An Easy (Yet Sophisticated) Cocktail: The Lucien Gaudin
Last week we shared one of our favorite aperitif cocktails: The Bittercup, from Christopher Flett and Uva Wine Bar in Vancouver. That cocktail is a special occasion drink, with two kinds of juice and prosecco included. Here’s our next favorite aperitif: a rich, bitter cocktail that calls for more common bar ingredients.
This classic yet obscure recipe comes with a curious backstory. It’s named after Lucien Gaudin, a great French fencer and only the second fencer to win the gold medal in both the individual foil and épée events in a single Olympic Games (1928). Gaudin, however, was also a banker, and he committed suicide in 1934 due to (stories vary) his financial ruin or a thumb injury in a duel with a non-fencer.
Well, this drink is named after Gaudin and his celebrated and unhappy life. There are also various stories about its creation; some say it was created after his momentous Olympic victory, but no one really knows.
This drink nods to the classic Negroni, which is a mix of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. The Lucien Gaudin is much less sweet, but with the rich notes of the dry vermouth, and an orange twist from the Cointreau. (We also use triple sec, which is cheaper and therefore a little more of a staple in our liquor cupboard.)
This is a fabulously interesting pre-dinner drink; it has the bitterness of the Campari, the bracing refresher of gin and vermouth, and the warmth of the orange liqueur. Try it sometime, and toast Lucien Gaudin as you do.
The Lucien Gaudin
makes 1 drink
1 ounce gin (we prefer the classic Plymouth)
1/2 ounce Campari
1/2 ounce Cointreau (or triple sec)
1/2 ounce dry vermouth
Mix all ingredients with ice. Mix with a swift up and down motion of the wrist. Pause, then mix again. Strain and pour into a chilled cocktail glass. An orange twist is nice, but not necessary.
Thank you to the staff of UVA Wine Bar and Cibo Trattoria in Vancouver for introducing us to this drink!
(Image: Faith Durand)