Cheeky Monkey recipe
Vodka, yellow Chartreuse liqueur, orange juice and orange bitters, shaken and strained into a cocktail glass, garnished with 1 slice of orange.
By Kris Barton · Updated - 2 mins total
- 5 ingredients
- Cocktail glass
The Cheeky Monkey Cocktail is a little different from our usual mixes.
Sure, it’s still quick and easy to make, but it has a rather niche ingredient in it: Yellow Chartreuse.
With Yellow Chartreuse, you mix Vodka, Orange Juice, and Orange Bitters to make a tasty but rather out-there blend.
You just have to try it!
How do you make a Cheeky Monkey? What even is Yellow Chartreuse…?
Great questions! Let’s get into it!
What’s a Cheeky Monkey Cocktail?
What’s a Cheeky Monkey?
…is the exact question I thought that ran through my mind when I saw the cocktail on a menu of a swanky cocktail bar some years back.
I’d never heard of it before and I love trying new cocktails.
Then I looked at the ingredients: Vodka, Yellow Chartreuse, Orange Juice, and Orange Bitters…
…wait. What even is Yellow Chartreuse? (you can find out more about Yellow Chartreuse below).
It didn’t matter. I ordered the cocktail and I loved it. The flavour was so different: orange citrus overtones, resting on strong herbal undertones.
It was fantastic – you have to try it.
What Ingredients do you need to make a Cheeky Monkey Cocktail?
Before we get into the Cheeky Monkey cocktail recipe, let’s take a look at some of the ingredients we need to make it.
Vodka
We compared 12 different brands of Vodka and determined that Smirnoff was the overall best option. Given the current climate with Russia, that may seem like a questionable choice, but Smirnoff isn’t made in Russia, it’s made all over the world.
It actually has a history of Russian persecution and the creators were forced to flee Russia.
Yellow Chartreuse
Chartreuse is a French herbal liqueur that’s made in two varieties:
- Yellow
- Green
These differ in taste an alcohol levels.
In one form or another, Chartreuse has been around since the 1600s, being perfected by monks in 1737 and was intended to be used for medicinal purposes.
Yellow Chartreuse is made from cinnamon, mace, lemon balm, dried hyssop flower tops, peppermint, thyme, costmary, arnica flowers, genepi, angelica roots, cardamom seeds and socotrine aloes.
For Yellow Chartreuse Liqueur, we recommend:
Orange Bitters
Orange Bitters is an alcohol cocktail ingredients aimed at providing drinks with a bitter orange flavour.
Orange Bitters are made using peels of Seville oranges, cardamon, caraway seed, coriander, anise, and burnt sugar in a alcohol base.
For Orange Bitters, we recommend:
How do You Garnish a Cheeky Monkey Cocktail?
The Cheeky Monkey Cocktail is garnished with a slice of orange to compliment the orange citrus flavours of the drink.
What Cocktail Equipment do you need to make a Cheeky Monkey Cocktail?
Now we know what goes into the Cheeky Monkey, but what do you need to make it?
Let’s take a look at some of the cocktail equipment we’ll need to make it.
…Or just click here to skip directly to the recipe!
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail shakers improve the taste of cocktails. It’s a fact.
There’s a reason that famed British spy James Bond says “shaken, not stirred”. And that reason is: because it tastes better.
If you don’t already have a cocktail shaker set, you might want to check out our detailed Cocktail Shaker comparison article.
But to cut a long story short, here’s the cocktail shaker we recommend:
Jigger
It’s important to get the mix of any cocktail right. The measurements are set for a reason – to specify a tried, tested, and tasty drink.
A jigger is going to help you get those perfect measurements – after all, it is what the pro’s use.
For a jigger, we recommend:
Strainer
If you (or perhaps the person you’re buying for) don’t have a Hawthorne strainer as part of a cocktail shaker set, it’s a great, and incredibly useful, cocktail gift you need in your cocktail toolbox.
The strainer is typically used to remove the ice (or any other unwanted solid ingredients) from your cocktail as it’s poured from the cocktail shaker into your glass.
