Mint Cocktails

[Mike S.]

Chris, you are correct: Pernod is clearly the right pastis for the French Pearl. A very good drink and one that I'll pull out now and again. Of course, I'm now the "proud" owner of a practically-full 750ml bottle of Pernod (I was unable to find a 50ml mini) that's highly unlikely to get any other use!

If that's the worst thing that happens to me this week, I'm probably doing ok.

[Steve Sokoloff]

A little different- the Cicada

2 0z. Plymouth Gin

3/4 oz. Absinthe

1/2 oz. Creme deMenthe (white makes the drink a pale celadon color)

4 mint leaves

1 tsp heavy cream

in shaker muddle mint, fill with ice. Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds. strain into up glass and garnish with small mit sprig floated on drink.

It's kind of like a grasshopper but less sweet and more herbal.

Edited August 5, 2009 by Steve Sokoloff (log)

[Steve Sokoloff]

Chris, you are correct: Pernod is clearly the right pastis for the French Pearl.  A very good drink and one that I'll pull out now and again.  Of course, I'm now the "proud" owner of a practically-full 750ml bottle of Pernod (I was unable to find a 50ml mini) that's highly unlikely to get any other use!

If that's the worst thing that happens to me this week, I'm probably doing ok.

←

Pernod is a real staple in my kitchen. any time I'm cooking any poached or steamed seafood or light fish, I add it to the liquid(even in most chinese dishes. the anise adds a little sharpness and depth to the flavor. So even if you don't enjoy a little pastis with water sitting around outside, there's plenty to do with it.

[Mike S.]

Good ideas, Steve. I'd forgotten about Pernod's cooking applications. I actually have a recipe for escargot based on a dish served at The Sardine Factory restaurant in Monterey, Calif. that's served with a garlicy cream sauce laced with Pernod. Time to pull that one out again!

Edited August 5, 2009 by Mike S. (log)

[Wild Bill Turkey]

Staying on topic with both the mint and the pastis is the French aperitif called Le Perroquet (parrot). The French have three standard additives they blend with pastis to create three common aperitifs:

Pastis + Orgeat= La Mauresque

Pastis + Grenadine= La Tomate

Pastis + Mint syrup= Le Perroquet

These being commonly ordered, most French bars that serve pastis will also have these syrups. I've never owned mint syrup, so I've never tried it, but the other two are quite good if you like pastis, and of course La Tomate is better if you make your own grenadine. I've been meaning to try making my own mint syrup so I could try the Perroquet, but it won't have the iconic green color (from commercial syrup) that gives the drink its name.

The proportions, from the book "Aperitif" by Georgeanne Brennan:

1oz pastis

1 tablespoon mint syrup

5ozs very cold water

[Chris Amirault]

A French Pearl question. I've seen this recipe around the internet quite a bit:

French Pearl

Pegu Club, NYC

1 sprig mint (10-12 leaves)

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

3/4 oz simple syrup (1:1, uncooked)

1/4 oz Pernod

2 oz Plymouth Gin

←

From its ubiquity, I'm thinking that this is Audrey's original recipe, but I certainly don't know.

The reason I ask is that my version brings the Plymouth up front a bit by dialing back on the lime and simple (to 1/2 oz each) and halves the Pernod (to 1/8 oz, my barspoon). Are there others out there making these consistently? What version do you use? Why?

[vice]

As it happens, I made one last night. I use Audrey's proportions, but I've noted yours in the past and been meaning to try them. The Pernod doesn't get lost at only 1/8 oz? It certainly isn't overbearing at 1/4, but I guess cutting back on the lime might let it come through a bit more, too.

[Chris Amirault]

I feel like the whole is more harmonious at the proportions I gave, and thus the Pernod binds everything instead of singing a solo. My wife "hates" Pernod but this is one of her two favorite drinks (Pisco Sour is the other).

[vice]

I'll give yours a whirl and report back. The French Pearl is just the trick for the heat that's taken all summer to arrive.

