Parisian Cocktail
A berry and dry cocktail ∙ Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 21.2% ABV ∙
The Parisian Cocktail is a stirred drink of London dry gin, dry vermouth and crème de cassis, served up in a coupe.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 40 mlDry vermouth 50 mlCrème de Cassis 20 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
History
The Parisian Cocktail is generally dated to the 1920s. Crème de cassis, the blackcurrant liqueur, gives the drink its color and fruit character. It appears in Harry Craddock's 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, compiled during his tenure as head bartender of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, where the recipe calls for equal parts French vermouth, crème de cassis, and gin. The Café Royal Cocktail Book, published in London in 1937, later recorded the same equal-parts formula, reinforcing it as the drink's classic build.
Beyond this documentation, no single inventor or specific occasion for the drink has been established, and later editions and bartenders have varied the proportions, often cutting back the cassis or pushing gin to the fore, while keeping the three original ingredients intact.
FAQ
What is a Parisian Cocktail?
A stirred cocktail, generally dated to the 1920s, of 40 ml London dry gin, 50 ml dry vermouth and 20 ml crème de cassis. The cassis brings dark-berry sweetness and color, the vermouth and gin keep it dry, and it comes in at about 21.2% ABV.
