Thursday, May 14, 2009

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!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pinkies fully extended! Gin is a funky one sometimes, but you've done some nice stuff to sweeten it up. This Lillet is intriguing!

Daniel said...

Thanks for *hic* teaching me yet another interesting drink!

I guess I have to call myself a gin lowbrow though. I honestly can't tell much of a difference between the really good stuff and the cheaper stuff.

Dan
Casual Kitchen

The Diva on a Diet said...

Duo - nice work on the pinkies! LOL It sounds like an odd pairing, but the Lillet and gin really do go well together.

Dan - any time ... drinks are always on me, come Thursday! ;)

I'm funny about gin and feel like there is a world of difference between the brands. Whereas with vodka ... I really can't tell the difference most times.

Christo Gonzales said...

I read this sentence over so much I had to put it right here "This drink is light, crisp and just perfect for a summer evening ... whether you're serving royalty or not." says enough for me....

Anonymous said...

Diva, you are like me, gins are distinctive, vodkas are not. I have never heard of Lillet, I may have but the reference escapes me. Hendrick's I had never heard of, so I did a couple of things, I Googled it, I posted it on:
http://thingsthatfizz.blogspot.com/
and I linked it to you. Fascinating. I loved the Hendrick's homepage, I put a permanent link on the side bar.

Now I'll have to explore Lillet, but not today.

Anyway, thanks for solving my posting problem today... :-)

AV

pixelgal said...

Whew! I thought for a moment that my fave (Tanqueray) would be banished to the cheap category. Thank you Diva for your sign of approval. Now I can drink it in public!!!

Unknown said...

Ah ha! Alcohol! The diva is truly back!

Pam said...

Sounds good and looks pretty.

The Vintage Kitten said...

Ooh your my kinda gal Diva! Mines a large one! X

Anonymous said...

Lovely drink! Learning a lot about cocktails from your Thirsty Thursdays. Thanks!

The Diva on a Diet said...

doggy - phew, for a minute there I was afraid you had to reread because it was poorly worded! I know you're a fellow grammarian. LOL

Argentum - ah, so I'm not the only one who's enamored of the Hendrick's site. So cool, isn't it? And really cool that you linked me up in your post. Thanks so much for that!!! I hope you can get your hands on some Hendricks - its mighty good stuff!

Pixelgal - nope, you're a-ok with your Tanqueray!

HH - I'm trying! Still coughing my pretty little head off though. :(

Thanks, Pam!

Vintage Kitten - yes, indeed, a very tall glass for you! ;) xoxo

5 Star - thanks, and I'm glad to be of service! LOL

Tangled Noodle said...

I soooo needed a drink this week! All's well, although I'll still take this libation!