“I drink to make other people more interesting.” Ernest Hemmingway
The holiday craze has begun. There are cocktails to be made (consumed) and hostess gifts to be bought. “Paris Cocktails” by Doni Belau is the perfect book for the cocktail lover, Francophile, and hostess with the mostess. This book is a holiday do. It is filled with gorgeous photos of cocktails, recipes you can recreate at home, tips on where to drink in Paris and the United States including a few “dive” bars. Do yourself a favor and buy a few copies from Girls Guide to Paris, your local bookstore or Amazon if you don’t have a local bookstore. This little red book of cocktails is quite impressive. Pair it with a French spirit such as Citadel Gin (available at K & L Wine Merchants), Bastille Whiskey, Dragon Vodka and a couple Nick and Nora glasses for a festive holiday basket.
“The Frenchie”a seasonal cocktail I created that is inspired by the Rose Salty Dog Cocktail in “Paris Cocktails”. This cocktail is refreshing, festive and easy to make ahead for holiday parties. My version uses Citadel Gin. The gin is elegant with floral notes of violet and sweet orange blossoms. It is great in a Gin and Tonic, and even more pleasing in a cocktail. In the spirit of keeping the ingredients French, I used Guignolet Cointreau which is a cherry liqueur that adds a touch of color and softness to the gin. I selected Ruby Red Grapefruit for my acid which helps balance out the cocktail and adds a lovely blush color. Garnish with Luxardo cherries and voila!
- 4 ounces Citadel Gin
- 2 ounces Guignolet Cointreau
- 5 ounces freshly squeezed Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
- 6 Luxardo Cherries and a dollop of Luxardo Cherry Juice
- 2 Nick & Nora Cocktail Glasses
- Place Gin, Guignolet, and grapefruit juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and set aside while you prepare glasses and garnish.
- In each of the Nick and Nora cocktail glasses place a dollop of the cherry juice from the Luxardo Cherries at the bottom of the glass. On each cocktail pick, place three (3) Luxardo Cherries. Place cocktail pick in glass.
- Lightly shake cocktail shaker and pour into glass.
- 2 ounces Bastille Whiskey
- 1 ounce Carpano Antica
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 dashes bitters
- 3 Luxardo Cherries for garnish
- Place Bastille Whiskey, Carpano, bitters and orange juice in cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Place three (3) Luxardo Cherries in cocktail glass. Pour cocktail and enjoy!
Oh my, that looks delicious! The perfect start to a great weekend.