Megan West(erby)

The Downton Abbey Cocktail

bijou156:

clairiere:

whimsandfancythings:

Half a lime, squeezed, 3 parts Hendricks gin to 2 parts St Germaine, topped with Champagne.

Wonder if this is where they serve(d) it:

Heheh I wonder if they will all have a Downton cocktail on the premier night? lol They all look smart and chic!

Things, in list format:

1. Dan Stevens apparently tweeted about the Downton Abbey cocktail — but it was invented by Oliver’s Bar inside of the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle, Washington, at least according to this blog about fashioning said cocktail. 
2. That blog is a good intro on making this drink correctly, if you’re not familiar with making cocktails. Real ones. 
3. To clarify: this means that is NOT an “official” Downton Abbey cocktail. 
4. I’m not sure why this is as important to me as it is. I’m not a trained mixologist. 
5. But, really? Cocktails were not what our Edwardian favorites of the year would drink, at least while in residence. Maybe in town. If you’re from a younger generation.
6. And it probably would’ve been called a sling, punch, shrub, sour, flip, or toddie instead of a cocktail. 
7. Actually, Mrs. Beeton’s had a sling fairly similar to this — gin, lemon, sugar, and ice. 
8. At some point I lost or loaned away my copy of Mrs. Beeton’s. This needs to be fixed. 
9. The point is, cocktails are pretty American. 
10. Which is awesome. 
11. All that being said, this looks like a decent cocktail. Any champagne cocktail would pair well with an episode or three of Downton Abbey, in my mind. 
12. Except, really, this looks way too sweet. St. Germaine should used more as an accent than a main ingredient. 3 to 2 gin to germaine? Even with the champagne and lime that makes for an awfully sweet overall flavor. 
13. Which means you’ll drink it quickly. 
14. And, really, what’s the point of making a really good cocktail only to drink it quickly? 
15. Don’t bruise the gin. 

Edited to add: this is a motherfucking champagne cocktail. Do not serve it in a martini glass. 

(Source: Flickr / kcts9)

2 February 2012 ·

• Tags
• cocktails
• at some point i will probably start a cocktail blog