Drink a toast to these 12 gifts for lovers of bubbly
This selection of wines and special accessories — a custom-made Champagne sabre, for one — will please the connoisseur and host alike.
Related articles
Whether the gift recipient prefers a beautiful bottle of bubbles, a unique wine that is sure to appreciate, or one that will be poured that night at dinner, this selection of wines and special accessories — a custom-made Champagne sabre, for one — will please the connoisseur and host alike.
## A perfect five
Price: US$50,000 ($A66,000)
What, you may wonder, should you do with a 3-litre bottle of Lokoya’s Mount Veeder or Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon?
Christopher Carpenter, the winemaker at Napa Valley’s Lokoya since 2000, suggests that you wait for a party with a really good group of 10 to 20 people and serve it then. And, he notes, because of the size of the bottle and the composition of the wine, you can wait a really long time for that party to take place.
This gift from Lokoya, a winery based in the Spring Mountain District that produces premium small-lot Cabernets from some of Napa Valley’s most celebrated mountain appellations, comprises two 3-litre bottles of five vintages (a total of 10 double magnums). Each vintage has received a 100-point rating from Robert Parker. Specifically, the wines are the 2005, 2012, and 2013 Mount Veeder and the 2003 and 2013 Howell Mountain. Of the 2013 Mount Veeder, Parker writes, “This 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon wine is utterly profound, and while the scoring system ends at 100, if I had to pick a single wine that may have been my favorite of all the tastings I did in Napa, this could have been my pick. Full-bodied, rich, with incredible integration of its component parts of acidity, tannin, alcohol, and wood, the wine is lavishly built, has compelling purity, richness, and density.”
Carpenter explains that wine in a 3-litre bottle will develop more slowly than wine in a 750 mL bottle. “The smaller the bottle, the faster the wine will age,” he says. “With a 3-litre bottle, you’ll probably get 30 percent more aging time.” And while the wine inside matures, the bottle can serve as a centerpiece for your cellar. “If you have a display cellar,” he says, “the 3-litre bottle can have a pretty impactful visual effect.”
Carpenter also notes that Napa’s mountain wines, including the Mount Veeder and Howell Mountain, will age longer than the wines sourced from the floor of Napa Valley because of a greater concentration of tannins, which give the wine its structure and also serve as a preservative. “The Mount Veeder is probably a 20- to 30-year wine,” he says, “and the 3-litre bottle extends that even more. This is a wine that you can pass down for generations.”
The gift also includes a dinner for as many as 10 guests hosted by Carpenter at Lokoya’s mountaintop estate. But don’t worry; there’s no need to bring one of the bottles from the gift. Lokoya will supply the wines — and they will be exclusive vintages from the winery’s cellar.
## Three steps beyond
Price: US$2,300 ($A3000)
Some might consider Peter Gago, the chief winemaker at Penfolds, an intractable contrarian. About 5 years ago, Australia’s premier wine label decided to honor its country’s native artisans by enlisting four leading talents to produce an ampoule to house a rare wine. Gago, however, refused to put the brand’s flagship, Grange, into the receptacle: “ ‘You don’t mess with Grange,’ I told my colleagues.” Thus, when he proposed a limited edition consisting of three different vintages of that very wine, his associates were stunned. “It seemed to them contradictory,” says the winemaker. “ ‘You’re putting Grange in it?’ they asked. ‘Where’s the old Peter? He’s sold his soul!’ ”
There is method, however, to Gago’s apparent madness. The inspiration for this project, which yielded a modest 1,200 numbered bottles, came not from a focus group but from the history of Penfolds itself. Dr. Christopher Penfold and his wife, Mary, established the company in 1844 to produce fortified wines from multiple vintages, so Gago found the prospect of combining several of the cellar’s spectacular reserves irresistibly compelling. Some of the 2012 vintage had been held back from bottling and kept in neutral oak barrels; his wine, along with a cache of the extraordinary 2008, was married to a portion of the yet-to-be-released 2014 to yield g3, Penfolds’s most unusual creation yet.
“We knew what we had with these wines,” notes Gago, “but in blending, you find out what you don’t know. You can’t replicate this at home by putting the same percentages of ’08, ’12, and ’14 together, because once they mature as a blend, they’re a different wine.”
