Evening Cocktail — The Ce Soir
French for this evening or tonight, most Americans who don’t speak French probably know the phrase “ce soir” from the refrain in the 1974 song “Lady Marmalade” by Patti Labelle: voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Nicole Lebedevitch created the Ce Soir in Boston in 2017. I discovered it in Punch magazine, which accurately described the Ce Soir as simple, potent, and elegant.
The Ce Soir
2 ounces cognac or brandy
.75 ounces Cynar
.5 ounces yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Combine in a mixing glass with ice, stir with sultry evening elegance, and strain into a chilled glass. Lemon peel or amarena cherry garnish optional.
Cognac (or grape based brandy; it’s all torched Dutch grapes) provides a solid base for the Ce Soir. Combining it with Cynar, an artichoke based amaro used in the Larceny and Old Lace, gives the Ce Soir a hint of bittersweet flavor. Combining those spirits with yellow Chartreuse, used in the Cloister, adds some French sweetness. Lebedevitch calls for a lemon peel garnish. I used an amarena cherry to be a little different. Regardless of the garnish, when you make the Ce Soir I suggest playing “Lady Marmalade” (either the original or the Christina Aguilera remake) or similarly themed songs, e.g. “In The Air Tonight,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Strangers In The Night” …
Voulez-vous boire avec moi ce soir?