Lillet

[JAZ]

Lately I've been on a Lillet (Blond) kick. I've been using it for quite some time in a martini-like drink with mandarin-flavored vodka (Absolut Mandarin is good; Hangar One Madarin Blossom is sublime). Having run out of the Hangar One, I cast around for other ideas and stumbled across the Vesper from Paul Harrington's book (half gin/half vodka plus a splash of the Lillet). Very nice drink.

I've since done a bit of experimentation, and my latest drink is this one: After School Special -- an original so far as I know.

Anyone else have any ideas for Lillet? And how about the Lillet Rouge? I've never tried it.

[beans]

Hi Jaz.

Give this a try:

The Marquis

1 1/2 ounces bourbon

1 ounce Lillet Rouge

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

1 thin orange slice

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add bourbon, Lillet Rouge and Grandma. Stir until well chilled. Fill an old fashioned glass with ice, strain cocktail shaker contents. Garnish with orange slice. Enjoy!

[MatthewB]

Straight up. Perhaps lightly iced. Lemon twist.

And then there's the Vesper from Ian Fleming's Casino Royale (1953), chapter 7:

"A dry martini," [bond] said. "One. In a deep champagne goblet."

"Oui, monsieur."

"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?"

[Adam Balic]

Didn't the Queen Mother drink it?

[beans]

The Vesper:

3 ounces dry Gin (such as Gordon's)

1 ounce Vodka

1/2 ounce Lillet

Combine in a shaker with ice. Chill cocktail glass with ice and water. Shake cocktail. Throw out ice water and strain cocktail into same. Garnish with a lemon twist.

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

Simple syrup, fresh orange juice and its zest, and plenty of Lillet...excellent maceration liquid for a fruit compote (raspberries, blueberries, a little ripe melon, green apple)...

[bigbear]

On the rocks with an orange slice.

[nightscotsman]

On the rocks with an orange slice.

Add a spash of soda for me, please.

[cdh]

I find that Lillet blond has a sort of burnt caramel undertone that I sometimes just don't think goes well with the citrus. I find that white Noilly Prat with a bit of orange bitters makes for a very similar flavor, but a bit brighter and without the burnt caramel notes.

[kpurvis]

I love it, over ice with a twist of orange or alone. Does anybody know why it's so hard to find Lillet Rouge in this country, though? I've looked for it for several years, just out of curiousity, but have never had the chance to try it.

[nightscotsman]

I love it, over ice with a twist of orange or alone. Does anybody know why it's so hard to find Lillet Rouge in this country, though? I've looked for it for several years, just out of curiousity, but have never had the chance to try it.

By "this country" do you mean the US? If so, I've seen it in every supermarket here in Seattle that sells the white (which they pretty much all do).

[kpurvis]

I love it, over ice with a twist of orange or alone. Does anybody know why it's so hard to find Lillet Rouge in this country, though? I've looked for it for several years, just out of curiousity, but have never had the chance to try it.

By "this country" do you mean the US? If so, I've seen it in every supermarket here in Seattle that sells the white (which they pretty much all do).

Sorry, I forget I need to specify. Yes, I meant U.S. I live in the South and I've never seen it, even at very well-stocked wine stores. So, how does it taste, and how does it stack up to white?

[coolranch]

On the rocks, sometimes with a splash of soda for me.

I live in Texas, and my local liquour store sells the rouge. I've never tried it, but now's as good a time as any to give it a whirl (after looking up some recipes that use it).

[swingers]

Here in Paris, I make a “Strawberry Blonde“

it's strawberry fresh purée, Lillet blanc and a splash of strawberry flavored vodka. Served in a martini glass and garnished with a strawberry and a mint leave.

It's a very feminine drink.

[Sazerac]

On the rocks with an orange slice.

Which is, of course, the favorite apéritif of one Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Here's one I came up with a while back, loosely based on an old recipe fragment

I found which I've never been able to track down in any of the well-known published

sources.

The Lillet Tomlin

1 ounce Lillet blond.

1 ounce Mandarine Napoleon.

1/2 ounce Maraschino.

1/2 ounce Cognac.

Stir and strain. Garnish with an orange wheel, two ringy-dingys

and serve to the party to whom you are speaking.

=-=-=-=-=

There's another Lillet cocktail we really like, invented in the 1930s at the

Café Royal in London by Mr. G. W. Parker, and published in The Café Royal Cocktail Book:

Melody

1-1/2 ounces gin.

3/4 ounce Lillet.

3/4 ounce passion fruit juice or nectar.

2 dashes Cointreau.

2 dashes Calvados.

Shake and strain.

[trillium]

How nice to see you here, I've loved your website...and you've picked one of my favorite drinks to drink in NO as your handle. Um, I hope I don't get into too much trouble hijaking the thread, but could you recommend a good liquour store in New Orleans? I'm going to be there next month and I'd like to buy some things I can't usually except by mail, since I live in the land of state controlled shops now.

regards,

trillium

[mixmaster b]

The Lillet Tomlin

1 ounce Lillet blond.

1 ounce Mandarine Napoleon.

1/2 ounce Maraschino.

1/2 ounce Cognac.

Stir and strain.  Garnish with an orange wheel, two ringy-dingys

and serve to the party to whom you are speaking.

This sounds fabulous. Would you indulge me with answers to the following?

1) What is Mandarine Napoleon? Can I sub it with something else? (I have the rest of the ingredients already.)

2) What is a ringy dingy?

Thanks!

