Don’t get me started on grapefruit! If I see it on any cocktail on a cocktail menu, I am ordering that cocktail – Paloma, the Brown Derby and Salty Dog are at the top. When I heard about Pampelle, I thought my dreams had come true!
Pampelle is straight from Cognac, so move over brandy producers. It’s a combination of natural botanicals, citrus peels and Eau de Vie, and, of course Star Ruby Red grapefruits from the island of Corsica in the middle of the Mediterranean.
Upon opening the bottle, the aroma of grapefruit fills the room and I couldn’t wait to make a few of the signature serves, the Pampelle Tonic, the Pampelle Spritz and the Ruby Rose.
I do love the bottle as well. The color combination of gold, ruby-red and sea-green blue is so chic and the striped label of the neck is genius. The dragonfly, one of my favorite insects, hovers over the sun-like grapefruit, sliced in half and ready to squeeze.
It’s also know as the Ruby L’Apero, the aperitif franc. It’s bittersweet, so it works well in any cocktail that you might use any other bitter spirit: the Negroni, the Spritz, any sour!
You can buy Pampelle on Amazon in the UK and Whisky Exchange which ships worldwide.
Top Tip(ples): If you want to try another pink-red cocktail, don’t miss the Kir Royale or the Gordon’s Pink Gin & Tonic!
Pampelle Cocktails
Here are a few of the cocktails Pampelle suggests. Try one of these or make your own!
Pampelle Spritz
Pampelle Tonic
Pampelle Ruby Rose
Here’s one I made up, a variation on the Paper Plane, by Sam Ross.
The Pampelle Plane
1 oz Pampelle
1 oz freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit
1 oz bourbon
1 oz Aperol or Luxardo Aperativo
Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake it like it’s a Polaroid picture. Strain and pour into an old fashioned glass over the biggest ice cube you can fit into it. Enjoy.