[vice]

Well, I did some digging. From the pastis topic, we have this post indicating that the 3/4 oz lime & simple proportions above are indeed Audrey's:

The extraordinarily generous Libationgoddess shares this with the faithful:

• 3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
  3/4 oz Simple Syrup (1-1, uncooked)
  1/4 oz Pernod
  1 sprig mint
  2 oz Plymouth Gin
  Muddle / shake / fine strain
  Glass:  Small Cocktail
  Garnish:  None -- the opacity of the drink is the "Pearl"
  

So, side-by-side, original and pretender:

• 2 oz Plymouth gin
  3/4 oz lime vs 1/2 oz
  3/4 oz 1:1 simple syrup vs 1/2 oz 1/2 oz
  1/4 Pernod vs 1/8 oz
  10-12 mint leaves (call it even)
  

I think that this indicates my own preference for more "ginny" drinks. The balance between the lime and simple is 1:1 in both, and there's more of the faux green fairy in Audrey's original. It'd be more pearly, natch.

←

I also whipped up one a little bit stiffer as you specified, and consider me a convert. I have to admit that it's a subtle difference, for me at least, but I feel that nosing the drink I can pick out each individual ingredient just before the meld seamlessly together. The Pernod is actually a bit more prominent here even in its reduced volume. The sweet/sour dynamic is definitely tamed down a bit too, as was expected, and I consider that a plus. I've never made this drink with a London dry gin, but I suspect the original proportions might play out better there than with Plymouth.

[Chris Amirault]

There's the Juniperotivo...

2.0 oz : Junipero gin

1.0 oz : fresh lime juice

1.0 oz : simple syrup

0.5 oz : pomegranate molasses

2 sprigs of mint

←

I made the drink in those proportions, and while it's very tasty it seemed out of balance; the molasses dominated in particular. I found this version referenced in an article by Grimes in the Times:

4 large mint leaves

1/2 ounce simple syrup

1 1/2 ounces Junipero, or other gin

1/2 ounce lime juice

1/4 ounce pomegranate syrup

Gonna give it a try next time.

[slkinsey]

A French Pearl question. I've seen this recipe around the internet quite a bit:

French Pearl

Pegu Club, NYC

1 sprig mint (10-12 leaves)

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

3/4 oz simple syrup (1:1, uncooked)

1/4 oz Pernod

2 oz Plymouth Gin

From its ubiquity, I'm thinking that this is Audrey's original recipe, but I certainly don't know.

The reason I ask is that my version brings the Plymouth up front a bit by dialing back on the lime and simple (to 1/2 oz each) and halves the Pernod (to 1/8 oz, my barspoon). Are there others out there making these consistently? What version do you use? Why?

The result is complex and refreshing, but fundamentally it's a pretty simple drink. If you think about it, it's just a gin/lime sour with mint and Pernod. There's no reason the ratios can't or shouldn't be changed to suit one's tastes, just as one might adjust the ratios to taste in, say, a Pisco Sour or a Margarita.

In my own personal journey, I find that there was a time when I trended towards more spirit-forward ratios that allowed the base to shine through in a clear way. Lately, I've become more interested in the overall transformative alchemy of combinations, and this tends to favor formulations and constituents that obscure or change the clarity of the impression of the base spirit -- but this second way is, I believe, actually a far more delicate balancing act and therefore less frequently successful.

[MattJohnson]

I also dial back the pernod. Perhaps I'm just sensitive to the anise flavor, but I like it to hang back, barely perceptible. When I hit that balance, its awesome.

Edited August 28, 2009 by MattJohnson (log)

[Chris Amirault]

There's the Juniperotivo...

