Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 glass Perrier Jouët Grand Brut champagne, chilled
- 1 sugar cube
- peel of 1 lemon
- 20ml (¾fl oz) good-quality cognac (if desired)
For the bitters
- Large pinch red sandalwood powder
- Large pinch cinchona bark
- Pinch dried orange peel
- Pinch cinnamon bark
- 1 tonka bean
- Pinch star anise
- Pinch cloves
- 900ml (1½pt) vodka (40% proof)
- 100ml (3½fl oz) dark rum
Method
To make the bitters
- Evenly grind the barks, spices and sandalwood powder in a food processor or using a pestle and mortar
- Pour them over 700ml (1¼pt) of the vodka
- Macerate for 14 days in a sealed container
To serve…
- Add the rum and the remaining vodka. Pour into small bottles.
- The flavour will become more balanced if the bitters have been stored for a few weeks.
- To make the cocktails, rub the sugar cube thoroughly over the lemon peel to flavour the sugar: soak it in the bitters and put it in the glass.
- If using cognac, pour it into the glass.
- Carefully top up with champagne. Do not stir.
The drink is dry to start with, and by the end becomes stronger and sweeter. The final swig is aromatic and sweet.