Champagne. Brut. Prosecco. Cava. Sparkling Wine. Pick your poison with Le Grand Courtâge's 2023 Cocktail Contest recipe winners. Specific brand names are suggested, but use what you can find or ask an expert at your favorite local liquor store for substitutions.
Fig & Roses 75
1 1/2 ounce Citadelle Gin de France
1/2 ounce L’Epicerie de Provence Fig Syrup
1/2 ounce L’Epicerie de Provence Rose Syrup
1/2 ounce Fresh Lemon juice
3 ounces Le Grand Courtâge Rose Brut
4 drops Scrappy New Orleans Bitters
Combine gin, syrups, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice and shake for 10 seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Add bitters to the glass and top with brut.
Garnish: 2 slices fig, white rose, and edible gold flake
Recipe: Robert Chavez
Romancing the Stone
1 ounce Cognac (Francois Voyer VS or similar)
1/2 ounce Giffard Abricot Rusillon
1/4 ounce Honey Syrup (3:1)
1/2 ounce Lemon Juice
3 ounce Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut
Add first four ingredients to a shaker and shake thoroughly with ice.
Pour 3 ounces of Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs into a narrow Collins or rocks glass. Strain the shaker mix into the glass.
Fill with cracked or pebble ice and garnish with a dried apricot skewered with rosemary.
Honey Syrup
3 parts honey
1 part hot water
Stir until combined
Garnish: Rosemary sprig and dried apricot
Recipe: Christopher Day
Bubble of Peace
2 ounces Le Grand Courtâge Brut Rose
1 ounce Genever
1/2 ounce Concord Grape Shrub*
1/2 ounce Apricot Liqueur
1/4 ounce Sage-Elderflower syrup**
3/4 ounce Hibiscus Tea (room temperature or chilled)
A few dashes of rose water
1. Combine all ingredients except the Brut Rose and garnish in a mixing glass.
2. Add ice and stir until chilled.
3. Strain into a champagne coupe.
4. Top with brut and garnish.
Concord Grape Shrub Muddle
1/2 cup of muddled Concord grapes
1/2 cup of sugar
Stir to combine. Let sit in a jar for at least 24 hours.
Strain with a fine mesh cloth in a bowl and discard the grapes.
Add 1/2 cup of white wine vinegar and stir to combine.
Transfer into a jar to store it in a fridge or use it in cocktails.
Sage-Elderflower syrup
1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
2. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. On medium heat, add 2 springs of sage and 2 tablespoons dried elderflower and stir to combine for about 7-10 minutes.
4. Strain the sage and elderflower and let the syrup cool down at room temperature.
5. Transfer the syrup to a jar and store it in a fridge until ready for use.
Garnish: dehydrated rose and sage leaf
Recipe: Marie Yoshimizu
A Little Peach and Quiet
1/2 ounce The Botanist Gin
1/2 ounce Grand Mariner
1 ounce Peach and Rosemary Shrub*
4 ounces Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut
1. To build the cocktail, add ice, gin, Grand Mariner, and shrub to a Boston shaker and shake.
2. Strain the liquid into a champagne coupe and top with Le Grand Courtâge Brut.
*Peach Rosemary Shrub
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of sugar
1 sprig of rosemary
1 cup of peach preserves
Cook all of the ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat stirring often, until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Use a fine strainer to remove the hard particles and store in an airtight container
Garnish with a peach rose skewered with rosemary.
Recipe: Tara Gillum