Tuesday, January 31, 2012

ce soir

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 dash Regan's Bitters (*)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top and discard.
(*) Update 05/01/19: The Pierre Ferrand site lists this as one dash orange bitters and one dash Angostura Bitters.  
For a follow up to the Andorra, bartender Ryan Lotz suggested a Cognac drink that Nicole Lebedevitch created call Ce Soir. The combination of brandy, Cynar, and Yellow Chartreuse was one that worked rather well in a Flip that she made for me two years ago. The Ce Soir offered up a lemon and resinous pine-like aroma that drifted into a sweet sip that showcased some of the softer elements of the Chartreuse. The Cognac began the swallow and led into Cynar's bitter flavors; moreover, the swallow ended with Yellow Chartreuse's bounty of herbal notes.

7 comments:

bza said...

This sounds good, I'll have to make it soon.

Do you know if the 1840 PF is available anywhere retail yet in the Boston area? And how would you compare it to the ambre (which is my current go-to cognac)?

frederic said...

I have only seen it one place in Massachusetts at Gordon's on Main Street in Waltham. Not the closest place, but it means that the distribution network is up.

This is what I wrote about it after tasting it at Tales, "Pierre Ferrand 1840. With help from David Wondrich, the company tasted a bunch of 19th century Cognacs and picked this style to reproduce. When I spoke to PF's Hugo Chambon-Rothlisberger, he described it as less fatty than the more rounded Ambre style. The 1840 is more viny, drier edges, more warmth, higher proof, and a cheaper price tag as well."

Jordan said...

I'm glad that the price point on the 1840 seems to be reasonable. I should be able to get a bottle for under $40, which was the cut-off in my mind. Above that I'd rather spring for the Louis Royer Force 53.

frederic said...

At Tales, I was told that it was supposed to be $35 to the Ambre's low $40 price point. The one place that had the 1840 was $39 which made it easier to pause since we already have two open bottles of mixing grade Cognac at home.

Ryan said...

At the time that I had this cocktail, I found it a bit too sweet for me, with the cognac and yellow chartreuse combining to create an almost confectionary effect. Perhaps it was the sequence in which I was drinking, but the Cynar's bitterness was a bit lost to me.

frederic said...

I did find it sweet but not cloyingly so. It definitely was not a dry drink even with the Cynar's bitterness and the Cognac's heat to dry out the liqueurs' sugar.

Unknown said...

Made this one just now, from D&T p. 52, subbing the Strega I had for the Yellow Chartreuse I don't have. Love, love the smell of this fellow, with the invisible lemon in the air. Initial taste is mostly the cognac burn, then the herbals kick in. I too find it on the sweet side, but not over the line. As I kept drinking it seemed less sweet, either b/c I got used to it or b/c the ice was further diluting it. Like it a lot.