An unexpected favorite on the menu at Downtown’s newest cocktail bar, Velveteen Rabbit, co-owner Pamela Dylag’s Green Bitch employs fresh celery juice as the ideal mate for the vegetal complexity of Chartreuse. That high-proof French herbal liqueur takes its color from the chlorophyll in its 130 constituent herbs. Also in the mix: Liquore Strega (literally, “witch”), an Italian herbal digestivo redolent of saffron, fennel and mint. Delicate, deceivingly boozy and balanced, the Green Bitch is described by one patron as “a train ride through India.”
Green Bitch Recipe
In a mixing glass, combine 1 ounce green Chartreuse, 1/2 ounce Strega, 1/2 ounce fresh celery juice, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice, 1/2 ounce egg white and 1 drop The Bitter End Curry Bitters. Cover and dry-shake (without ice). Add ice, cover and shake again. Strain into a chilled 3 1/2-ounce cocktail coupe.
$8, 1218 S. Main St.
