Keeping drinks simple
Or making them complicated! You choose!
I recently tried a French 75 recipe from the new Vedge Bar Book. (They’re kind enough to let me share it below.)
It didn’t veer extremely far from the classic combo of bubbly, spirit (sometimes cognac, sometimes gin), lemon, and sugar, but it offered a template for tinkering.
Instead of your standard Eureka lemon, they use fragrant Meyer lemons, which seem to be a bit more widely available these days. Instead of making a basic simple syrup, they take the time to infuse the sugar with bay leaves.
These little touches give you a drink that’s a bit more aromatic and intricate in flavor; it would be fun to serve with appetizers on Thanksgiving. (In case you’re curious, here’s the rest of my menu.)
You could also probably swap out the bay leaves for whatever you desire—thyme or lavender or rosemary or fresh basil or mint, just lightly tapped with a muddler and left to sit in the sugar for an hour or so. The Meyer lemon is lovely, but Eureka lemon gives the drink a bit more acidic pop. I like it both ways.
It could be fun to muddle in a kumquat. A handful of cranberries? I won’t stop you, though I haven’t tried it.
As the holidays approach, I also know that it can be best to save the more complex drinks for the professionals, and keep things simple at home, especially if you’re also in charge of the cooking. (Cooking friends, are you caught up on my podcast? Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss my chat re: Thanksgiving prep with Dan Souza of America’s Test Kitchen.)
I recently mixed up an Adonis and was reminded how much I like that drink. Start with 2 parts fino sherry, add 1 part sweet vermouth, dash in some orange bitters; you can adjust and add more fruity vermouth to your taste, then serve with an orange twist. The whole thing takes just a few minutes to batch up in the empty sherry bottle.
As far as the French 75 goes, I’d just warn you that bad prosecco is never going to make a good drink. Buy a bottle of bubbly that you truly like to drink on its own—maybe do a little tasting “research” in these days leading up to Thanksgiving if this is your beverage plan—and that way, you can serve the wine unadorned or offer the option of the cocktail. Some people will choose wine. Some will choose your fancy drink. Some might like to add some ice to the glass.
Don’t forget to keep something booze-free (like this, with tonic) on hand as well. Be easy on yourselves, friends. Or dive into a little project if that’s what you need.
Bay Bae
Recipe from The Vedge Bar Book: Plant-Based Cocktails and Light Bites for Inspired Entertaining © Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau 2024. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment.
Meyer lemons are one of our favorite citrus fruits, but they’re at their peak for only a short time each year. This festive cocktail showcases their fleeting floral sweetness alongside the mysterious herbal notes of bay leaf, like a fancy French 75 meeting a bouquet garni.
1 ounce (30 ml) Beefeater gin
0.5 ounce (15 ml) Bay Leaf Syrup (see below)
0.5 ounce (15 ml) Meyer lemon juice
2 ounces (60 ml) Prosecco or other sparkling wine
Meyer lemon peel
Chill a small wine glass.
Add the gin, syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake until chilled, 8 to 10 seconds. Strain into the wine glass and top with the sparkling wine. Garnish with the lemon peel.
Bay Leaf Syrup
Makes about ½ cup (120 ml)
Maggie’s note: I do use slightly warmed water to dissolve the sugar more easily. If you wanted to try more potent herbs like rosemary or tender leaves like basil instead of the bay, I’d probably check the flavor after an hour rather than letting it sit longer.
½ cup (100 g) sugar
2 small, dried bay leaves or 1 fresh bay leaf
Combine the sugar and bay leaves in a small bowl and muddle until the bay leaves are bruised. Cover and let rest for at least 6 hours or ideally overnight.
Add ½ cup (120 ml) water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the bay leaves. Store the syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.