Indeed, the united trinity transcends the individual merits of its components. Priced at about $2,300 ($A3000) per bottle, g3 shows the youth of the 2014 in its notes of ripe black fruit and burgeoning spice, while the seductive character of the 2012 is present in its voluptuous mouthfeel. The formidable structure and depth of the 2008, however, serves to temper these hedonistic elements, making the experience of sipping this one-of-a-kind red a sensory-rich ascent into oenological paradise.
## The beast of bubbly
Price: Starting at US$10,000 ($A13,200)
The tradition of sabering the tops of Champagne bottles is rumored to have begun on the battlefield with the Napoleonic hussar regiments, who sliced the bottles open while still sitting astride their steeds. This unique Champagne saber, with its handle sculpted in Napoléon’s likeness, “is a nod to the great little Frenchman from an Englishman,” says its creator, jeweler Stephen Webster. Webster, who prefers to limit his consumption of the effervescent elixir to “those special moments when no other beverages will suffice,” will make just five of these homages by commission only. Dubbed the French Beast, the saber will join a bronze handle to a blade forged from steel using the Damascus method — a process that makes every single blade individual, yielding a unique saber in the style of Webster’s Beast Knives collection released earlier this year.
The artist understands the balance required by such a tool after wielding one himself at the opening of the Chapel Down Bar, which he and his team designed for one of England’s new sparkling-wine vineyards. With such a custom saber in hand, the recipient of this gift will soon enjoy the drama and theatricality that go beyond the demure popping of a cork.
Available through Stephen Webster stores.
## Darling Demi
Price: US$62 ($A80)
If you want an elegant pairing with Stephen Webster’s Champagne sabre, Champagne Taittinger Brut La Française NV would be a smart choice. The wine comes in a 750ml bottle (US$62 ($A80)) as well as a just-right half-bottle format that neatly tucks into a stocking hung by the mantle (US$35 ($A45)). Like the maison’s other wines, this one has a fine, persistent bubble, and it is a beautiful pale-straw colour. For a non-vintage Champagne, it contains a high percentage of Chardonnay grapes (40 percent) combined with 35 percent Pinot Noir and 25 percent Pinot Meunier. The grapes are pressed in the field right after picking, capturing the freshest flavors, which come through in the delicate aromas of peach and white flowers. It undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle and spends a remarkable 4 years on the lees, imparting additional notes of vanilla and brioche on the nose and honey on the palate. It’s the ideal pour for toasting a celebration this holiday season.
## Un Belle Boîte
Price: US$1,200 ($A1580)
For the first time in history, and for just this 2015 vintage, the renowned maison has created a special new bottle that celebrates 34 years of fine work by its late winemaker, Paul Pontallier as well as the new, modern facilities inaugurated in 2015 and, of course, the exceptional wine within. Rather than the traditional label, this bottle of Château Margaux 2015 Grand Vin has a more modern, gold, silk-screened image of the iconic château surrounded by one of the distinctive architectural features of the new addition, designed by architect Lord Norman Foster. This wine was the last to be produced under the supervision of Pontallier before his untimely death in 2016, and 2015 is predicted to be a legendary year of winemaking akin to those of 2005, 2009, and 2010.
## Give them Carte Blanche
Price: US$65 ($A80)
The 2014 vintage for Carte Blanche Wine is the brand’s best yet across all releases. It was the first completely managed — from vineyard to bottle — by winemaker Helen Keplinger. While it was hard to choose a favourite, the Carte Blanche 2014 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, which is a new addition to the portfolio, stands out as a striking example of the varietal with scents of red fruit, juniper, and dusky sandalwood on the nose. It’s especially elegant and surprisingly delicate on the palate with notes of Luxardo cherry, cedar, and black tea. It’s both tightly structured and silky in the mouth.
The grapes were grown in the rocky and sunny Sun Chase Vineyard high atop Petaluma Gap, slated to become the region’s next distinct appellation. General manager D.J. Warner says, “This is an amazing vineyard, and Helen works with four clones of Pinot and four blocks from 426 metres to 518 metres, allowing us to layer the wine. The break in the mountain ridges there sucks in the fog, and it gets nice sun but has cool evenings.” Keplinger likes to pick a little early to capture the freshness of the grapes, and her artistry and precision are felt in every sip. For the Pinot Noir aficionados on your list, this wine is a must.
