Recently in Aperitif Category

The Cognac region of France has many great things to offer. Obviously Cognac is the most recognized product, win and champagne are also well known but there is also a product called Pineau de Charentes that is a combination of cognac and freshly pressed juice from very ripe grapes. This product is very common in the Cognac region of France, but the further you get from Cognac, the less know this product is. But really, it should be more well know because it has some great qualities and it differentiates itself from other wine based aperitifs. Best of all, it would work very well in cocktails.

It’s another Mixology Monday and usually I’m on the ball and have my write up done a day or two before hand. Well not today, I’ve got more things to do than a corporate executives henchman. But, never one to miss making a drink and writing about it, here I am. The idea of the aperitif topic is a good one, but one that I’m unprepared for. I do have lots of bitters and liqueurs that qualify as aperitifs, but I usually like to do something unique. As I sat and contemplated what to write about I decided to create the ultimate aperitif using a handful of aperitifs in my liquor cabinet. This is effectively the “hail Mary” shot when you are running out of time. The lynch pin of this “mixture” will be Unicum bitters. If you don’t know too much about Unicum, I’ll provide a little background. This could be good, this could be bad.

A few months ago I drove two hours to pick up a bottle of Lillet Blanc (pronounced Lee-Lay), so I could make a Corpse Reviver II. The Corpse Reviver II was OK, but the Lillet intrigued me. Lillet Blanc is an aperitif from the Bordeaux region of France that was created in 1887 as a tonic for whatever ailed you. It comes in white or red versions, the red version being created in the 1960's, and is in the same family as vermouth, but it has subtle differences. The formula for Lillet contains wine, orange peel and quinine, which provides the slightly bitter aperitif quality that has made this drink so popular.