Necessity being the mother of invention they say, so this cocktail I came up with on the fly one recent super-hot evening.
I wanted to progress my Martini flight at home onto something more flavoursome than a regular dry version, but nothing too gimmicky. I was also out of my regular Gins like Tanqueray, Beefeater or Plymouth.
I did however have a lovely bottle of the new Four Pillars Gin in the freezer looking up at me. Plus in the fridge was a bottle of Lillet Blanc.
So I mixed the two together over some olives and voila!
I figured that the citrus notes in the Gin along with its alcohol kick would harmonise well with the lush orange flavours of Lillet,which uses sweet oranges from southern Spain or Tunisia, bitter oranges from Haiti, quinine from Peru as part of its mix with fortified wine in process similar to Vermouth and Dubonnet.
You should find it in most bottle shops for around AUD$35.00 a bottle. Its lovely on ice by itself, or you can make yourself a James Bond Vesper mixing it with Gin and Vodka in equal measures with a lemon twist.
Seems I was right. I didn’t use a lemon or orange twist as you might think for the Garnish as I didn’t want to go over the top with the orange or lemon flavours.
If you can’t get your hands on some Four Pillars Gin then you’ll want a full flavoured spicy Gin, perhaps Beefeater 24, or West Winds Cutlass, and amp up the Lillet proportion a little to bolster the orange zest flavour you’re after.
But note, the cocktail isn’t sweet. Its predominant flavour is orange zest with the Gin humming nicely underneath.
The result is a delicious cocktail full of citrus flavours, with a dry spicy finish. Its also very moorish- so be warned.
Recipe
- 15ml Lillet Blanc
- 45ml Four Pillars Gin
- Olive garnish
- Pour chilled ingredients over ice and stir well. Leave for a minute or so, sing a French tune to yourself.
- Pour over olives.
- Voila!
Why Bardot?
The cocktail evokes the vibe of the South of France, the beach in Summer. Its delicious, and it leaves you wanting some more!
😉
I hope you enjoy it.
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