belle de jour

1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Grenadine (Homemade)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
3 oz Champagne (a dry cava)

Shake all but the champagne with ice and strain into a champagne flute. Top with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.

Last night, Andrea decided to make use of our opened bottle of cava to whip up an Eastern Standard classic, the Belle de Jour, using the recipe published in the Food & Wine: Cocktails 2008 book. Andrea has enjoyed them in the past at Eastern Standard's bar but the drink had never made it onto CocktailVirgin. The richness of the brandy-based spirits, the herbalness of the Benedictine, and the sweetness of the grenadine meet the crispness of the lemon juice and champagne. We went with the lemon peel garnish instead of the harder to acquire Catherine Deneuve option.