on the finish via the floral bitters in the mix.