Sensational Sips

Sensational Sips

Paying tribute to the drink Humphrey Bogart made for Ingrid Bergman in the Hollywood classic, Casablanca, Eddie V’s sophisticated Champagne Cocktail sticks to the original (sugar cube, bitters, Grand Marnier, Cognac and Champagne served in a classic coupe glass) and is as hip as ever. It joins a few other sensational sips worth savoring this holiday season.

Noted for being the only mixed drink mentioned in The Great Gatsby, the Gin Rickey is a simple, century-old cocktail that once offered cool refreshment in a pre-air-conditioned world. Featuring Blue Coat American Dry Gin (a five-time, pot-distilled gin that exemplifies small-batch gin today), along with club soda and fresh lime, Eddie V’s adds the element of fresh raspberries for a colorful, subtly sweet spin. The refreshing result is then served over ice in a traditional highball glass and garnished with fresh mint.

This is Eddie V’s spin on the Aviation cocktail, which was invented in the early 1900s by Hotel Wallick (New York) bartender Hugo Ensslin. In 1917, Ensslin included the recipe in his guide, “Recipes for Mixed Drinks”, which was the last major cocktail book before Prohibition in 1920. A gin sour with the addition of maracshino liqueur, Aviation Gin is the award winning small-batch gin poured in Eddie V’s version of this fashionable drink, which is finished with a maraschino cherry and served in a martini glass.

Union, Sea & Smoke, Casa Sol Y Mar: Photography by Bob Stefanko; Eddie V’s: Courtesy Photo