Made with all French liquors, Popeye Doyle was probably a beer man but Alain Charnier would love this.
Remember that great 1971 movie, "The French Connection." Watched it again a few weeks ago on Netflix. Loved that film. This drink really has nothing to do with that exciting film but I love the memory.
The Gin: Citadelle Slow Distilled French Gin
The Vermouth: Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Rouge
The Amaro: Bonal Gentiane Quina
More: Burnt orange zest and peal
Of course the Negroni is a 100% Italian drink but the Italian's inspire the world and I've been inspired to make an all French Negroni. I hope I don't start a war.
Starting with the amazing Citadelle gin that was first created in 1775 when Louis XVI allowed two visionary Frenchmen, Carpeau and Stival, to make a gin called Genièvre in traditional copper pot stills at the Citadelle in Dunkirk. So good was their work that it become the royal distillery.
Things come and go, and over the decades, revolution and all that, French gin declined to an industrial spirit losing the quality the royal family enjoyed. Thankfully in 1989, another visionary, or perhaps really a historian Alexandre Gabriel began to make handcrafted gin small copper pot stills like Carpeau and Stival. You can be royal too.
in the words of my friends at Astor Wines and Spirits "If you are looking for new and lively gin then this is your best bet. A combination of 19 spices gives this gin a unique and distinctive flavor. It is high quality Gin so it can be good for anything."
The result is fabulous almost to good to mix with anything else. But we did. It is an exciting base for this exciting cocktail.
For our Amaro we chose the French Bonal.
We have created other cocktails with the historic classic French aperitif Bonal that goes back to 1865 by monk, doctor, and brother Raphael, AKA Hippolyte Bonal. An Aperitif wine called infused with extract of chinchona bark, quinine, the same essence used to make Tonic water, but with with a very secret blend of botanical herbs from the Chartreuse Mountains in southeastern France. But in this cocktail it shows the best.
I am sure Hippolyte had no lustful or ill intent in mind when he created this seductive liquor, but who knows what men will do.
Lastly for the vermouth we chose the ever faithful Dolin, our first truly good vermouth.
Again history is at play as Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry has been made by the same recipe since 1821, and for decades is the standard by which all others are judged. Over the years it has won medals in Paris London, St. Louis and Philadelphia and in 1932 earned Chambéry France's only Appellation d' Origine for Vermouth. Pretty awesome I'd say.
Recipe:
1 1/2 oz Citadelle Gin
1 1/2 oz Bonal
1 1/2 oz Dolin Rouge
Stir over ice, serve up with burnt orange peel zest .
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