An aperitif is an alcoholic beverage used to excite the palate and stimulate the appetite, characteristics of a successful aperitif include bitterness, dryness or a certain level of acidity.
More popular gin based aperitif's include the Martini and the Gin and Tonic although some well known gin classics such as the French 75, Corpse Reviver #2 and the Negroni are also fantastic for this purpose.
The French 75 makes a perfect aperitif, dry Champagne, lemon juice and of course gin. Created sometime before 1919 when the recipe first appeared in print, accredited to a chap named Macgarry and is rumoured to be named after the 75mm Howitzer field gun used by the French during World War One. Broken down this drink is effectively a gin fizz with champagne in place of carbonated water.
I find what often lets the French 75 down is the general perception that because wine is being used to lengthen the drink it is acceptable to skimp on the gin... this of course is nonsense and a good healthy dose of gin is required to do this bubbly beverage justice. I personally love the fresh floral notes of Hendricks in my French 75's and feel as though a thin cucumber garnish does it much more justice than the overly used cocktail cherry, our preffered recipe for the French 75 is as follows;
The French 75
- Hendricks Gin - 30ml
- Lemon Juice - 12.5ml
- Sugar Syrup - 6.25ml
- Champagne - Top up
Thin Cucumber Slice Garnish
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| French 75 |
Shake all ingredients (except Champagne, that would get messy) then fine strain in to a champagne coupe or flute, garnish and drink whilst the bubbles can still tickle your nose.
Where as the French 75 is a sparkling member of the sour family gaining it's palate stimulating properties from it's dry citrusy notes the Negroni is a completely different kettle of fish. It hails from the aromatic family of mixed drinks and receives it's ability to stimulate the palate from the bitter notes courtesy of the Campari.
The Negroni is one of those cheeky equal measure libations that is surprisingly well balanced, consisting of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, three ingredients which blend together perfectly each contributing their own unique flavours, sweetness and bitterness. This is an incredibly complex drink with so many botanical flavours whizzing around, neither the gin, Campari or vermouth take centre stage but embrace each other perfectly.
It is essential to use a big gin in this drink, something which can stand up and be counted among the other flavours, to this end my go to gin is Tanqueray 47.3%, I find this bold simple, Juniper led gin works wonders in the Negroni. As for the vermouth, Antica Formula is a sensational sweet vermouth, plenty of spice and enough sweetness to balance out the bitterness of the Campari.
The Negroni is a very simple drink and can be easily recreated at home without the need for specific equipment, the recipe is as follows;
The Negroni
Tanqueray 47.3% - 30ml
Antica Formula - 30ml
Campari - 30ml
Orange or Grapefruit zest to garnish.
Orange or Grapefruit zest to garnish.
Add all ingredients to an large whisky tumbler, add ice, stir a little then garnish with an orange zest.
Another gin based drink perfect as an aperitif is one I discovered in Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, the Corpse Reviver #2.
The class of drinks from which the Corpse Reviver #2 hails from were usually intended as morning after pick me up's, originally appearing in Harry Craddock's 1930 edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book where he notes 'four of these taken in quick succession will unrevive the soul again'. Although not conceived for this purpose this drink works perfectly as an aperitif, combining two classic aperitif liquors, Absinthe and Lillet Blanc with lemon juice, Cointreau and of course... Gin.
This drink can be very easily abused by a heavy handed host, make sure all ingredients are accurately measured and you will have a perfectly complex and refreshing pre dinner libation.
The Corpse Reviver #2
The class of drinks from which the Corpse Reviver #2 hails from were usually intended as morning after pick me up's, originally appearing in Harry Craddock's 1930 edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book where he notes 'four of these taken in quick succession will unrevive the soul again'. Although not conceived for this purpose this drink works perfectly as an aperitif, combining two classic aperitif liquors, Absinthe and Lillet Blanc with lemon juice, Cointreau and of course... Gin.
This drink can be very easily abused by a heavy handed host, make sure all ingredients are accurately measured and you will have a perfectly complex and refreshing pre dinner libation.
The Corpse Reviver #2
Deaths Door Gin - 20ml
Cointreau - 20ml
Lillet Blanc - 20ml
Lemon juice - 20ml
Absinthe - 2 Dashes
Sunken maraschino cherry to garnish.
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| Corpse Reviver #2 |
Shake all ingredients over ice and fine strain in to a cocktail glass. It may make it easier to deliver stringent amounts of absinthe by decanting some into an empty bitters bottle.
All the ingredients shine through in a well made Corpse Reviver #2, the Cointreau, absinthe and Lillet add a pleasurable sweetness but do not over power the zesty lemon juice, allowing the drink to retain it's palate cleansing tartness. Until recently Tanqueray was my go to gin for this drink, however I have recently had the pleasure of sampling Deaths Door Gin. This bold, spicy gin works amazingly well in the Corpse Reviver #2 with the sweet aniseed notes of the fennel perfectly complementing the absinthe.
The French 75, Negroni and the Corpse Reviver #2 are just three of a whole range of gin based aperitifs, others perfect for this purpose include the Aviation, the White Lady and the Martinez, libations we will be covering very soon...
Photography by Sofia Miranda
We hope you enjoy
Umpleby & Brown
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