Want a Manhattan with a little more herbal lift? This greenpoint cocktail recipe stirs 2 ounces of rye with ½ ounce each of sweet vermouth and yellow Chartreuse, plus two dashes of bitters.
This guide is part of a wider set of brooklyn cocktail guides covering the borough’s neighborhood drinks.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Rye whiskey | 2 ounces |
| Sweet vermouth | ½ ounce |
| Yellow Chartreuse | ½ ounce |
| Bitters | 1 dash Angostura bitters and 1 dash orange bitters |
| Garnish | Lemon twist |
| Year created | 2006 |
The measures come from PUNCH’s Greenpoint recipe and the year from PUNCH’s piece on Manhattan variations. Recipes and dates can change or be disputed, so check the source before you rely on them.
What goes into a Greenpoint
The Greenpoint is a Chartreuse-infused drink named for Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, and PUNCH describes it as a relative of the 1909 classic, the Brooklyn. It is built from rye, sweet vermouth, yellow Chartreuse and two kinds of bitters. Here is the full build for one drink:
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
- ½ ounce sweet vermouth
- ½ ounce yellow Chartreuse
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
- Garnish: lemon twist
The rye is the backbone at 2 ounces, while the vermouth and the Chartreuse each add only ½ ounce, so neither can take over the glass. The two dashes of bitters sit on top of that base as seasoning, as listed in the PUNCH recipe.
One detail trips people up: the name and the colour suggest green, but the drink is made with yellow Chartreuse. PUNCH is explicit that it is not the more anise-forward green Chartreuse, although the cocktail may indeed have a slightly greenish tint in the glass.
How to make the Greenpoint cocktail
The method is short, and the work is in measuring accurately and stirring properly. Follow these steps:
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass.
- Add ice and stir until chilled.
- Strain into a coupe.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
That sequence follows PUNCH’s directions. Because the drink contains no juice, stirring is the technique the recipe asks for, and the coupe keeps the serve small and cold.
Where the Greenpoint came from
The Greenpoint was created by bartender Michael McIlroy for Milk & Honey in New York City, according to PUNCH’s recipe page. In a separate PUNCH feature on Manhattan variations, the year given for his version is 2006. That places it among the earliest of the Brooklyn-neighborhood riffs, which came out of the same small circle of Milk & Honey bartenders.
It was a response to another drink. The same feature traces the trend to the Red Hook, a hybrid between a Manhattan and a Brooklyn, and McIlroy recalls trying it and thinking that he would love to make another variation. If you want the drink that started the run, the red hook cocktail recipe is the natural companion to this one.
Other bartenders joined in, and the result was a family of Brooklyn-neighborhood riffs on rye, vermouth and something bitter. Bartender Phil Ward summed up the spirit of it in the PUNCH feature: “Pick a neighborhood and make a drink.” Some of the best-known members, per PUNCH, are:
- Little Italy: rye, sweet vermouth and Cynar.
- Carroll Gardens: rye, sweet vermouth, Nardini Amaro and maraschino liqueur.
- Bushwick: rye, sweet vermouth, maraschino and Amaro Lucano.
- Bensonhurst: rye, dry vermouth, maraschino and Cynar.
Rye itself had a part in the story. The same feature says the Red Hook and its offspring came of age during the rebirth of rye whiskey, with the arrival of Rittenhouse Rye in New York in October 2005, at $13 a bottle, setting off excitement among bartenders. That is a neutral example from the source, not a buying recommendation.
How does the Greenpoint differ from a Manhattan or a Brooklyn?
The Greenpoint sits between two older drinks. PUNCH lists it among the Manhattan-like cocktails made of rye, sweet vermouth, yellow Chartreuse and bitters, and it names the 1909 Brooklyn as its relative.
The Brooklyn itself is made with rye, dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur and Amer Picon. PUNCH calls it a drink that was never truly popular and that could not be properly made once Amer Picon was withdrawn from the American market in the 1990s. The Greenpoint recipe contains no Amer Picon, so that shopping problem does not apply.
Here is what changes as you move between the three drinks, based on the recipes above:
- The Brooklyn uses dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur and Amer Picon.
- The Greenpoint swaps those for sweet vermouth and yellow Chartreuse, with two kinds of bitters.
- Both keep rye whiskey as the base.
For a closer look at the two parent drinks, the guide to manhattan vs brooklyn cocktail differences explains where each one starts and stops.
Punt e Mes and other ways to adjust it
Not every published Greenpoint matches the PUNCH version. A column posted in September 2014 on Eat Drink Films gives 2 oz rye, 1/2 oz Punt e Mes, 1/2 oz yellow Chartreuse and a dash each of Angostura and orange bitters, stirred, strained and served with no garnish.
The author says the vermouth’s bitterness is complemented by the herbal buoyancy of yellow Chartreuse. He adds that the two bitters bookend the taste, giving a cocktail that is both lighter than the Red Hook and more layered. He also describes Punt e Mes as sitting somewhere between standard rosso vermouth and Campari, with a bitterness that is pronounced but not overwhelming.
That gives you two reasonable ways to approach the drink:
- Sweet vermouth and a lemon twist: the PUNCH build, with the garnish it specifies.
- Punt e Mes and no garnish: the 2014 column’s build, which leans more bitter.
If you have both bottles, mix one of each and taste them side by side. Keep everything else identical, including the rye and the amount of ice, so you can tell what the vermouth changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Greenpoint cocktail?
Show answer
PUNCH lists 2 ounces rye whiskey, ½ ounce sweet vermouth, ½ ounce yellow Chartreuse, 1 dash Angostura bitters and 1 dash orange bitters, garnished with a lemon twist.
Does a Greenpoint use green or yellow Chartreuse?
Show answer
It uses yellow Chartreuse. PUNCH says it is made with yellow, not the more anise-forward green Chartreuse, even though the drink may have a slightly greenish tint.
Who created the Greenpoint?
Show answer
Michael McIlroy created it for Milk & Honey in New York City, per PUNCH. A PUNCH feature dates his Greenpoint to 2006.
Should a Greenpoint be shaken or stirred?
Show answer
Stirred. PUNCH’s directions say to add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice, stir until chilled and strain into a coupe.
Can I use Punt e Mes instead of sweet vermouth?
Show answer
One published version, from a 2014 Eat Drink Films column, uses Punt e Mes in place of generic sweet vermouth. It calls the result lighter than the Red Hook and more layered.
