Widow’s Kiss

Apple brandy, yellow Chartreuse and Bénédictine: a honeyed, herbal nineteenth-century nightcap.

• Apple brandy45 ml
• Yellow Chartreuse22.5 ml
• Bénédictine22.5 ml
• Angostura bitters2 dashes
• Cherryto garnish

Stir the brandy, Chartreuse, Bénédictine and bitters with ice until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a cherry.

CREATED

1895

CREATOR

George J. Kappeler

STATE

United States

LOCATION

New York City, New York

The Widow’s Kiss was created by George J. Kappeler at New York’s Holland House Hotel and published in his 1895 Modern American Drinks. Kappeler’s recipe combines apple brandy, Bénédictine, yellow Chartreuse and a couple of dashes of aromatic bitters. It remains a rare, spirit-forward curiosity from the golden age of American bartending.