Parisian Cocktail: A 1920s classic gin drink
I love my gin cocktails, especially any that are a variation on a classic Martini. I have a quite a collection of gins to make sure that I plenty of choice when it comes to the style of gin cocktail. I would probably have been right at home during gin’s previous heyday of the roaring 20s. One of the drinks to come out of that time is the Parisian Cocktail. This is a fruity and elegant little number that is very quaffable and can easily take you off guard. Especially if, like me, you use a navy strength gin!
The brand that really started me off on my love affair with gin was Whittakers Gin. Last year I was treated to a box of six bottles of their gins. One each of Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice, Pink Peculiar and Navy Strength and two bottles of the Original. I have enjoyed every one of them, and only have a small amount of both the Original and Navy Strength left. It is important to know that these two gins are essentially the same aside from the alcohol content, and that can make a lot of difference when it comes to drinking them.
Whittakers Navy Strength Gin is a beautifully rich London Dry gin that has notes of berry fruits and citrus. It’s also very easy drinking for a spirit that is 57% ABV. This gin is at its best when it is well-chilled by plenty of ice and slightly diluted. It is for this reason that I have taken to using this in cocktails, especially fruity ones such as the Parisian.
Alongside gin, the Parisian Cocktail also wants a good quality dry vermouth and some creme de cassis. As always, my vermouth of choice is Noilly Prat. This has some lovely herbal notes that work perfectly in a classic Martini. It is also very drinkable on its own as an aperitif. Unusually for me, I didn’t alter the proportions of this cocktail much, mainly because I was using a high ABV gin, but by adding plenty of ice and letting the ingredients sit in the cocktail shaker for a short while before I shook them together, the gin quota was essentially upped whilst keeping the alcohol content reasonable.
If you mix the Parisian Cocktail yourself, check for strength and dilution before serving. I found this the perfect combination of fruity and herbal, almost like a really naughty adult version of Ribena. It was very easy to drink, and I could imagine myself forgetting just how many I’d had and how strong the gin was. That being said, I’m off to mix up another one. Cheers!
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PARISIAN COCKTAIL RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 measures gin
⅔ measure dry vermouth
⅔ measure creme de cassis
METHOD
Pour ingredients into an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake it vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a chain of blackcurrants if you have them.