2.0 oz : Junipero gin

1.0 oz : fresh lime juice

1.0 oz : simple syrup

0.5 oz : pomegranate molasses

2 sprigs of mint

←

I made the drink in those proportions, and while it's very tasty it seemed out of balance; the molasses dominated in particular. I found this version referenced in an article by Grimes in the Times:

4 large mint leaves

1/2 ounce simple syrup

1 1/2 ounces Junipero, or other gin

1/2 ounce lime juice

1/4 ounce pomegranate syrup

Gonna give it a try next time.

Just did, with a few more mint leaves than indicated. Excellent.

[FrogPrincesse]

My mint is doing great so I've been doing a lot of mint cocktails lately.

The most recent one I've tried was the Ex-Pat from Little Branch (via Bartender's Choice app): bourbon, lime juice, simple syrup, angostura bitters, mint. I have a soft spot for bourbon-mint combos and really liked this cocktail, which was refreshing and complex at the same time.

[FrogPrincesse]

Here are more mint cocktails pulled from other threads.

Audrey Saunder's excellent Pearl has been mentioned in this thread several times already, but not her Gin Gin Mule: 1.5 oz gin, 1 oz ginger beer, 1 oz simple syrup, 3/4 oz lime juice, mint.

The Kentucky Maid from Sam Ross has its own (short) thread. It's a tasty bourbon-mint combo that also includes cucumber. 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz lime, 3/4 oz simple syrup, cucumber slices, mint.

Note that there are many more "Maid" variations with a different base liquor.

From the PDT cocktail book, I've tried a couple of mint cocktails. My favorite was the Talbott Leaf which pairs the mint with strawberry, Chartreuse, and Cynar; a beautiful combination.

The Leapfrog from PDT is essentially a Southside variation with apricot liqueur and orange bitters.

[FrogPrincesse]

I made a Mint Daiquiri last night. Identical to a normal daiquiri, with the addition of fresh mint. I used rhum agricole and its distinctive flavor married well with the mint.

2 oz rhum agricole

1 oz lime juice

3/4 oz simple syrup

fresh mint

shake, double strain

[KatieLoeb]

My whole house smells of mint right now. Got a quart and a half of mint syrup steeping in the kitchen. Mojitos for Happy Hour specials all weekend so I'm just getting prepared. Perhaps I'll grab a can of mango or guava nectar just for fun to make a variation...

[EvergreenDan]

Hmmm. I wonder how a half a tsp of Fernet would be in a Mojito....

[KatieLoeb]

Do the Fernet Branca. It already is minty and would probably go better...

I put a barspoon of Averna into my Bellinis to give it a bass note of herbaciousness. It's delicious. Can't imagine it wouldn't work with a mojito too. Anything to take the sweet edge off the front end is a good idea, IMHO. Even balalnced with citrus, those are both sweet drinks, so I like the idea. Report back on the experiment please!

[Chris Amirault]

Branca Menta.

[EvergreenDan]

Nice. I took Chris's idea and added 1/2 tsp of Branca Menta to a (admittedly weird) Mojito made with JWray overproof & Smith & Cross. I'm not a fan of tall drinks, so the high proof rums were a way to keep the alcohol bite. I liked it and would try 1 tsp next, or Fernet Branca. The Menta added a subtle menthol undertone and some hard-to-describe complexity. I think I'd try it with all JWray next time, or a mix with something like Flor de Cana white.

[FrogPrincesse]

My mint is still doing extremely well these days, despite aggressive trimming.

Since I had prepared an Eastside Fizz for me last night, for my husband I just substituted cognac for gin (and held the club soda), resulting in a Maid in France. It's served on the rock(s) instead of up.

He liked it very much, although maybe not as much as the bourbon version (the Kentucky Maid discussed upthread).

[Jason Perlow]

Had a really great Cucumber and Mint mojito at an Indian restaurant recently. Not sure of the mix but it was a great flavor combo.

[FrogPrincesse]

My mint is growing out of control again. I made a Southside for World Gin Day with St. George terroir gin, lime juice, simple syrup, mint. A ton of aroma with the mint and botanicals from the gin (sage, fir, etc). It's such a good cocktail.