Bateaux Mouche

The Bateaux Mouche are those long sight-seeing boats on the Seine river in Paris. The ingredients in this cocktail are appropriately French. Silky cognac and Lillet blanc blend well together. Curacao and lemon juice lighten and add fresh citrus juice and scent to round everything out. It is like French cuisine, well-honed and time-honored--a little predictable in a good way--with elegance and charm.

I like the addition of Lillet Blanc in what would otherwise be a standard Sidecar. Parisians take Lillet chilled the the afternoons. It's not especially strong and only a little bit bitter. But it is much better in a cocktails where its sweetness adds balance.

• 1 1/2oz. cognac (Courvoissier VS used)
• 1/2 oz. Lillet blanc
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1/2 oz. curacao

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Brandy Crusta

The Brandy Crusta belongs to that category of sweet--almost dessert--drinks that put a little sugar texture on the rim of the glass. They are usually cocktail glass servings but are sometimes on the rocks.

This cocktail calls for brandy, but I opted for all European ingredients, and better quality at the same time. Courvoisier VO, Luxardo maraschino and Triplum, triple sec. This was a good move. 3/4 oz. of triple sec can add so much sweetness that a drink's mouthfeel goes off the mark. Triplum is 40 proof, so it balances sweetness and thickness with firm alcoholic presence.

This is definitely a cocktail for people who love sweet and showy drinks. The sugar on the rim is the only added sugar to the drink and it pairs well with the lemon sourness. Then the orange and cherry liqueurs create a lot of interest and complexity. It's still very sweet, but most people who don't drink cocktails all the time won't mind.

• 2 oz. brandy (Courvoisier VS used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. triple sec
• 2 tsp. maraschino liqueur
• 2 tbsp sugar
• lemon slice

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass rimmed with sugar. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Brandy Cassis

This is a sweet brandy cocktail that finds an interesting use for creme de cassis, that black currant liqueur. A good creme de cassis is key to making this taste at all elegant. Otherwise it will be syrupy and sort of cheap tasting.

When it comes to choice of brandy, use cognac please. You need a dry but also somewhat complex brandy to stand up to the sweetness of the cassis.

For glassware, the recommendation is a cocktail glass, but I don't find the proportions sufficient to warrant such a big glass. A sour glass will do well, and is much closer to the glass recommendation of the Kir and Byrrh Cassis cocktails, which are the major creme de cassis drinks.

• 2 oz. brandy (Courvoisier VS used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. creme de cassis (G. E. Massenez used)
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except lemon twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass (sour glass pictured) and garnish with twist.