Lillet Blanc & Me

I was chatting with Dave, one of my cafe regulars, and I learned something about Lillet I didn't know.

Dave was in Paris and ordered two "Lill-ay" trying to get an aperitif but "Madame" brought out two glasses of milk, having apparently heard it as "le lait." And she had never heard of Lillet. Now, the bottle of Lillet Blanc sitting in my frig definitely calls it French, even has a map of the region it hails from. Could it be that it's no longer sipped in Paree? That it's become purely an export? I'd love to know more about that.

But after telling that tale, Dave and I started talking about cocktails, so I mentioned the Vesper, the gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc "martini" made famous by James Bond. (I wrote a blog piece on the Vesper before. If you click the title of this blog post, it will take you to my GrandeDameIt blog and you'll see it: Cries and Vespers.) Dave's lunch mate, the ever-charming Newell (no, Mr. Smith. There are just some people you can't call by their first names. He's one: more gracious and fascinating at 90 than I would ever be if I were reincarnated 300 times.), was appalled at the idea of any martini that wasn't gin--which 99.9% of the time I would agree with--but I make one exception and that's for the Vesper.

Then Dave raised an interesting question. He likes Manhattans made with Jack Daniels. Sidebar: This drew another groan from Mr. Smith who couldn't imagine mixing anything with Jack Daniels--damn, I wish I were thirty years older; this is my type of guy! But Dave wondered whether Lillet Blanc could be used instead of sweet vermouth in a Manhattan. Or, better yet, because I suspect it's more similar--although I haven't tried it--what about Lillet Rouge? Not that I want to kick Vermouth out of bed for eating crackers, but now that I've gone as far as drinking those "impure" Vespers, a little experimentation might be nice. Wow, I love it when experimentation is called for when it comes to cocktails. Let me check my ice supply and I'll get back to you. Or you get back to me, if you've got some thoughts on Lillet--Blanc or Rouge.

To Write or To Bask in Spring

I've been trying for weeks to write about a couple of my favorite warm weather drinks, but it's been too warm.
Spring is always a time of dilemma in Wisconsin. If it's a nasty Spring, you want to curl up under the covers and forget the whole month of May. But if in May, we get multiple days of 70 degree weather, I instead want to wallow in the unexpected bounty. I've lived in Tennessee, so I know this would be hard to understand for anyone living below the Ohio river where by mid-May, the crocuses have bloomed and croaked and where the drink that is most welcome when the temp is 95 with humidity to match is Sundrop but in Wisconsin, back-to-back seventies before June are lusciously rare.

So I've waited for Memorial Day weekend to write about a summer drink. Because, as all Northerners know, regardless of the sun and 88 last Thursday, Memorial Day means cool and cloudy, if not cold and rainy--occasionally snowy. (The other weekend you can count on this in Madison is in March when the Boy's Basketball tournament is in town. 25 and icy.)

Many summer drinks are obvious, so let's move on from Gin & Tonic, no matter how glorious.

One of my favorites for warm weather is a classic: The Dark & Stormy (also my bro's new fave) which you can find recipes for many places. Just be sure you stay classic--Gosling Rum and Barrit's Ginger Beer. I've been told that Reed's Ginger Beer is a decent substitute if you absolutely can't find Barrit's and Cruzan Navy Dark Rum isn't a bad sub but stay with the tried and true if possible.

My other suggestions is so much a "girlie" drink that I'm almost embarrassed I like it so much: visions of ladies in straw hats out on the lawn in stilettos come to mind. Worse, I found it in an article by Bobby Flay. And it couldn't be more simple which is essential when all you really want to do is plop down in a hammock and read Elle. I don't remember its official name, but it's rum and lemonade with a little mint muddled in it and used as a garnish on it. Wow, that was hard.

Fill a big glass with ice (yes, chunky) and add a jigger of rum. Top with lemonade--I suppose you could use homemade but I never have: always just used frozen concentrate. Rub a mint leaf between your fingers to bring the oils out and stir in, then top with another mint leaf.

Mint comes in far more variety than people tend to imagine and while any will work, if you can find some, use chocolate mint. It has a very subtle undertone of dark chocolate that blends well with the rum. This is another drink I use a dark rum for, in part to kick it up out of the ladies' garden party spot at least to cricket watching (the game, not the bug) and in part because I'm too cheap too keep two kinds of rum around. Despite being willing to have three or four different gins on hand.

May your Memorial Day weekend deserve a Rum & Lemonade. Mine will probably need a Hot Toddy.

Derby Day--And Not A Julep In Sight

Ah, The Kentucky Derby: the most exciting two minutes in sports surrounded by four hours of commentary.

Yes, the Mint Julep is the traditional Derby drink, and I have no quarrel with it being a dandy libation, but everyone and his jockey will be writing about the Julep. So let's talk about another drink that would fit the requirements of the day.

You want something properly celebratory, of course, since the Derby is all about having a grand time. And it should have a bit of the old-boy snob appeal to go with all those men in tuxes and women in wide brimmed hats. But it can't be a sissy drink, needs to have some alcoholic oomph to get you numb enough to ignore how short the race actually is (see comment above). My pick for a drink that fits all the above: The French 75.

You might call this a "Champagne Cocktail" but it's about as similar to a Mimosa as Mrs. Lovett is to Dorothy Gale. The French 75 is named after the French 75mm cannon built in 1897 and used in WWI; the cannon was designed to have a smoother recoil than those built before but still use a powerful shell, which as Ted Haigh says in Vintage Cocktails makes the name appropriate for a drink that is "smooth, yet packs a wallop." I first tried it because, of course, it has gin it. But how weird is it to combine gin and champagne of all things? As it turns out, not weird at all and one of the best party drinks I've found. So on to the recipe:

2 oz. gin (avoid overly herby gins for this one)
1 oz. lemon juice, fresh of course
1 tsp. of simple syrup or 2 tsp. sugar
Champagne

I almost always end up using the sugar because I never plan far enough ahead to make simple syrup. I think Monin makes a bottled simple syrup--but I've also never planned far enough ahead to look for it. Spontaneous drinker.
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice--and let me harp once again on the importance of using nice big cubes so you don't water the drink too much (if you're getting really pissy about me mentioning this every time--too bad). Put everything in but the Champagne and shake. Pour it into a flute and top with Champagne. Usually, all I garnish with is a lemon peel spiral but I know a maraschino cherry is often added too: the glow-in-the-dark color just makes me nervous (like I'm not already putting dangerous things in my body?) Now that wasn't hard was it?

First thing you'll notice is that the gin mixture takes up a whomping amount of room in the flute, so you really are just "topping" it with Champagne. Thus the wallop it packs. And since carbonation tends to speed alcohol into the bloodstream (learned this in my bartender licensing class where I also learned that if someone is slurring their speech, they might have had enough--gee, ya think?), the bubbly will juice it right in there. You'll be seeing twice the field of horses by post time after a couple of these. Just don't wait to place your bets until then.

And for those of you in my area (Wisconsin, Illinois, etc.), Arlington Race Track opened May 1 and every Thursday is Senior Day when admission is only 3 bucks for anyone 55 or over--woot! It's a pleasure to be considered a senior at 55 if it comes with bennies.

I'll leave you with one more comment about this drink from Robert Hess whose drinkboy.com website I highly recommend: "Some people claim this drink should use Cognac instead of gin. Those people would be wrong."

Off to the races.