2 oz Pimm's No. 13/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
Shake with ice and strain into a champagne flute. Top with ~2 oz dry sparkling cider from Normandy and garnish with two slices of strawberry.
On Wednesday evening, Andrea and I returned to Central Square to finish up the trilogy with Rendezvous. For my before dinner drink, I spotted the Norman Conquest on the cocktail menu and asked bartender Scott Holliday about it. His reply was that "It's just a tarted up Pimm's Cup," which was fine by me since it was hot out and I needed a refreshing beverage. Moreover, the concept of dry sparkling cider in place of the more standard lemon-lime soda pushed me over the edge into ordering it. Historically, the Norman Conquest was when the Duke of Normandy, William the Conquerer, invaded England in 1066 A.D., and here symbolically, cider from Normandy was invading the space of the traditional English spirit Pimm's No. 1.
The Norman Conquest's nose was fruity from the Pimm's, lemon juice, and the cider, and those three ingredients on the sip made for a delightful flavor combination. In addition, the balance was dry enough to be perfect as an aperitif. Lastly, the strawberry slices were entertaining besides delicious -- they were thin enough to catch the cider's bubbles so they floated up and down the inside of the champagne flute.
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3 comments:
thanks for posting the recipe for this one! i was most enamored with the fineness of the bubbles - much smaller than champagne ones - which made a thick, aromatic, beer-like head at the mouth of the flute. scott impresses again.
and yes, essential to survive this heat.
That's a great name! I have one called the Battle of Hastings that involves Calvados, Benedictine and a Laphroaig rinse, but it's more of a Fall/Winter cocktail.
Oh and forgot I had a weird user name. The last comment should have said Aaron instead of Guy Fawkes
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