The Bijou Affair.

Part of the fun, and some of the beauty, of serving cocktails is that every drink has a proper vessel. Some are so ingrained in drinking culture that they have taken on the name of the drink they typically hold. For example, the Bijou Petite Martini Glass. Yes, it’s most often used for the modest-sized Martini, but it was inspired by the classic 19th-century Bijou cocktail.

The name means “jewel” in French, in supposed reference to its combination of gem-colored spirits: diamond-clear gin, ruby-red sweet vermouth and emerald-green Chartreuse. While the original – often attributed to Harry Johnson, who published a recipe in the 1900 edition of his “New and Improved Bartender’s Manual” – called for equal parts, a variation skews the drink toward modern palates by reducing the amount of green Chartreuse. The final drink is balanced and dry, yet still plenty herbal. Serve the Bijou cocktail in the small, very pretty glasses for a petite-in-stature, big-in-flavor nightcap.

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