The Laughing Monk

A certain baby kept us away from our regular Friday Happy Hour column last week. But we didn’t want to leave you hanging right before the Christmas break, so here’s a delicious cocktail with one of our favorites – St-Germain – that is guaranteed to be a hit at your holiday table. – Andrew

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Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Laughing Monk

2 oz Old Tom Gin (we like Hayman’s – but you can also use dry gin if you don’t have Old Tom Gin on hand)
1 oz St-Germain
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Ginger Liqueur (like Domaine de Canton)
1 dash Green Chartreuse

Add the Chartreuse to a cocktail glass and swirl to coat, then discard the rest. Combine the gin, St-Germain, lemon, and ginger liqueur and shake well with ice. Strain into the Chartreuse-rinsed glass and garnish with a bay leaf. Enjoy!

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This is a fun pick-me-up drink, bright and clean and crisp like a winter day. There’s a lot going on in this drink: lots of botanicals with a hint of herbal sharpness from the Chartreuse and a subtle savoriness from the bay leaf. (Which I originally added as a lark, looking for an interesting garnish, but I liked it so much that I’m working on some other recipes that can use it too).

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We first featured this drink over on my Instagram feed, which has become something of a test kitchen for our happy hour posts. Go check it out for more fun experiments!

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper