Oliver Stern went to Paris for the first time six years ago; he was with his father, who introduced him to, among other things, the brave new world of French aperitifs.
"It was my dad who bought me my first glass of Lillet. After one sip, I was smitten," he recalls. "We had it on ice and I was amazed by the citrusy notes at the beginning and the savoury finish."
Now the resident bartender at the Toronto Temperance Society, a bar committed to recreating classic cocktails with a modern twist, Stern has poured his memories of Paris into The French Correspondent, a cocktail that reworks the traditional Manhattan using Amaro in place of vermouth and adding Lillet to the mix. To make it, stir all the ingredients listed here in a thick mixing glass, pour into a chilled coupe rinsed with Cynar bitter aperitif and finish with a few drops of oil from grapefruit rind. (Just squeeze the rind to extract the oil. Do not put the rind into the drink.)
Recipe
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
1 ounce Wiser's Small Batch Canadian Whisky
1/2 ounce Amaro Nonino
1 dash simple syrup
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters