While Marie Antoinette may have been the one to dub the famous phrase, “Let them eat cake,” by all means allow me to be the one to advocate the celebration of Bastille Day by way of cocktails! *wink
The Kir Royale is the perfect light and refreshing, classic French champagne cocktail, which is bound to draw out even the teensiest francophile in you!
Simply add 1/4 oz of Chambord to a flute or coup of champagne with a garnish of a raspberry or lemon twist, and you will be celebrating like a true French girl! Here, I garnished with blackberries because I loved the darker look with the Chambord, (it’s always okay to take a little creative license with your cocktails!) and I couldn’t forget the baguette and the cheese, of course.
Care to celebrate by way of brunch? This grapefruit infused and *tart* cocktail is elevated with the Eldeflower, and can certainly count as an effective way of getting your daily Vitamin C intake in, right?
Allow me to introduce you to The French Tart!
I love that The French Tart didn’t immediately jump to mind for a Bastille Day celebration, but it’s refreshing for the middle of July and so very French!
I found my inspiration from Emily and Matt Clifton with Nerds with Knives, and love their story behind it too!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz vodka (gin would work too)
- 1 oz elderflower liquor (recommended: St. Germain)
- 1-2 oz fresh squeezed pink grapefruit juice, strained
- ¼ oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ oz rosemary simple syrup*
- *For the rosemary syrup, add two medium sprigs of fresh rosemary along with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Bring to simmer and stir until sugar dissolves. Turn off heat and allow it to steep for 30 minutes until it cools. Remove rosemary and store in an airtight jar in refrigerator.
- In a mixing glass three-quarters filled with ice, combine all liquid ingredients. Stir until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a small slice of grapefruit or rosemary sprig.
Lastly, at the risk of being a *total girl,* how could I not include the ever-popular Frosé? It’s about as hot as I can take out there these days darlings, so anything that can reduce my core temp to under 110 degrees in the form of a cocktail will forever have my vote!
I took a *healthier* and simple apprach with this recipe and quite frankly, just winged it! In this case practice made perfect, and I certainly enjoyed the research!
I simply combined one bottle of Rosé wine and used my favorite, Whispering Angel. I combined 3 tbsp of Agave nectar and about a teaspoon of fresh lime juice. (You can certainly use lemon juice as a substitute!) I put this in a long baking pan in the freezer and simply scraped it with an ice cream scoop to serve. It couldn’t be any easier, and the simple mint and lime wheel garnish made this unbelievably effortless and chic.
Over the course of my adult life, I have become an avid fan of French fashion, lifestyle, and sophistication. That all being said, all I can do is humbly emulate and inspire, as I hope you will too! I’ll see you tomorrow, pinkies up and with my stripes on!
À votre santé
With a wink and a smile…
xx, LS
All Images: Abby Liga
Floral: Lana Faulkner Designs
Jewelry : Quest Stones
Linen: Lettermade Linen
