Yellow Bicycle cocktail: recipe for a French drink with elderflower and Chartreuse

Yellow Bicycle cocktail at a glance

Ingredients

• 1.5 cl St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 1.5 cl Yellow Chartreuse
• 12 cl Deutz Demi Sec Champagne (Prosecco or cava can also be used)
• Crushed ice
• Cocktail glasses (see our selection of glasses here)

How to make it

1. Half fill a cocktail shaker with crushed ice.
2. Pour in St. Germain elderflower liqueur and yellow Chartreuse and stir until well chilled.
3. Strain into a cocktail glass and top up with Deutz Demi Sec Champagne.
4. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Deutz Demi Sec Champagne is also used in the cocktail French 75. Find the recipe on our blog here.

If you need cocktail equipment for your home bar, find our large selection here.

A good tip: both liqueurs should be properly chilled before the champagne goes in. That keeps the drink cold and bubbly a little longer in the glass.

French ingredients and a bicycle

I have not found a reliable source for who first made the Yellow Bicycle, so it gets no invented origin story here. What we do know is that all three main ingredients come from France, and that the link to the Tour de France comes from the original text. The yellow colour and the bicycle also fit well with the race’s yellow jersey.

A fun detail: St. Germain’s elderflowers are picked in spring over three to four weeks in Savoie, and the blossoms are often carried to the collection points by bicycle so the aroma is not damaged.

Facts about the ingredients

Prosecco or cava instead of champagne

The recipe itself says prosecco or cava can be used instead of champagne. It makes the drink cheaper to make. Pick a sparkling wine that is not too dry, because the liqueurs are sweet and the balance works better.

Our verdict: is the Yellow Bicycle for you?

It is an easy drink. There are three things in it, and the only technique is stirring and straining. The elderflower liqueur brings blossom and sweetness, Chartreuse brings herbs, and the champagne lifts it all. It is for you if you like light and soft over dry and bitter. If you want another French champagne drink, try the French 75.

Read and shop on

See more drink recipes, our liqueurs and champagne. Read more about Chartreuse on Wikipedia and about St-Germain. Remember the right equipment: see our cocktail equipment.

Ready to try it? Pick up St. Germain and Deutz Demi Sec in the shop, and find a bicycle to think about.

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