The Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

November 19, 2007 Chuck cocktails 2 Comments

This one appears in Dr. Cocktail’s book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, although I had forgotten it was there. (Forgetting forgotten cocktails, we must not do that!) Fortunately, thanks to him and the Greater Siblinghood of Cocktailian Webloggers, it’s being enjoyed again today. It should be enjoyed more often, as it’s delightful and easy to make, and is a perfect introduction to the wonderful world of Campari for Campari newbies.

Campari can be a bit much for the uninitiated — it’s pretty bitter, and the Teeming Masses tend to have an irrational fear of the bitter — but is a taste very much worth acquiring, especially in cocktails where it’s a co-conspirator rather than an absolute dictator. A drink like this — a kinder, gentler cousin to the Negroni — makes for a perfect apéritif, giving your palate a nice little wake-up shake, rather than the slap of a Negroni (which is my favorite kind of slap). It’s got an almost fruity aroma, with the Cointreau and the Campari combining with that magical alchemy into a flavor much like grapefruit, gentled by the vermouth and wrapped together and seasoned by the gin. It’s a cocktail most bartenders will never have heard of, but one you could talk them through easily.

The Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

1 ounce gin.
1/2 ounce Campari.
1/2 ounce Cointreau.
1/2 ounce dry vermouth.

Combine with ice in a mixing glass and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The drink is named for a wonderful French fencer, who competed in the Jeux Olympiques in the 1920s, winning gold medals in ’24 and ’28. “It is, therefore,” says Doc, “a very mature Prohibition cocktail.” He may have been French, but “Lucien Gaudin” sounds very New Orleanian too.

 

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2 Responses to “The Lucien Gaudin Cocktail”

  1. Lucien Gaudin Cocktail said:

    Feb 28, 10 at 2:49 am

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  2. Lucien Gaudin Cocktail | cocktailista.com said:

    Feb 28, 10 at 2:57 am

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