Vendredi soir. Cinq heures. Gin and Champagne in the same glass, which is either excessive or exactly right.
The French 75 is named for a field gun. The French army fired a 75mm cannon through the first war, and someone decided this drink landed with comparable force, which tells you most of what you need to know about pacing yourself. Harry's New York Bar in Paris gets the credit for writing it down. It has been elegant for a century and has never once apologized for what is hiding under the bubbles.
The French 75
Ingredients
- 1½ oz gin
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz simple syrup
- 3 oz brut Champagne, very cold
- Lemon twist, to finish
- Ice
Method
- Combine the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice.
- Shake well.
- Strain into a Champagne flute.
- Top gently with the Champagne, pouring down the side of the glass.
- Finish with a lemon twist.
A note: the Champagne must be colder than you think, or the drink goes flabby before you reach the bottom. Squeeze the lemon yourself. Three ingredients are doing real work here and there is nowhere for a shortcut to hide.
The Bite - Smoked Salmon Blinis with Dill Crème Fraîche
Ingredients
- Store-bought blinis
- 4 oz cold-smoked salmon
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested, plus a squeeze of the juice
- Chives to garnish, capers if you like them
Method
- Stir the crème fraîche with the dill, lemon zest, a squeeze of juice, and black pepper. Chill.
- Warm the blinis gently in a low oven.
- Spread a small dollop of the dill cream on each.
- Top with a thin coil of salmon.
- Finish with chives, and capers if you are using them.
A note: make the dill cream two days ahead and the whole plate takes four minutes. Store-bought blinis are entirely acceptable and nobody has ever asked.
The Dress
The Val in Seashell Embroidery - a full-length cotton maxi with tiny shells stitched across it, made for standing barefoot in the kitchen while the evening decides what it wants to be.
A drink, a bite, a dress. À vendredi.
