Beer is good. These bright, bubbly cocktails, which get their color from Luxardo cherry juice, are even better, especially for a Valentine’s Day-adjacent Super Bowl.
In his 2020 cookbook, “TAILGREAT: How to Crush It at Tailgating” (Ten Speed Press; $28), Mississippi chef John Currence calls them “the kissing cousin of a French 75, but the volume of them consumed in my general vicinity has led to the name French 150.” (His wife, Bess, and her friends love drinking these on game days.) Maybe you will, too.
If it’s just you and your boo this year, consider cutting the recipe in half. Or don’t. We’re not judging.
French 150
Serves 12
INGREDIENTS
1 (750 ml) bottle gin, preferably Hendrick’s
1 tablespoon bitters
2 ounces St-Germain liqueur
½ cup simple syrup
¼ cup juice from Luxardo maraschino cherries, plus Luxardo cherries for garnish
7 ounces fresh lemon juice
Sparkling wine (preferably sparkling rosé) for serving
Lemon peel for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a large pitcher or container, combine the gin, bitters, St-Germain, simple syrup, cherry juice and lemon juice and stir to blend well. Fill each glass with ice, then fill two-thirds full with the gin mix. Float sparkling wine on top and garnish with lemon peel and a cherry.
— From John Currence’s “TAILGREAT: How to Crush it at Tailgating” (Ten Speed Press, $28)