The French Intervention

3⁄4 oz Aromatized wine, Cocchi Americano

1⁄4 oz Herbal liqueur, Green Chartreuse

Instructions

Stir, strain, up with a grapefruit twist.

Notes

I increased the Green Chartreuse to 1/4 oz -- Stewart calls for a dash. Stewart's version calls for Lillet Blanc, but the Cocchi Americano provides more balance. Your mileage may vary.

Cocktail summary

Created by

Amy Stewart

Is an

altered recipe

Reference

The Drunken Botanist

Curator

Not yet rated

Average

4 stars

(26 ratings)

Cocktail Book

From other users

Wow. Very good. Interesting combo of flavors. Better than what I’d imagine. Perhaps a little sweet, but achieves a depth informed by all, impossible without each other.
Made with China-China and Yellow Chartreuse.
Pretty nice. Generous with the twist, which adds needed freshness. — ★★★★

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Comments

"The French Intervention" is a misnomer as only 1/4 oz of this wonderful libation comes from France, namely the Green Chartreuse. But no matter, because the contributions from Mexico and Italy, in combination with France's contribution create a marvelously tasty drink that goes down easily... perhaps too easily.

For this drink, I used 1800 reposado tequila, maybe not top shelf, but a stalwart tequila, nevertheless. There is no way to adequately describe this drink other than to say it's light in taste, slightly sweet, very smooth, delicious to a fault, and so lowdown you won't be able to stop with just one. Your heart and soul won't let you! I rate this wondrous drink at 5.0--something I rarely do. But this drink deserves it! Stir, strain, and enjoy. But drink responsibly!

"The French Intervention" is a misnomer as only 1/4 oz of this libation comes from France

...and the Lillet Blanc that was in the published recipe. The title refers to Napoleon III's invasion of Mexico, hence the remaining single ingredient.

Thanks for the history lesson. Cheers!

I am not rating the present altered recipe, but I gave this a try with some substitution and liked the result which I would give a 4. I used 1 oz of Lillet Blanc rather than Cocchi, to keep it French, employing more Lillet to stand up to the agave and improving the volume as well. I subbed 1/4 oz Izarra Verte in place of Green Chartreuse. This French Basque liqueur has a more spearmint herbal character and is milder than the aggressive Chartreuse, so 1/4 it seemed right vs. a dash in the original unaltered recipe. I thought the grapefruit twist might be out of place, but it fit in very well with the other components. I am quite pleased with the pairing of the Lillet and the Izarra Verte which complemented one another--something to explore for future experimentation.