The Jupiter Cocktail

Ever feel like a martini but want something different? Try the Jupiter Cocktail:

• 1.50 ounces gin
• 0.75 ounce dry vermouth
• 1 teaspoon Parfait Amour
• 1 teaspoon orange juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.

Okay, to be honest, I made this cocktail because I wanted to say “neener, neener – I have Parfait Amour and you don’t”.

(grin)

A couple of the drinks in the book call for it, and on a recent trip to DC I was able to buy some. In the US it is available from Marie Brizard, and it is a curaçao-based liqueur with other floral flavors.

Often used as a dainty cordial aimed at women, Dr. Cocktail admonishes us to use the Parfait Amour (which means “perfect love”) in the exact proportions listed above. While I always strive to measure these drinks properly (I don’t know what they are supposed to taste like in most cases so I want to recreate what the author intended as closely as possible), this time I made doubly sure to measure accurately.

With it’s two parts gin to one part dry vermouth, the base for this cocktail is obviously a martini. In the version I made, the Parfait Amour didn’t change the color of the drink much as all, but its impact was in the taste: it was one of the smoothest martinis I’ve ever experienced. Seriously, I smiled involuntarily when the usual aftertaste just wasn’t there. Instead it finished as smooth as it started.

Rating: 4/5

Notes: The Parfait Amour was from Marie Brizard. I used [Broker’s Dry Gin][3] and Dolin vermouth.