Dazed and confused? Not me. I’m just Lost in the Cheese Aisle.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

COCKTAIL DU JOUR

Lucien Gaudin
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.

No comments: