As national holidays go, France’s Bastille Day has quite a history, involving a jail break, revolutionaries, a fight for independence and now copious amounts of partying, parades and fireworks. And that’s not to mention that all the action took place in the heart of Paris.
It’s like a mashup of a civics lesson and a George Clooney vacation.
Across France today and in Francophile American bars and restaurants, people are celebrating the holiday with cocktails and games of pétanque (which is similar to the Italian bocce).
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While you may not want to wear a beret or subject yourself to the music of Édith Piaf, I would suggest mixing up a refreshing and appropriately festive cocktail.
And while a chilly glass of Champagne could certainly work, I asked Colin Field for a Bastille Day recipe. While Field is actually British he is one of Paris’ most talented and revered bartenders having run the Bar Hemingway at the legendary Ritz Paris for years. (The hotel and the bar, which are on the Place Vendôme, just reopened after a multi-year renovation.)
Field’s suggested his Serendipity, which is an almost French twist on a classic Mint Julep, combining mint, sugar with calvados and apple juice. The cocktail is topped off with a little bubbly and is perfect for a hot and humid summer day.
Serendipity
Created by Colin Field
Ingredients:
5 Mint leaves
1 tsp White sugar
1 oz Calvados, a young one
2 oz clear apple juice
Champagne
Glass: Tumbler
Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a tumbler and fill with ice. Stir, and top with Champagne.
If you’re in more of a vodka mood, try Field’s Poire Victoire that appeared in his book, The Ritz Paris: Mixing Drinks, A Simple Story. (The tome even includes a preface for longtime Bar Hemingway patron Kate Moss.) Bastille Day is a victory or sorts and this drinks seems more than appropriate. It calls for the French Grey Goose La Poire Vodka and pairs it with a squeeze of lime and either apple juice or white grape juice.
Poire Victoire
Created by Colin Field
Ingredients:
2.5 oz Grey Goose La Poire Vodka
2 oz Clear apple or white grape juice
.5 oz Fresh lime juice
Glass: Cocktail
Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.
Another Hemingway Bar classic, the aptly named Paris Sunrise, which also appeared in Field’s The Ritz Paris: Mixing Drinks, A Simple Story, would be perfect for this evening. (According to lore, Field’s colleague, Roman Devaux, dreamed up the concoction for musician Ben Harper.) It’s a delicious mix of gin, orange liqueur and mint. It’s simple to make but packs plenty of flavor and joie de vivre.
Paris Sunrise
Created by Roman Devaux
Ingredients:
3 oz Gin
.5 oz Mandarine Napoléon Liqueur
1 oz Lime juice
5 Mint leaves
1 tsp Sugar
Glass: Old-Fashioned
Directions:
Add all the ingredients, except the mint and sugar to a shaker, and fill with ice. Shake and pour into an Old-Fashioned glass. Add the mint and sugar, and stir.
