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Archive for the ‘Lillet’ Category

*previously posted in DigBoston

 

 

Happy Leap Day, readers! Ever wonder why we add an extra day to our calendar every four years? It’s simple: the Earth actually takes 365 days and six hours to rotate around the sun, and the extra day keeps us on track with the astronomical and seasonal year. More importantly, this gives us one extra day of the year to do things we love—such as toast friends, eat a lavish meal, or drink a delicious cocktail.

Leap Day traditions in Ireland hold February 29th as the one day out of the year when it is acceptable for a woman to propose to a man—St. Bridget allegedly struck up a deal with St. Patrick to balance the traditional gender roles between men and women, just as Leap Day balances the Gregorian calendar.

Tell a modern LUPEC lady that she can’t propose to her beloved any day she wants and she’ll likely toss her well-crafted cocktail in your face. But here’s to St. Bridget for trying.

 

As February slips into March which, we LUPEC ladies see Leap Day as a chance to toast strong women everywhere. After all, March is Women’s History Month and we’ve got some great events in store for you this year, so stay tuned. For now, take a moment to raise a glass to your favorite lady bartender or fearless lady imbiber. This offering, from Hendrick’s gin, is a nod to the notion that a proposing broads was to wear a scarlet petticoat to warn her beloved of her intentions.

 

Scarlet Petticoat

1 1⁄2 parts Hendrick’s Gin
3⁄4 parts fresh Blood Orange juice
1⁄2 part Lillet Rouge
1⁄4 part Creme de Cassis
1 slice of Cucumber

In mixing glass, muddle one slice cucumber, combine remaining ingredients, add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into cocktail glass.

CIN-CIN!


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After 95 years of being a big no no, absinthe is once again legal in the United States. Here in Boston we are fortunate to have wonderful liquor retailers such as Brix and Downtown Wine and Spirits so finding the two available absinthes, Lucid and Kubler, is a simple enough task. But what do you do once you’ve made that purchase?

Traditionally the consumption of absinthe was highly ritualized. At the end of a long, arduous day folks would meet for the green hour. With a glass of absinthe in hand, people would gather around an absinthe fountain. From multiple spigots ice water would slowly drip over sugar cube laden slotted absinthe spoons. As the glasses of absinthe slowly clouded over from the bottom up those waiting to imbibe would catch up on the day’s news and local gossip. Once the liquid was a uniform, pearly color the absinthe was ready to drink. Obviously not many of us today have an absinthe fountain hanging around, but you can easily replicate this process at home with a small pitcher of ice water, spoons and your good friends.
Of course as lovers of all things cocktail, the ladies of LUPEC love to use our absinthe to mix up something tasty during our green hour! Here are a few recipes to get you started.

CHRYSANTHEMUM COCKTAIL
2 oz French Vermouth
1 oz Benedictine
3 dashes Absinthe
Stir ingredients with ice. Strain into your favorite chilled vintage cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.

CORPSE REVIVER NO. 2*
.75 oz Dry Gin
.75 oz Lillet
.75 oz Cointreau
.75 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Absinthe
Shake ingredients well with ice. Strain into your favorite chilled vintage cocktail glass.

* In The Savoy Cocktail Book author Harry Craddock noted “Four of these taken in quick succession will unrevive the corpse again.”

FASCINATOR COCKTAIL
2 oz Dry Gin
1 oz French Vermouth
2 dashes Absinthe
1 mint sprig
Shake ingredients well with ice. Strain cocktail through a tea strainer into your favorite chilled vintage cocktail glass.

Are you still thirsty and feeling a bit adventurous? Pull out your favorite recipes that call for pastis and substitute absinthe. Remember that absinthe can be kind of a bully, so start by using small quantities and then adjust to taste.

Cheers!

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