Expand Your Home Bar Moves: The Jealous Genepy Cocktail

Food Republic•

It's time to pay attention to an oft-overlooked, much-loved European herbal liqueur. Nope, it's not absinthe, but you should definitely drink that, too. Genepy, a distant cousin, gets its slight green coloration and aroma from wormwood blossoms, is subtly sweet and is usually drunk as a digestif. Found at high-end liquor stores, this bottle is definitely prime new material for the at-home cocktail crafter, and we know exactly where to start.

The name Jealous Genepy comes both from the cocktail's green color — the color associated with jealousy — as well as the fact that bartenders often overlook Genepy and focus on the Chartreuse liqueur, says bartender David Bonatesta of NYC's Ward III. Therefore, he adds, the Genepy is jealous.

"First, vegetable cocktails are kind of overlooked — it's not easy to play with raw vegetables," he says. "Specifically, a complex raw celery cocktail that tastes great is not very common. The Jealous Genepy is a balance of vegetal and herbaceous flavors, silky but still refreshing, with a pleasant dry finish. The other cool thing about it is the easy food pairing, like a great salad on a spring or summer day. Lastly, I've noticed that people who are not a big fan of celery or fennel do enjoy this cocktail because the flavors are not overpowering."

So pump up the herbs, balance them with bitter and sweet flavors and strain this cocktail into a glass at the earliest possible convenience.

Recipe:

  • 4-5 thin celery slices
  • 1 1/2 ounces fennel-infused gin
  • 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 ounce Genepy
  • 1/2 ounce coriander syrup (homemade, recipe below)
  • 2 dashes grapefruit bitters (Fee Brothers)
  • 1 medium egg white
  • grapefruit peel, to garnish

For the coriander syrup:

  • 1 cup of crushed coriander seeds
  • 1 quart of 1:1 simple syrup (1 part sugar, 1 part hot water)
  • 1 whole cinnamon stick
  • 5 lemon peels

Method:

  1. Add all the ingredients in a small pot.
  2. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes until it reaches a syrupy consistency.
  3. Fine-strain and store in an airtight bottle or jar.

To make the cocktail:

  1. Add ingredients in a tin and muddle celery.
  2. Add one cold draft ice cube and shake vigorously.
  3. Add more ice and hard shake.
  4. Double strain into a tall coupe.
  5. Express oils of a grapefruit peel.

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