Classic Recipe: The Widow’s Kiss
This weekend Eric Felten wrote about the Widow’s Kiss in the Wall Street Journal, a classic cocktail that dates back to the 1890s at least. Tried one today — using his recipe, which is cribbed from Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails — and found it as I remembered, still too sweet and overwhelming with Chartreuse (which I actually quite like), even with less liqueur than it was originally constructed with. See what you think.
The Widow’s Kiss
2 oz. calvados
1/2 oz. yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz. Benedictine
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake with ice and straing into a stemmed cocktail glass.
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A very herbal cocktail. I like the blend of liqueurs, but I thought it was rather sweet. Another good name would be a Ricola Cocktail.
Haha – Ricola. That’s a good comparison!
I’ve found that a dash of lemon juice, and swapping the cherry for a lemon twist, is an excellent way to cut the sweetness without damaging the balance.