mémé

2 oz. applejack (Laird's)
1/2 oz. cointreau
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. lavender honey syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

To make the lavender honey simple syrup, simmer lavender buds until they reach a temperature of 140F, then add honey to taste.

This cocktail, my first of the evening at No. 9 Park, was just one of the ways we managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat this past Tuesday. It took me all of 30 seconds to decide on the Mémé. Matt told us that it was Rick's tribute to his French Canadian grandmother, who smelled like lavender. This drink used sidecar proportions with the crisp applejack subbing in for the usual grape-based brandy. On first sip, the cocktail did taste very old fashioned, with a familiar flavor I couldn't quite identify. Overall I was quite pleased, and noted to Matt that Rick seemed to really be coming along with his mixology. Matt gave him high marks indeed, and noted that Rick had created several of the newer cocktails on No. 9's menu. After noting the recipe, I concluded that the lavender-honey combination triggered a memory for me - of a lavender crème brûlée I once had in San Francisco. So Rick gets my praise for this as well.