Parisian Cocktail
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 24.3% ABV ∙
The Parisian Cocktail is a stirred spirit-forward drink of gin, dry vermouth, and crème de cassis, served up in a coupe. Silky and cool, it glides with a berry-tinged sweetness against a dry, herbal edge, finishing crisp with a bright lemon-oil snap.
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
Tips
- Express the lemon twist directly over the drink before dropping it in, so the citrus oils sit on the surface.
- Pre-chill the coupe while you stir so the fine-strained drink doesn't lose its chill on contact with a warm glass.
- Stir gently but long enough to fully dilute the vermouth-heavy build, since it carries more volume than the gin.
History
The Parisian Cocktail is generally dated to the 1920s, when it is said to have been created to promote crème de cassis, the blackcurrant liqueur that gives the drink its color and fruit character. Its earliest known print appearance is 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?
It is a stirred, spirit-forward drink fine-strained into a chilled coupe and finished with an expressed lemon twist, with crème de cassis lending a dark-berry sweetness against a dry backbone. It comes in at about 24% ABV.
What is the most famous French cocktail?
The Kir Royale and the French 75 are among the most famous French cocktails, both built around ingredients like crème de cassis and Champagne. The Parisian Cocktail belongs to that same French tradition, built by stirring and fine-straining into a chilled coupe with an expressed lemon twist.
