Gypsy
- Dare I say it.... a better last word.
- Very tasty. An accessible showcase for chartreuse.
- Liberation — Gin, Elderflower liqueur, Crème de Violette, Lemon juice, Lemon peel
- East Side Elder — Gin, Elderflower liqueur, Lime juice, Cucumber, Mint
- Clipper Ship — Gin, Elderflower liqueur, Absinthe, Lime juice
- Pure Joy — Gin, Elderflower liqueur, Orange bitters, Lime juice
- French Gimlet — Gin, Elderflower liqueur, Lime juice
Due to a curation request, I merged two cocktails called "Gypsy" - the one with a better source citation is the one I kept.
Weird. Here's the St. Germain recipe which differs from Difford's Guide and the way my gin bar made the drink in 2017 (1/4 oz Green Chartreuse). I also found online recipe flashcards from Bourbon & Branch in 2017 that has it as a full 1 oz lime juice with everything else the same as St. Germain's recipe. The flashcards (albeit 9 years after the drink was created) have a lime wheel garnish and Difford's recommends a lime twist.
I found a video from Dec. 2009 for Worscester Scene that gives the original drink by Dominic Venegas as 1.5 Gin, 3/4 St. Germain, 1/4 Green Chartreuse, 1/2 lime. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuwV0aMPj3Y) The bartender Eric used Plymouth and upped the Chartreuse to 1/2 for personal preference. This set of ratios (w/ 1/4 Chartreuse) seems to be present in several current sources, so I propose we move to that. We do need to show Venegas as the creator. Interestingly, I found a July 2009 link with the cocktail and him as bar director of Gitane at the time (2009). Anything original directly from Venegas on the recipe in the 2007 to 2009 time frame would be helpful. I haven't been able to get to the St. Germain site's version of the Gypsy, does anyone have a direct link?
I made this as proposed, and thought it was well balanced: pleasant Chartreuse herbal character, elderflower floral but not overpowering, not too sweet, not too sour. My rule of thumb is that when a drink is coldest citrus acidity can come through quite strong, while sweetness is subdued throwing off the perceived balance; but the tartness fades a little as a drink warms, while sweetness recovers. However, I wouldn't want to try the 1 oz lime version without more sweetened liqueurs to balance.
EDIT: Curated per above, using the video as the reference.
The bar lists Dominic as the creator on their menus:
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bourbon-and-branch-san-francisco?select…
I wrote Dominic to ask what the OG recipe was (he made an emoji comment of approval on my Instagram post) but sadly got no reply.