Mixology.
Ponder, if you will, the lemon.
Yellow, so perfect, we say the color after the fruit. A scent that conjures spring and summer. "Lemon" sometimes means broken or flawed-- but, more often, it means clean and wonderful.
As comfortable in silver bowl at Versailles as in a plastic cup on the boardwalk, the lemon is a diplomat. Cuisines from Europe to Latin America to Asia literally depend on it. The lemon might be the most elegantly pedestrian fruit in the world. Tart and refined, the lemon freshens ice water and kitchens alike. It is a cure to fishiness and filth; as a flavoring, it replaces vinegar or salt-- or both. It is sour yet bracing; with sugar, it opens like a flower. It brightens Christmas garland, dresses shop windows, and provides designers a polestar of sunshine.
It's skin is pliable yet firm, like a fine leather. The lemon nearly explodes its perfume when cut and its sections seem to almost emit sunlight. The zest from the rind christens hands and rooms with its oil.
The lemon is beautiful. And I have the perfect drink for it.
You'll need a bottle of a Lillet Blanc to make it but, despite how difficult it can be to find, you won't be sorry. You'll get through the bottle fast, too; Lillet is lovely on its own. But put dress that Lillet up with some lemon, add tea for structure, and you've got a supermodel in your hands.
Named for a pop star who captured the heart of a head of state, this cocktail never forgets where she came from even as she leads you by the hand onto her balcony. You might invade a country. Or, at least, buy a fantastic suit.
The Carla Bruni
6 oz of Lillet Blanc
4 oz of unsweetened iced tea
2-3 wedges of fresh lemon
Get a solid glass from your cabinet, something you usually drink water from. Nothing fancy; every glass becomes pretty with Carla in it. Take a wedge of lemon and run it around the edge of the glass, then squeeze it into the glass and throw the lemon in there, too. (The seeds are fine with me but, if you aren't a fan of them, squeeze the lemon through a sieve or cheese grater or whatever.) Fill the glass with ice. Pour the tea in the glass. Squeeze another wedge of lemon and then add the Lillet. Stir with a spoon and then, if you like, add one more wedge of lemon for garnish. I certainly do.
Oh, and feel free to mess with the proportions to your taste.
The Carla Bruni. You'll swear it's good for you. And that's because it is.
Another original iBlogAmerica cocktail.
Fantastic imagery with beautiful prose and choice of words. If only all recipes were this enticing! Oh, Carla, darling. You're the wink of an eye in a cocktail glass.
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