Martini-style

Alaska

3 min.Gin

Chill a coupe glass
1
Add the gin, yellow Chartreuse and orange bitters to a mixing glass.
2
Fill the mixing glass with ice.
3
Stir until the mixture is very cold and properly diluted.
4
Strain into the chilled coupe glass.
5
Express the lemon twist over the surface of the drink to release its oils, then use it as garnish.
6

United States / United Kingdom
Origin
The Alaska is a classic pre-Prohibition cocktail first documented in Jacques Straub’s Drinks (1914), where it appeared as a gin, rye whiskey, yellow Chartreuse and orange bitters mix. By 1930 Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book had codified the now-famous gin and yellow Chartreuse formulation, helping cement its place in the Martini family. Modern practice typically stirs the drink and often reintroduces orange bitters and a citrus twist, aligning it with contemporary Martini technique.
History
Despite its name, there is no evidence the Alaska cocktail was created in Alaska; early printings come from Chicago (Straub) and London (Savoy). Craddock jokes in the Savoy that the drink was “probably first thought of in South Carolina—hence its name,” a line generally taken as humorous rather than historical fact. The earliest Straub version used Old Tom gin, rye whiskey and yellow Chartreuse with orange bitters, making it richer and more complex than the later all-gin Savoy style. David Embury later referenced the Alaska as an established classic and described a related Nome cocktail using sherry as a variation on the theme.
Trivia
Oysters and other briny shellfish, Mild soft cheeses, Smoked salmon canapés
Pairings
The Savoy Cocktail Book
Source