This early time of the fall offers a plethora of local fruits from trees straining to offer one last vestige of the summer before the chill of winter sets in. There is something about late summer stone fruits that keep my taste-buds tuned in to the warmth of late-summer, yet focuses them towards the colder months up ahead.
I just spend a bucolic, yet scant few days in Paris and Burgundy. It seemed as if every menu was heavy with plums, some pureed, others sliced, and still others left in their raw, sensual shape - curved in all the right places. My taste buds call out for these dark stone fruits, muddled with the classic Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. The combination of the crisp, sparkling water and the sweet fall fruits is making me thirsty for what is going to be a masterpiece for the harvest season. And it seemed like the distinctively shaped bottle of this "staccato on the tongue" sparkling mineral water was on every table in France.
This would make sense because Perrier is as French as France is herself.
My twisted sensibilities don't end with just effervescent water and tree ripened fruit. To be called a Cocktail Whisperer, one must unlock the hidden dimensions of all the other ingredients in every single sip. Sparkling water and fruit is an union of these classic applications. To become a cocktail, there must be intersect of these elements in my uniquely fashioned, mixed drinks.
The French 75 is such a cocktail. Named for the 75mm cannon in World War I, it packed quite a punch. A French 75 is a bit of sweet to a bit of fizz to a bit of fire. I've taken some of the elements of the French 75 and twisted it up quite a bit. The application of grilled (or seared) then muddled fruit gives the basis for this drink. The addition the salubrious Averell Damson Gin Liqueur and the unmistakably compelling Tenneyson Absinthe (as a champagne glass wash) makes my version of the French 75, a pure and luscious yet crisp, stone fruit forward concoction.
A New "Cocktail Whisperer" French 75
Ingredients:
-Averell Damson Gin Liqueur
-Tenneyson Absinthe
-Campari Bitter Liqueur
-Seared or grilled fall plums (take your plums, slice in half and sear or grill lightly)
-Perrier Natural Sparkling Mineral Water
-Lemon Zest Twirl
Preparation:
-Fill a champagne flute with ½ oz. iced water and Tenneyson Absinthe (set to chill for a few minutes)
-Meanwhile in a Boston Shaker, muddle some lightly seared or grilled fall plums with ½ oz. Campari and 2 oz. Averell Damson Gin Liqueur (Bitter and Sweet)
-Pour out the Tenneyson wash from your champagne flute (I usually pour it into my mouth!)
-Take a bar spoon and add two bar spoonfuls of the muddled plum, Averell and Campari mixture into your flute
-Strain the remaining liquid from your Boston Shaker over the muddled plum mixture to about ½ way up the flute
-Top with Perrier Natural Sparkling Mineral Water for a crisp, lift to this luscious, yet deceptively strong cocktail
-Garnish with a lemon zest twirl from top to bottom adding spark!
Cheers from DrinkUpNY!
Article by Warren Bobrow, a nationally published food and spirits columnist who writes for Williams-Sonoma, Foodista and the Beekman Boys.
I am planning to apply as a part-time bartender to Gordons wine bar in London for fun and for experience too. I agree with you that a cocktail has a zest if there is a surprising taste with the drink. I want to try French 75 even though I prefer berry flavor cocktail drinks.
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