Alaska
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 34.3% ABV ∙
The Alaska is a stirred gin cocktail made with Old Tom gin, an herbal liqueur such as Yellow Chartreuse, and orange bitters, served up in a coupe. Juniper and honeyed malt from the Old Tom lead, then Chartreuse brings a sweet herbal lift before a dry, bitter-orange finish — a cold-weather sipper for slow evenings.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Express the oils of a coin-size Orange zest 1 pc into the base of the mixing glass
- Add the remaining ingredients: Old Tom gin 50 mlHerbal liqueur (e.g., Yellow Chartreuse) 15 mlOrange bitters 2 dashesSaline solution 1 dashAbsinthe 1 dash
- Stir with ice
- Strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Stir with large cubes for 20-25 seconds until the mixing glass feels ice-cold; this all-spirit build has no juice to mask under-dilution.
- Measure the Old Tom gin to Chartreuse ratio precisely (about 3:1) since the herbal liqueur is potent enough to dominate if overpoured.
- Add the absinthe and saline as single dashes directly into the mixing glass before stirring, not as a rinse, so they integrate fully into the drink.
- Express the orange zest oils over the finished drink's surface, then run it around the coupe rim before dropping it in as the twist garnish.
History
The Alaska is a pre-Prohibition gin cocktail first documented in Jacques Straub's 1914 book Drinks (some sources cite Straub's 1913 Manual of Mixed Drinks), where it combined Old Tom gin with yellow Chartreuse and orange bitters. Its name is generally thought to reference the Klondike Gold Rush, a nod to the drink's golden hue from the Chartreuse rather than to any Arctic connection, though this naming link is presented by sources as conjecture rather than settled fact. The cocktail was later included in Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, which helped cement it as a Martini variation built around yellow Chartreuse. This version adds a dash of absinthe to the classic gin-and-Chartreuse formula, a modern tweak seen in later recipes for the drink that layers in an anise-forward accent absent from the original Straub build.
FAQ
What is an Alaska cocktail?
It is a stirred, spirit-forward cocktail built on Old Tom gin and an herbal liqueur such as Yellow Chartreuse, finished with orange bitters and a touch of absinthe. It is served up in a coupe with an orange twist and has nothing to do with the U.S. state beyond the name.
What are the ingredients in an Alaska cocktail?
Old Tom gin, an herbal liqueur such as Yellow Chartreuse, orange bitters, a dash of saline solution, and a dash of absinthe, finished with an expressed orange twist. This build is stirred and strained up, so every ingredient stays clear rather than aerated.
How do you make Alaska?
Stir the Old Tom gin, herbal liqueur, orange bitters, saline, and absinthe with ice until well chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. Finish by expressing an orange twist over the surface for its citrus oils before dropping it in as garnish.
Is an Alaska cocktail shaken or stirred?
Stirred. There is no citrus juice or egg white to aerate, so stirring keeps the drink clear and properly diluted rather than clouded.
What glass is an Alaska cocktail served in?
A coupe glass, served up with an orange twist. Since the drink is strained off the ice, no cube reaches the glass.
What's in a baked Alaska cocktail?
There is no standard cocktail called a baked Alaska; baked Alaska is a dessert of ice cream and cake covered in toasted meringue, not a drink. The Alaska cocktail itself is unrelated, built from Old Tom gin and an herbal liqueur.
