CAMILLE AUBRAY’S COCKTAILS, INSPIRED BY HER NOVELS, PUT SUNSHINE INTO A WINTER DAY

Winter in the South of France is not usually cold or snowy, but it oten does rain. Since I divide my time between the Côte d'Azur and Connecticut, I do love to be in New England for the winter holidays, where the landscape looks just like the movie Christmas in Connecticut.

Wherever you are in the Northern Hemisphere, winter isn’t so great when the sun isn't shining and the wind is blowing. Well, I have a cure for that! In the research I’ve been doing for all of my novels, especially my latest, THE GIRL FROM THE GRAND HOTEL, I've found some great cocktails to brighten any overcast day!

An easy way to bring some sunlight and warmth back into your life right now can be summed up in one word: citrus! Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit. Once upon a time these citrus fruits were precious holiday gifts that people put into Christmas stockings, or stacked in pyramids on their dining table.

This is also the reason that Christmas desserts and turkey stuffings include dried fruits, like cherries and raisins and apricots. All that stored-up sunshine is good for your body, especially at this time of year.

The secret to a good citrus cocktail is balance. You want to hit just the right blend of tangy sweet and sour/ bitter. Cointreau is a lovely French orange liqueur, my favorite of other triple sec or curaçao. It has a bracing, fortifying quality. Aperol is a charming Italian apéritif that is sweeter, and should be used in far less quantity than many bartenders do. And I just love Blood Orange bitters, which I discovered recently. I like this taste much better than ordinary bitters.

So, here are a few of my cocktails, inspired by my novels, guaranteed to bring some sunshine into your soul, no matter the weather. Let it snow, let the wind blow! Find a cozy corner and, cheers!

Camille Aubray's “Soleil Orange”

inspired by her research for her novel, The Girl from the Grand Hotel

This is a perfect example of what I mean about balancing sweet vs. bitter or sour. If you are using lemon juice, you balance it with the Aperol. If you are using orange juice, you balance it with the Cointreau.

Ingredients:

2 or 3 shots of high-quality gin (I prefer Hendriks)

the juice of half a fresh lemon or orange

a little splash of Cointreau if you used orange juice

OR

a little splash of Aperol if you used lemon juice

ice cubes made from the best water you’ve got (not shavings)

Mix: Pour the gin in first, then the splash of Cointreau of Aperol. Add the fresh fruit juice to be paired with that, as described above.

Add lots of large ice cubes (not shavings) to fill the glass (the more ice you use, the faster it chills and you won't water down your drink). When the glass feels frosty and cold, carefully remove the cubes with a small spoon, then stir (do not shake!)

Camille Aubray's “Sidecar Cocktail”

inspired by her research for her novel, The Girl From the Grand Hotel

This cocktail comes from the days of the two World Wars, when army captains, sitting in a motorcycle sidecar beside their drivers, scooted around Paris. Some people use lemon juice here, but I prefer fresh orange.

Ingredients:

a shot or two of armagnac (or cognac) per person

1 splash of Cointreau per person

the juice of half an fresh orange

Mix: Pour the first two ingredients into a large cocktail glass. Cut one thin slice of the orange for garnish, then freshly squeeze the rest of the orange and put 1/2 of the juice into each glass. Ice these ingredients together as described in the first recipe. Remove the cubes when the glass is frosty.

Camille Aubray's “Classic Manhattan”

inspired by her research for her novel, The Godmothers

This is a classic New York cocktail, perfect for my New York novel. It was served in the finest hotels, but I’ve added my own little twist with the Blood Orange bitters.

Ingredients:

A shot or two of good-quality bourbon. (I prefer Maker's Mark. )

Half as much of sweet vermouth. (I prefer Dolin's red vermouth.)

2 teaspoons of fresh orange juice (from an actual orange, folks, not bottled) or a twist of orange peel.

a dash of Blood Orange bitters (optional)

A dried cherry (never use maraschino!)

Mix: Pour the bourbon into a glass. Add the sweet vermouth, then the blood orange bitters followed by the juice, in the combo as described above. Ice these ingredients together as described in the first recipe. Remove the cubes when the glass is frosty.

Camille Aubray's “French ’75”

inspired by her research for her novel, Cooking for Picasso

There is some debate about the origin of this cocktail; some say it dates back to the champagne cups of the 19th century, some say it was a 1920s invention popularized by Harry’s Bar in Paris. I discovered it while following Picasso’s footsteps around the French Riviera. Rather than adding sugar I prefer a soupçon of Aperol.

Ingredients:

2 or 3 shots of high-quality gin (I prefer Hendriks)

the juice of half a fresh lemon

a little splash of Aperol

cold dry (brut) French champagne

Mix: Use a very large martini glass. Pour the gin in first, then the Aperol, then the juice. Stir gently. Add four ice cubes. Slowly fill the glass with very cold champagne. Feel the glass and d drink as soon as it is cold. You don’t have to remove the ice, but if you leave it in, it will dilute the champagne bubbles, so don’t wait to enjoy!

Camille Aubray's Non-Alcoholic Cocktail (Just Mix and Enjoy!)

And finally, any time you just need some simple sunny Vitamin C, this is one you can drink any time of the day!

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cranberry or cherry juice, preferably organic

the juice of half a lemon, and the juice or half an orange or a lime

sparkling water to fill the glass two-thirds of the way

ice ( to be removed after the glass is frosty and cold)