Green Season

As the holidays approach--well, I guess they've already arrived, since Black Friday has happened, and "holiday shopping" has already begun--our thoughts turn to celebration, and partying, and family reunions. Family reunions used to be a tradition in certain parts of America, but they're much less common today. Our economy tends to split families apart, as the restlessly mobile culture encourages people to leave the farm, or the neighborhood, or the town where they grew up, and look for greener pastures elsewhere. America used to be a "westering" culture, one looking for new opportunities in unspoiled country. That dream is mostly history now. We aren't pioneers anymore, at least in the geographical sense. The world shrinks, and there is less open space, and so we become pioneers in other ways.  

Here's a pretty easy cocktail which will tantalize your tongue. I've been trying combinations with white vermouth lately, in preference to harder spirits, and the results have been encouraging. The Midori/Chartreuse combination is a natural, but the vermouth lightens it perfectly. Chartreuse is a classic French digestif, which can be drunk by itself (cold) or in combination (in cocktails). It needs to be used sparingly, in my experience, lest it overwhelm other flavors. Midori is a straightforward melon liqueur. 

Shaken and served up with lots of ice-fragments, it's a real winner.     

1 part dry vermouth
1 part Midori
1 part lemon juice
3/4 part yellow Chartreuse