Name: French Pearl
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 5 fresh Mint leaves; 60 ml Gin; 7.5 ml Pastis; 22.5 ml Lime juice; 15 ml Sugar syrup (2:1)

French Pearl
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Photographed in a LSA Olivia Champagne Saucer

Ingredients:
5 fresh	Mint leaves
2 oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin
¹⁄₄ oz	Pastis
³⁄₄ oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₂ oz	Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of mint sprig speared dehydrated lime wheel .
SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Lime and minty freshness with gin's botanical complexity along with subtle but assertive anise notes. Appropriately, the finished drink has an almost pearl-like appearance.

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History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2006 by Audrey Saunders at the Pegu Club, New York City, USA. This cocktail is a tribute to late 1800s French architecture, a period when sipping absinthe was fashionable in Paris, represented by pastis in this cocktail.

More cocktails by Audrey Saunders

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 9 comments for French Pearl.
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Florian Ruf

27th May 2024 at 13:27

Redoing this cocktail I find the contrast between lime and sugar too strong. Next time I will reduce both a bit. A not so strong Absinthe works lovely in this cocktail.

ian roberts

12th March 2024 at 20:40

This is lovely!

John Hinojos

9th September 2023 at 00:17

This was great. Anything with Pastis or Absinthe is a winner for us. Everything works perfectly here. The colour was perfect. Refreshing and great with some cheese and ciabatta.

Calvin Grant

29th May 2023 at 02:42

Excellent use of pastis. New favorite. Will add more mint next time.

Peter Shaw

22nd August 2022 at 07:35

I though I had all the ingredients for this cocktail when I made it with Pernod. (And very nice it was) so now I have to go out and get a bottle of pastis for a taste comparison.

Jeremy Harrold

6th August 2022 at 07:48

A delicious drink if you like aniseed whose flavour harmonises with the gin sour. I used a couple more mint leaves to let their freshness shine as well.

Nick Bull

22nd July 2022 at 19:18

Very refreshing. Just enough pastis to give a hint of aniseed without overpowering the drink.

Tony Jones

30th July 2021 at 19:34

Looks like pondwater, but it's delicious. Well balanced, with the normally bullying Ricard tamed by the others. Mint and lemon make this refreshing and summery.

Steven Jepson

11th September 2020 at 20:59

very refreshing flavours from the min and pastis but i did not quite the pearl colour. May try upping the pastis or replace with absinthe and a touch of water

Simon Difford

12th September 2020 at 08:22

On reflection, I may have been a tad poetic when describing the pearl colour. Perhaps cocktail induced.

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