Thirsty Thursdays: Lillet Encore!

For the sake of argument, I'm going to assume that you've taken my Breakfast Martini advice and bought yourself a lovely bottle of Lillet. I will further assume that you are a person of moderate habits and are therefore still in possession of some Lillet. I hope so, because we'll be using it today. Oh, and prepare to extend your pinkie ... we're going Royal this afternoon.

The Baronial:

• 2 oz. Lillet (blanc)
• 1 oz. good quality gin
• 2 - 3 dashes of bitters (either Orange bitters or Angostura)
• dash of Cointreau (about 1/4 tsp. or so, more if you like it)

• slice of lemon or orange for garnish
  

Fill a martini shaker with ice and over the ice pour the Lillet, gin, bitters and Cointreau. Shake well, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with slice of lemon or orange. Serve and enjoy, repeat as necessary.

Today's recipe is adapted from the Bartender's Guide by John K. Waters. As written it will yield one delicious and thoroughly refreshing cocktail. You may note the inclusion of bitters again - this time I used orange bitters, though Angostura would work as well. I happen to enjoy the added burst of citrus - though if you opt for Angostura, the slight astringent tang would be equally welcome.

Now, a word about that gin. Typically, its not my drink of choice. That said, if I'm going to drink it, it has to be the good stuff. I'm talking Hendricks here and I won't lie, its pricey. Worth every penny though, the flavor is without equal.

I don't insist that you spring for the Hendricks, but I do insist that you not use rot-gut. Beefeater, Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, something of that ilk is recommended. The Baronial is essentially a martini variant and as such, you'll want a clean, well-rounded gin flavor - so choose wisely.

This drink is light, crisp and just perfect for a summer evening ... whether you're serving royalty or not. I hope you'll try it!

Bon appetit!