Monday, June 18, 2012

beauregarde

1 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 oz Gin (Farmer's)
1/2 oz Blueberry Shrub (see here for an easy recipe)
1 barspoon (1/8 oz) Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1 dash Orange Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

For Thursday Drink Night two weeks ago, the theme was "berries." As the conversation progressed, I mentioned that I had some strawberry and blueberry shrubs in the refrigerator, and I began to consider a drink with them. Many of my shrubs get used in simple aperitif style drinks that are 2 oz dry vermouth (or dry sherry), 1/2 oz shrub, 1 large ice cube, and a citrus twist in a rocks glass. Building on this basic recipe, I bolstered the alcohol content with some gin. I also added some Maraschino after remembering Ryan Lotz's advice about how the liqueur can help to make many seasonal fruit flavors pop out more. Finally, for a name, I made this blueberry-tinged aperitif a tribute to Willy Wonka's Violet Beauregarde character who gets turned into a blueberry.

2 comments:

Sunny&Rummy said...

Great looking drink, Fred, and one I will be trying out very soon. But. . . Veruca Salt was not the blueberry kid in Charley and the Chocolate Factory. That was Violet Beauregarde. As in, "Violet! You're turning violet, Violet!!"

Veruca was the spoiled rich brat who wanted a goose that layed golden chocolate eggs and ended up going down the garbage chute because the Educated Eggdu-Cator measured her to be a bad egg.

frederic said...

Oh man... my bad and thanks -- I changed the name accordingly. I think Veruca+aperitif=Verucatif was just too tempting. And it has been a few years since I've last seen the movie.