[beans]

1) What is Mandarine Napoleon?  Can I sub it with something else?  (I have the rest of the ingredients already.)

Mandarine Napoleon is a Belgian orange liqueur made from cognac flavored with essential oils extracted from fresh Sicilian tangerines.

Webtender

Grand Marnier is orange liqueur made from cognac, so that would work too, with subtle differences.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Several years ago, I attended a convention where Blonde Lillet Martinis (a single shot of Blonde with two shots of your favorite Gin or Vodka) were all the rage. Subsequently, I went out and bought the Blonde and was surprised to find the Rouge.

Since that time, the rage has worn off and I've found myself with two half bottles still in the fridge.

Does anyone think they may have gone bad? How long does that type of alcohol last anyway? I mean, I keep bottles of gin or vodka around for a long time and I've had the same bottle Limoncello and Aquavit in my freezer for five years.

Is it time for me to dump this stuff?

[DrinkBoy]

It won't go bad from a "make you sick" standpoint, but it's flavor might not be as good as a "fresh" bottle. Lillet, and other such aperitif wines are "fortified", and so they aren't as touchy as regular wine in this regard. I never refrigerate my vermouth's, and every time I buy a "new" bottle, I compare it with the older stuff that could have been sitting around for a couple of months (depending on what sorts of drinks I've been making), and while I can detect some difference, it is about as great as the difference of a good brand to a lesser one. So personally I never worry about it.

-Robert

www.DrinkBoy.com

[Sazerac]

How nice to see you here, I've loved your website...and you've picked one of my favorite drinks to drink in NO as your handle.  Um, I hope I don't get into too much trouble hijaking the thread, but could you recommend a good liquour store in New Orleans?  I'm going to be there next month and I'd like to buy some things I can't usually except by mail, since I live in the land of state controlled shops now.

Hi trillium ... thanks for the kind words!

As far as a recommendation, you can't go wrong with Martin Wine Cellar.

There are two locations -- one Uptown on Baronne Street near Napoleon, the other on Veterans Highway in Metairie. Stellar selection of spirits as well as wines, and great prices. Don't miss the Sazerac 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey at $34.99 a bottle, which is one of the reasons life is so good.

Dorignac's, just a few blocks from the Metairie MWC, is a great local independent supermarket with an excellent wine and spirits section and great prices as well, sometimes stocking things you won't find at Martin.

Other than that, if you're stuck in the downtown/French Quarter area try Vieux Carré Wines and Spirits, on Chartres St. next door to K-Paul's. The prices are a little higher and the service a tad surlier, but they've got what you need.

I thank the Cosmos* that Herbsaint is both cheap and plentiful, and you can pick it up almost anywhere. If you're paying more than $13/bottle you're getting overcharged.

* - And by that I mean the Universe, not the pink drink!

Chuck

[Sazerac]

The Lillet Tomlin

1 ounce Lillet blond.

1 ounce Mandarine Napoleon.

1/2 ounce Maraschino.

1/2 ounce Cognac.

Stir and strain.  Garnish with an orange wheel, two ringy-dingys

and serve to the party to whom you are speaking.

This sounds fabulous. Would you indulge me with answers to the following?

1) What is Mandarine Napoleon? Can I sub it with something else? (I have the rest of the ingredients already.)

2) What is a ringy dingy?

Thanks!

Re: #2

Um ... it's a joke. A reference to Lily Tomlin's character Ernestine, the telephone operator.

"We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company."

I :heart: Lily Tomlin.

Re: #1

I've never tried it with Grand Marnier, which would be different enough such that I might want to rename it if you're substituting. Perhaps that one would be an "Ernestine".

Chuck

Edited October 31, 2003 by Sazerac (log)

[Feather]

I've been in the buisness for over 15 years, and had my first Rouge Lillet 3 weeks ago.....Delicious! A lively octagenarian ordered one up, which then started a conversation between the bartender and I, and he STILL recommends starting your dinner with one....I'd have to agree!...Oh, and in regards to it's shelf life, I believe cockroaches could enjoy it LONG after we're gone

[Sazerac]

I've been on a Lillet kick myself, and I'm always on the lookout for Lillet-based cocktails I haven't tried. Plus, they're particularly good for cocktail party guests who might want to get a little less pickled than the rest of us.

The other night I was actually wanting to try something out-of-the-ordinary that featured apricot brandy, as I've been enjoying the bottle of Apry I just picked up (so much nicer than the cheap apricot-flavored brandies that proliferate). I headed to CocktailDB for insight and rescue, entered "apricot brandy" in the ingredient box, pressed SEARCH ... and was rewarded with this little gem:

The Culross Cocktail

1 ounce Lillet blanc.

1 ounce white rum.

1 ounce Apry or other good apricot brandy.

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice (recipe called for "juice of 1/4 lemon")

Shake and strain; garnish with a stemless cherry.

I was worried that that was way too much apricot brandy and hoped that there'd be enough tartness from the lemon to balance it. I was actually surprised at how well-balanced it was, although I found a variation on the recipe that I'd like to try soon: 2 ounces rum, 1/2 ounce each of Lillet and Apry and 1/4 ounce lemon juice. Perhaps tonight!

Chuck

[birder53]

The Culross Cocktail

1 ounce Lillet blanc.

1 ounce white rum.

1 ounce Apry or other good apricot brandy.

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice (recipe called for "juice of 1/4 lemon")

Shake and strain; garnish with a stemless cherry.

This sounds wonderful. I think I'll try it tonight. Not going anywhere with all this snow!