COCKTAIL DU JOUR

The Lucien Gaudin cocktail. En garde!

Today’s featured tipple is the Lucien Gaudin cocktail, a pre-Prohibition classic named for the French fencer who snagged Olympic gold in both 1924 and 1928.  Not exactly a household name, but, really, who gives a crap?  It’s a fine drink no matter what you call it.

The Lucien Gaudin resembles nothing quite so much as a Negroni.  It has the gin, the Campari, and the vermouth - but in lieu of sweet vermouth, the Lucien Gaudin plugs in dry vermouth and Cointreau.  The Cointreau provides extra sweetness to offset the dry vermouth, along with a distinct bitter orange pong.  After having tried one, I can say that it’s probably a little more user-friendly than the powerful, bittersweet Negroni... a good introduction to that particular style of drink for the novice Cocktail-Hound.

Lucien Gaudin

1½ ounces gin (I used Berkshire Mountain Distillers Greylock Gin)
½ ounce Campari
½ ounce Cointreau
½ ounce dry vermouth

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Stir well, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with orange peel.

Given Monsieur Gaudin’s route to fame, it is tempting to say that the eponymous cocktail is better than a pointy stick in the eye... which it most assuredly is. In fact, it is pretty damn good.