Flying

Last night I caught up on 2 champagne recipes from last month, since I didn't have a chunk of lime on hand for the recipe of the day.

The first was a Pimm's Royal: Pimm's topped with champagne, lemon twist rubbed around the rim, cuke spike, etc. I opened an inexpensive bottle of Korbel brut for these recipes.

I like Pimm's, but I didn't like this drink. I couldn't taste the Pimm's, and in general the drink seemed rather tasteless. Maybe a sweeter champagne would have made a difference, or maybe rubbing the cuke around the rim of the glass instead of the lemon.

The second drink was called "Flying", commemorating the birthday of Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I was already flying after the first drink and not having eaten much for supper. This recipe calls for gin (I used Plymouth, which is sweeter), lemon juice (actually fresh), cointreau (fresh new bottle), and sugar shaken on ice, then topped with champagne.

This champagne cocktail was much better than the first one. It was sweeter and less astringent, and I could taste the gin. You might be able to play with it and make it even better, it has potential for being a great drink.