Gin Cassis

A sweet but solid drink suited to after dinner or cafe drinking, perhaps with a coffee, the Gin Cassis really takes a French twist on a gin cocktail. Like the Vermouth Cassis and Byrrh Cassis, G. E Messenez creme de cassis adds sweetness of black currants to the base liquor. Its really quite nice.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. creme de cassis (G. E. Massenez used)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice. 

Vermouth Cassis

A fizzy dessert drink with the flavor of black currant and European herbs, I'm still trying to wrap my head around why people like creme de cassis in just about everything. The likely truth has to do with how Europeans tend to drink. Euro cocktails are rarely stronger than a glass of wine. The love vermouth because it is stronger than wine, but they tend to have to water it down with soda. Creme de cassis just makes everything gooey like blueberry pie. So drinking a pie flavored soda that you can sip on all day makes sense, as long as you realize that drinking in Europe is a marathon not a sprint.

• 2 oz. dry vermouth (Mancino used)
• 1 oz. creme de cassis (G. E. Massenez used)
• sparkling water

 Pour all ingredients in a highball glass full of ice and stir.