Here we are at the half way point of our cocktails and, even better than that, we're at the last of our bird days! Now, swans have a reputation for being cranky, even downright mean. But instead of focussing on this somewhat questionable personality trait for our cocktail's genesis, we decided to emphasize their royal nature: in the UK, swans are protected by the Queen. And what's the Queen's favourite drink? Dubonnet.
An additional factor: it's New Year's Eve and we knew we wanted a sparkling wine-based cocktail. So, we're riffing on the traditional French 75 and have created a "Royal 75", if you will, to ring in the New Year. Happy 2016, everyone!
Seven Swans a-Swimming Cocktail
- 1 part Dubonnet
- 1 tsp (bar spoon) Pernod
- 1 tsp simple syrup
- champagne, prosecco or other sparkling wine
- champagne flute
Combine the Dubonnet, Pernod and simple syrup in a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine.
Cocktail Notes
We tried two type of bitters with the drink, but ultimately neither added to the cocktail.
- We added lemon bitters, thinking the cocktail might need more of a top note. The bitters flattened out all of the nuisances of the cocktail and made for a boring drink.
- We also tried Conifer Berry bitters from Apothecary bitters but they overemphasized the anise and "green" flavours in the cocktail.