07/24/08 02:05 PM
The Champion of Chambord
By Dan Dunn
The Imbiber has long been a fan of Chambord for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that the ladies flat-out flipped over the empty bottle I had mounted on the dashboard of my El Camino back in sophomore year of college. As aphrodisiacs go, it was the automotive accessory equivalent of raw oysters and expensive champagne… or so I imagined, given that the most a date could reasonably expect out of me in those cash-strapped days was some beer and pot stickers during happy hour at TGI Fridays. It was back then that Chambord, a syrupy raspberry-flavored liqueur from France’s Loire Valley, emerged as a key ingredient in such Party Girl cocktail favorites as the purple hooter and a popular variation of sex on the beach. Indeed, for many skirt-chasers like me who came of age (drinking age, that is) in the eighties and nineties, Chambord is and always will be the abiding liqueur of love. And by “love” I mean drunken one-night stands in cramped apartments shared by far too many roommates.
Now that I’m older and wiser and occasionally far less single, I’ve come to appreciate Chambord for its distinct flavor — the robust tartness of blackberries and raspberries accented with citrus peel, sweet honey and creamy vanilla. Chambord, made from a 17th century recipe, has maintained its remarkable balance between sweet and sour since the days of King Louis XIV. (According to lore his highness was presented with the new liquor at the world renowned Chateau de Chambord).Longevity coupled with an uncanny knack for blending seamlessly with virtually anything has moved the likes of our esteemed resident cocktail guru Jonathan Pogash to dub Chambord the quintessential complementary cocktail ingredient. “Certainly there are few if any bottles that bartenders reach for more often than Chambord,” says Pogash, the beverage director for the Hospitality Holdings group, proprietors of the World Bar and the Carnegie Club among other reputable NYC watering holes. “And it’s a must for home bars, too, because it allows you the freedom to experiment, which can sometimes yield some totally unexpected results.” We’ve tasted the results of Pogash’s experiments with Chambord, and were particularly taken with an inspired variation on a Gin Buck, the ginger-based cousin of the gin and tonic.
Pogash laces the elixir with a tiny dose of Chambord, giving the bar classic a contemporary complexity.
It won’t invoke memories of the Purple Hooter but, hey, we all gotta grow up sometime.
The Pearl S. Buck
(created by Jonathan Pogash for Bookmarks Lounge)
1/2 oz Chambord
1 oz Beefeater Gin
1/2 oz fresh lemon
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/4 tsp minced ginger
Splash Moet White Star Champagne
Directions: shake all ingredients except for champagne and strain into ice-filled highball. Top w/ champagne. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
By Dan Dunn
The Imbiber has long been a fan of Chambord for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that the ladies flat-out flipped over the empty bottle I had mounted on the dashboard of my El Camino back in sophomore year of college. As aphrodisiacs go, it was the automotive accessory equivalent of raw oysters and expensive champagne… or so I imagined, given that the most a date could reasonably expect out of me in those cash-strapped days was some beer and pot stickers during happy hour at TGI Fridays. It was back then that Chambord, a syrupy raspberry-flavored liqueur from France’s Loire Valley, emerged as a key ingredient in such Party Girl cocktail favorites as the purple hooter and a popular variation of sex on the beach. Indeed, for many skirt-chasers like me who came of age (drinking age, that is) in the eighties and nineties, Chambord is and always will be the abiding liqueur of love. And by “love” I mean drunken one-night stands in cramped apartments shared by far too many roommates.
Now that I’m older and wiser and occasionally far less single, I’ve come to appreciate Chambord for its distinct flavor — the robust tartness of blackberries and raspberries accented with citrus peel, sweet honey and creamy vanilla. Chambord, made from a 17th century recipe, has maintained its remarkable balance between sweet and sour since the days of King Louis XIV. (According to lore his highness was presented with the new liquor at the world renowned Chateau de Chambord).Longevity coupled with an uncanny knack for blending seamlessly with virtually anything has moved the likes of our esteemed resident cocktail guru Jonathan Pogash to dub Chambord the quintessential complementary cocktail ingredient. “Certainly there are few if any bottles that bartenders reach for more often than Chambord,” says Pogash, the beverage director for the Hospitality Holdings group, proprietors of the World Bar and the Carnegie Club among other reputable NYC watering holes. “And it’s a must for home bars, too, because it allows you the freedom to experiment, which can sometimes yield some totally unexpected results.” We’ve tasted the results of Pogash’s experiments with Chambord, and were particularly taken with an inspired variation on a Gin Buck, the ginger-based cousin of the gin and tonic.
Pogash laces the elixir with a tiny dose of Chambord, giving the bar classic a contemporary complexity.
It won’t invoke memories of the Purple Hooter but, hey, we all gotta grow up sometime.
The Pearl S. Buck
(created by Jonathan Pogash for Bookmarks Lounge)
1/2 oz Chambord
1 oz Beefeater Gin
1/2 oz fresh lemon
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/4 tsp minced ginger
Splash Moet White Star Champagne
Directions: shake all ingredients except for champagne and strain into ice-filled highball. Top w/ champagne. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
