The Widow's Kiss

Ted Haigh in his wonderful book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, 2009, calls Widow's Kiss "the most evocative drink ever." Taste it, and you'll get the point. Mentioned for the first time in a cocktail book from 1895, the drink takes you back to the Golden Era of classy cocktails and proud, elegant women. It works awfully well as an after-dinner drink or a night cap, especially this time of year.

4.5 cl Calvados

1.5 cl yellow Chartreuse

1.5 cl Bénédictine

2 dashes of Angostura

Stir in a mixing glass with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

Yellow Chartreuse is green Chartreuse's younger sister, carrying a modest 40% of alcohol compared to the elder brother's 55%. She is coloured with saffron and sweetened with honey. So is Bénédictine. Both liqueurs also have their pedigrees in common: Bénédictine was originally made by monks, and Chartreuse still is.