A champion cocktail for an Olympic champion.
With regards to cocktails named after athletes, the record is shorter than a fencer’s foil. However one drink that parries its option to the forefront is the Lucien Gaudin cocktail. This subtle mixture of gin, Campari, Cointreau, and dry vermouth pays tribute to Lucien Gaudin, a legendary French fencer and Olympiad gold medalist. Gaudin earned his place in historical past along with his talent and elegance—qualities this cocktail mirrors as properly.
Lucien Gaudin: The Man Behind the Identify
Born in 1886 in Arras, France, Lucien Gaudin rose to prominence on this planet of fencing, a sport that epitomizes precision, technique, and finesse. Gaudin’s most notable success got here throughout the 1920 and 1928 Summer time Olympics. In Antwerp 1920, he secured two silver medals within the workforce foil and workforce épée occasions. His crowning glory got here within the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the place he gained gold medals in each particular person foil and épée, together with a workforce gold in épée.
The Cocktail: A Tribute in a Glass.
The primary recognized printed point out of the Lucien Gaudin cocktail seems within the 1929 e book “Cocktails de Paris,” by RIP, a pseudonym for Georges Gabriel Thenon who was a French singer, entertainer, and general social influencer. A prize for any cocktail e book assortment, “Cocktails de Paris” not solely has a treasure trove of cocktail recipes, however can be illustrated by one of many world’s biggest poster artists, Paul Colin. Colin rose to fame for his 1925 poster for La Revue Nègre (a lady sporting solely a skirt fabricated from bananas); this eye-catching poster helped launch singer Josephine Baker’s profession. “Cocktails de Paris” offers us a clue who may need invented the drink. On the backside of the recipe, it credit Charlie, a bartender on the Le Cheval Pie (the Black and White Horse) restaurant in Paris. Legend has it Gaudin was a frequent visitor at Le Cheval Pie. Maybe good ol’ Charlie made him his personal private concoction. In the identical 12 months it first appeared in print, the fencer’s cocktail gained the Honorary Cup on the Skilled Bartenders Championship in Paris. A champion cocktail for a champion athlete, little question.
Lucien Gaudin Riffs
The Lucien Gaudin shares similarities with a number of traditional cocktails that emphasize bittersweet and citrus notes, such because the Negroni. One other shut relative is the Boulevardier, which swaps gin for bourbon, providing a richer, hotter twist on the Negroni’s composition. The Americano, combining Campari, candy vermouth, and soda water, is a lighter, extra refreshing choice. Moreover, the Gloria, a lesser-known however intriguing mixture of gin, dry vermouth, and a contact of absinthe, shares the Lucien Gaudin’s subtle complexity, providing a novel stability of natural and bittersweet flavors. For a extra fashionable twist, strive the Fencer cocktail with gin, Cocchi Americano, Campari, grapefruit hop syrup, bitters, and a grapefruit twist (cocktail credit score and recipe at PostProhibition.com).
Crafting the Lucien Gaudin Cocktail
On the heels of this summer time’s Paris Olympics, this cocktail will hold the gold medal vibes alive. So, increase your glass and toast the fencing champion with a drink that’s as sharp as the person himself. When mixing up a Lucien Gaudin, strive an herbal-forward gin like Revivalist, with ashwagandha and/or Vara Excessive Desert with grapefruit and star anise notes. The drink additionally begs for experimentation with completely different bitter aperitifs, like St. George Bruto Americano or Contratto Bitter, and orange liqueurs akin to Solerno Blood Orange.
Lucien Gaudin Cocktail
Elements
- 1 oz. gin
- ½ oz. Campari
- ½ oz. Cointreau
- ½ oz. dry vermouth
Preparation
- Stir all components in a shaker over ice.
- Pressure right into a coupe and garnish with an orange twist.
