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Cocktail History
The Cinq à Sept is a holiday cocktail that was created by author Jassy Davis and was first published in her book Winter Warmers: 60 Cosy Cocktails for Autumn & Winter. It uses the Gin Sour template by pairing the classic’s dry gin, lemon, and simple syrup with frothy egg white, herbal Yellow Chartreuse, and flavorful tonic bitters.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. We used PARK Distillery Alpine Dry Gin because it has a fresh gin flavor and is distilled from glacier freshwater and spruce tips from a national park in Canada. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Yellow Chartreuse: This is a liqueur made in France with over a hundred herbs and plants, spices, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try winter herb syrup in place of the Yellow Chartreuse.
Egg White: This is the clear liquid in an egg. We used fresh egg whites because they add a rich, silky smooth texture.
Tonic Bitters: This is a food product made with quinine, botanicals, and alcohol. We used The Bitter Truth Tonic Bitters.
Lemon Twist: This is the peel of a lemon that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
Tasting Notes
The Cinq à Sept starts with aromas of slightly bitter quinine and citrus, and it features a flavor that begins with a bit of muted lemon followed by a slightly sweet and varied botanical garden of flavors. The whole mixture then leaves a hint of Chartreuse and bitterness in the mouth on the swallow.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: While not much about this drink screamed “holiday” to us, we did find it palatable. Despite its odd combinations of flavors, we also thought it would work well for drinkers of any experience level. For that reason, it earns its name as the happy hour drink of choice.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“This is a fairly straightforward riff in that it takes a simple template but adds a few completely off-the-wall flavors to the recipe. It certainly achieves its intent with the Chartreuse and tonic bitters working together to add a plethora of different flavors. While the drink retains its identify of a Gin Sour, its unique elements really help make it different; that being said, none of its flavors really stand out from each other, which means its balance might actually make it come across as a bit dry or one-note to those who aren’t in search of a ton of complexity.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Although definitely a tasty gin drink, nothing about this recipe wowed me, especially when compared to the other incredible holiday drinks we’ve tried this season. I could see the recipe working for cocktail hour given its relative simplicity and palatability, which may be the whole point as could be inferred from its name. But I just didn’t love it, and the only real reason is because I was expecting more from a holiday drink. Without the addition of maybe a spiced syrup or something, you could stick this drink in a modern classic cocktail recipe book, and it would fit right in.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Warmers: 60 Cosy Cocktails for Autumn & Winter by Jassy Davis.
Add gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, Yellow Chartreuse, egg white, tonic bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with lemon twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Add gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, Yellow Chartreuse, egg white, tonic bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with lemon twist.
Make It a Mocktail: Use MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin and winter herb syrup in place of the Yellow Chartreuse to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Christmas Cocktails
If you like this Christmas-inspired cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that are similar that you may enjoy:
Kohler Mint Cocoa: A chocolate mint brandy cocktail made with milk, white peppermint schnapps, dark crème de cacao, cocoa powder, whipped cream, and grated chocolate
Winter Berry Gin Fizz: A gin cocktail made with lime juice, cranberry syrup, raspberry liqueur, soda water, cranberries, and rosemary
Candy Cane Martini: A vodka cocktail made with white crème de cacao, white crème de menthe, simple syrup, and crushed candy cane
Cranberry Cobbler: A sherry cocktail made with cranberry syrup, orange slices, an orange wedge, mint, and cranberries
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