A little snippet from David Lebovitz’s new book, Drinking French about this most French of French cocktails, the City of Light!
“This cocktail was conceived by Christiaan Röllich, the head bartender at Lucques restaurant in Los Angeles, who came up with it when the restaurant hosted a dinner while I was on tour for my book My Paris Kitchen. I packed three events into one hectic day, and I can’t tell you how relieved I was when someone pressed one of these into my hand as soon as I arrived and said, “Here, drink this.”
Christiaan makes his own orange cordial but recommends Cointreau as a replacement, and Dolin for the vermouth. He also uses dry prosecco, which you’re welcome to try, but if you want to keep it strictly French, sparkling crémant is another way to go.”
If you want to hear the story of Drinking French, then listen to David on Lush Life Podcast.
Photo by Ed Anderson!
The City of Light
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces dry vermouth
- 1 ounce Lillet blanc or Vin d’Orange
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- 1 ounce dry prosecco or crémant
- Garnish: Half a lemon wheel, half an orange wheel, and 2 thin slices of cucumber
Instructions
- Lay the garnishes in the bottom of a footed goblet or large wine glass.
- Add the vermouth, Lillet, and Cointreau.
- Fill the glass two-thirds full with ice, stir briefly, and top off with the prosecco.