improved ping pong

1 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
1/2 oz Crème Yvette
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

On Thursday night, Andrea and I traveled a ways down the Red Line to the Broadway stop to attend Franklin Southie's Plymouth Gin Industry Night. I was only expecting to see gin recipes on the menu, but I was pleasantly surprised that there were a few sloe gin ones as well. The one I was drawn to -- the Improved Ping Pong -- had both spirits, but what really drew my attention was that it contained Crème Yvette! This was my first sighting in a Boston bar (save for a prototype batch that was stashed away at Eastern Standard). Crème Yvette has a similar floral signature as Crème de Violette; however, Yvette also contains a rather delicious berry component for it contains blackberry, raspberry, cassis, and strawberry besides the violet flowers.
The drink was based off of the classic Ping Pong and was altered by adding gin and increasing the lemon juice to dry out the sweeter original. One of the recipes for the original can be found in Boothby's 1934 World Drinks And How To Mix Them:

Ping Pong #2
• 1/3 oz Sloe Gin
• 1/3 oz Crème Yvette
• 1 spoon Lemon Juice
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Improved Ping Pong's nose contained both lemon oil and floral elements. The sip was full of sweet fruit notes with a slightly bitter and floral swallow. When I gave Andrea a sip, she commented that the raspberry notes (from a combination of the slow gin and Yvette) strangely reminded her of a popsicle.