Widow’s Kiss Cocktail

Widow’s Kiss Cocktail Story

First appearing in George Kappeler’s 1895 publication of Modern American Drinks, the Widow’s Kiss was likely created while Kappeler was tending bar behind Manhattan’s Holland House. The ingredients in a Widow’s Kiss lean towards the delicate and herbaceous, which can also appeal to drinkers who simply crave a sweet nightcap. Kappeler’s recipe calls for yellow Chartreuse, whose honey notes amplify the already honey-heavy Bénédictine. Those ingredients plant the Widow’s Kiss firmly within the turn-of-the-century palate for stirred cocktails to be saccharine but also spirituous. A calvados base, seldom seen in other cocktails of the period, ensured future bartenders would pay attention to the peculiar cocktail.