This pre-Prohibition cocktail consists of sweet vermouth, gin, and green Chartreuse. The original recipe called for equal parts of all three ingredients, plus a few drops of orange bitters. Modern palates find these proportions too cloying. The modern version increases the amount of gin and decreases the amount of green Chartreuse. This makes the drink more balanced and easier to enjoy for everyone.

Harry Johnson, a bartender in Bartender's Manual 1900, is credited with creating the cocktail. He is believed to have named the drink for the jewel-toned ingredients. "Bijou" means French for "jewel".