For a Hawthorne Strainer, we recommend:
Cocktail Glass
This cocktail recipe tastes great, but let’s make it look great too.
Having the right glass for the right cocktail always makes the experience more enjoyable in my experience.
And the right glass is a cocktail glass.
We recommend:
Before we get into the recipe, here are some tips and tricks to take the cocktail to the next level.
Mixing Tips
- Yellow Chartreuse is the softer, sweeter, honeyed sister of the green. It rounds the orange out rather than taking over.
- Squeeze the oranges fresh; the juice is the biggest part of the drink.
- One dash of bitters is plenty: it sharpens the orange and dries the finish.
- Chill the glass first, as the drink is served straight up with no ice.
The Recipe
How to make a Cheeky Monkey
Advertisement
Recipe card
Cheeky Monkey
- Prep
- 1 min
- Making
- 1 min
- Total
- 2 mins
- Serves
- 1
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
Ingredients
Makes 1 drink.
Method
- Add ice to a cocktail shaker.
- Use a jigger to measure out vodka, yellow Chartreuse liqueur, orange juice, and orange bitters into the shaker.
- Shake well until the shaker is cold to the touch.
- Strain into a cocktail glass.
- Garnish with a slice of orange.
Want more like this? Browse our full collection of modern cocktails.
Cheeky Monkey FAQs
What is a Cheeky Monkey cocktail?
A vodka cocktail with a rather niche ingredient: yellow Chartreuse. It’s vodka, yellow Chartreuse, orange juice and orange bitters, shaken and served straight up, and it tastes of orange citrus resting on strong herbal undertones.
What is yellow Chartreuse?
Chartreuse is a French herbal liqueur that comes in two varieties, yellow and green, which differ in taste and strength. Yellow is the softer, sweeter, honeyed one. Chartreuse has been around in one form or another since the 1600s; monks perfected it in 1737, as a medicine. Yellow Chartreuse is made with herbs and spices including cinnamon, mace, lemon balm, hyssop, peppermint, thyme, angelica root and cardamom.
What are orange bitters?
An alcoholic cocktail ingredient that gives drinks a bitter orange flavour. Orange bitters are made from Seville orange peel, cardamom, caraway seed, coriander, anise and burnt sugar in an alcohol base. One dash is plenty in a Cheeky Monkey: it sharpens the orange and dries the finish.
How do you garnish a Cheeky Monkey?
With a slice of orange, to complement the orange citrus flavours of the drink.
Any tips for making a Cheeky Monkey?
Squeeze the oranges fresh, as the juice is the biggest part of the drink. And chill the glass first, because the drink is served straight up with no ice.
What Ingredients do you need to make a Cheeky Monkey?
To make a Cheeky Monkey, you need 30ml / 1oz vodka, 30ml / 1oz yellow Chartreuse liqueur, 45ml / 1.5oz orange juice and 1 dash of orange bitters, plus 1 slice of orange to garnish. There’s more about the ingredients above.
What Equipment do you need to make a Cheeky Monkey?
You’ll need a cocktail shaker, a jigger and a cocktail glass. There’s more about the equipment above.
What alcohol is in a Cheeky Monkey?
A Cheeky Monkey contains 30ml / 1oz vodka and 30ml / 1oz yellow Chartreuse liqueur.
Is a Cheeky Monkey shaken or stirred?
A Cheeky Monkey is shaken. Shake it with ice in a cocktail shaker, then strain it into a cocktail glass.
Can I make a Cheeky Monkey without a cocktail shaker?
A cocktail shaker is best, but a clean jam jar with a tight lid works too. Add ice and the ingredients, screw the lid on and shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds, then strain it into your glass through a small sieve.
What glass is a Cheeky Monkey served in?
Serve a Cheeky Monkey in a cocktail glass.
How do I make a Cheeky Monkey for a group?
The recipe makes one drink. Multiply every measure by the number of drinks you want: for 4, you’d need 120ml vodka, 120ml yellow Chartreuse liqueur, 180ml orange juice and 4 dashes of orange bitters. Shake one or two drinks at a time, so there’s room in the shaker for the ice.
