Golden Retriever

Name: Golden Retriever
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Light gold rum — 30 ml (1 oz); Herbal liqueur (e.g., Green Chartreuse) — 10 ml (1/3 oz); Licor 43 Original liqueur — 15 ml (1/2 oz); Chilled water — 10 ml (1/3 oz)

Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 27.6% ABV ∙

The Golden Retriever is a spirit-forward stirred sipper of gold rum, green Chartreuse, and Licor 43, served up with an orange twist. Warm rum sits under honeyed vanilla sweetness, with a bright herbal lift cutting through before a dry citrus finish.

Ingredients

Servings

Garnish

Orange twist

Instructions for 1 serving

Pre-chill a glass
Stir all ingredients with ice: Light gold rum 30 mlHerbal liqueur (e.g., Green Chartreuse) 10 mlLicor 43 Original liqueur 15 mlChilled water 10 ml
Fine strain into the chilled glass
Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish

Tips

Stir over ice until well chilled before fine-straining — the chilled water addition is already built into the recipe, so don't over-dilute further.
Measure the Chartreuse carefully; its herbal intensity can easily overpower the rum and Licor 43 if over-poured.
Express the orange twist directly over the glass right before serving so the citrus oils hit the surface while the drink is coldest.

History

The Golden Retriever is credited to British bartender Dick Bradsell, created around 2002 at Alfred's bar in London. Bradsell, celebrated for shaping London's modern cocktail scene through inventions like the Espresso Martini and the Bramble, built the drink from equal parts light rum, green Chartreuse, and Licor 43, originally served straight up in a martini glass rather than stirred with water and strained into a coupe as it is often made today.

FAQ

What is in a Golden Retriever drink?

A Golden Retriever is made of light gold rum, an herbal liqueur such as green Chartreuse, Licor 43, and a touch of chilled water, stirred and fine-strained into a coupe with an orange twist. The chilled water rounds out the dilution normally added by stirring with ice.

What is Licor 43 used for?

Licor 43 is a Spanish vanilla-and-citrus liqueur used to add sweetness and warm spice to cocktails, often standing in for or complementing other sweet liqueurs. In a Golden Retriever it rounds out the rum and softens the herbal edge of the Chartreuse.