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Prelude

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (18)
Prelude image
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
1 1⁄3 fl oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
2⁄3 fl oz Aromatized wine (e.g. Lillet Blanc)
1⁄6 fl oz Kummel liqueur
1 dash Fee Brothers Celery bitters
1 dash La Fée Parisienne absinthe

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

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How to make

Glassware

Serve in a Nick & Nora glass

Prepare

  1. Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of skewered Spanish caper.

Method

  1. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  2. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. Garnish with skewered Spanish caper.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Health & Nutrition

Alcohol content:

  • 1.2 standard drinks
  • 24.64% alc./vol. (49.29° proof)
  • 17.3 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

History

Adapted from a recipe created in 2021 by Susanna McMahon, a keen amateur mixologist and 74-year-old grandmother. She says, "This is a truly savoury drink without any sweetness at all. I think of it as the perfect complement to before dinner treats or pickled treats such as herring."

More cocktails by Susanna McMahon

Review

With delicate but assertive caraway-led herbal undertones, this is a savoury, Martini-style cocktail.

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$2.51 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 18.5 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


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* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

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Gallery

Comments & Discussion

Matt Premium Member
Great, savory apertif. I used homemade kummel (IDK if there is any to be purchased in the U.S.) - the kummel notes dominate the flavor - caraway, cumin and fennel. The gin provides a great blank canvas for the kummel notes, and then there is a hint of the absinthe and faint breath of sweetness that must come from the Lillet Blanc. Celery bitters may be there someplace, but likely lost in the kummel. Would be great with charcuterie and cheese.
score: 2
David Selle Premium Member
New drink picture looks great, thanks for fixing it!
score: 4
Simon Sedgley Premium Member
"...without any sweetness at all." We couldn't possibly agree with that. To our taste, the Lillet Blanc stirs up the faintest of elusive zephyrs of sweet. Very appealing.
score: 1
David Selle Premium Member
Unique flavor profile on this drink - it's very well balanced but the cumin notes give it a savoriness I've never experienced in a cocktail before. I think I would favor it as aperitif rather than a digestif as I first tried it. I too am surprised by the color in the photo: all the listed ingredients are colorless or nearly so. Perhaps the cocktail in the photo was made with Lillet Rouge?
score: 4
Christine Babb Premium Member
Nice Martini riff. I am similarly flummoxed by the photograph - my drink looks nothing like that - did you use a Manhattan as the drink's stunt double? :-P
score: 2
Florian Ruf Premium Member
Delicious cocktail, as I had no celery bitters I used Angostura which worked well. Maybe Grapefruit Bitter could be interesting too. The color of the cocktail in the foto is astonishing, as it has only lightly colored ingredients. Mine was only slightly pale.
score: 3

View 6 comments and discussion

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Difford’s Shop logo
$2.51 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 18.5 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

Checkout

* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

Visit Difford’s Shop USA

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