## Wines that sing
Price: US$1,200 ($A1580)
The JN Wines 2014 12 Days of Christmas is a 12-bottle case of wine ideal for the oenophile who appreciates a little artistry on as well as in the bottle. The labels on these Cabernet Sauvignons — blended with just a touch of Malbec and Cabernet Franc to add some soft roundness — depict 12 different illustrations from the popular Twelve Days of Christmas carol, such as three French hens or 10 lords a-leaping. Nat Komes, the general manager of Napa Valley’s Flora Springs, commissioned children’s book artist Raul Gonzalez III to complete the drawings.
The fruit for the wine was sourced from JN Wine’s family estates in Napa Valley’s Rutherford region. The wine is bold and full of juicy fruit, with enough acid to age for years (if you can make it last that long). Blackberry, blueberry, chocolate, vanilla, and cedar present on the palate. The grapes were all hand-picked and then 10 percent of them were fermented in French oak barrels, while the rest fermented in steel tanks, before aging in French oak for 20 months. Only 100 cases of this special edition were created.
## The Italian stallion
Price: US$35 ($A45)
This unusual varietal — Ruché di Coastagnole Monferrato — is one of the oldest grapes in Italy (and possibly the world) and believed to have originally been a French varietal that crossed the principalities into Piedmont. It is no longer grown in France and can be found only in Italy now. For Zinfandel fans, this wine is a discovery — it has the spicy, peppery notes beloved by Zin connoisseurs but the light brightness of a Beaujoulais. It’s silky in texture and all too easy to drink, as it pairs with many foods. The Ruché Limpronta, a family reserve from Montalbera Vineyards, is the best example and a wine that delivers value, with quality priced so reasonably.
## A father and son duo
Price: US$200 ($A260)
Palmaz Winery was started by a cardiac surgeon who gained a reputation for innovation and engineering after inventing the vascular stent, which has saved countless lives. The founder’s son, Gaston, also has a passion for innovation and has used his technical savvy to track data meticulously throughout the winemaking process.
All this attention to data and detail pays off most handsomely in his namesake wine, the Palmaz 2014 Gaston Cabernet Sauvignon. This 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon wine represents the most premium of the grapes picked each harvest, and in this vintage, the 2014, the grapes come from three upper-elevation parcels. The clusters were all hand-picked from the hillsides at night to prevent too much sun and heat from causing fermentation before the grapes enter the tanks. The deep, red liquid is velvety on the palate with some black perigord truffle on the nose and deep black fruit notes, graphite, and a hint of cedar.
As a gentle companion, the family also makes a wine in honor of the third generation, which is still in grade school: Gaston Grand Cru (US$12 ($A15)) is a petite 375-mL bottle of grape juice made from Malbec and Merlot, fresh-pressed and cold-filtered — complete with a cork — to make the little ones feel part of the tradition of toasting and celebrating delicious grapes at the holidays.
## A taste of Champagne Charlie’s legacy
Price: US$1,200 ($A1580)
Entrepreneur Charles-Camille Heidsieck nearly took his pursuit of perfection to the point of ruin. The scion of a winemaking family in the Reims region of Champagne, Heidsieck struck out on his own in 1851 at the age of 29, establishing his own label of fine sparkling wines. Not content to entrust others with the promotion of his bubbly, the headstrong Heidsieck traveled Europe, pouring his liquid wares for the most discerning palates before crossing the Atlantic to tempt less-tutored taste buds in the United States. He proved as refreshing to New York society as his wines, earning the sobriquet “Champagne Charlie,” and soon his agents in the New World were placing hefty orders on account.
Heidsieck, however, came to regret his promiscuous credit practices when the Civil War broke out. His efforts to recover sums owed him in New Orleans resulted in his being arrested as a spy and nearly shot. Back in Reims, he recovered sufficiently from his financial losses to purchase several old chalk quarries, or crayères, which he believed furnished perfect conditions for long-term aging. A handful of contemporary collectors will have the opportunity to judge this point for themselves thanks to Charles Heidsieck La Collection Crayères, a new program that celebrates these historic cellars with a series of library releases chosen by chef de cave Cyril Brun.
Available October 1, the first examples represent a handful of single bottles and magnums from the 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1985 vintages. Among the highlights is the 1982 Champagne Charlie, only 18 magnums of which will be offered at US$1,200 ($A1580) each in the States. “It’s as though all the Incas’ gold were reflecting through the glass,” says Brun, who calls this vintage “the El Dorado of Champagne” — a description that would certainly have excited the adventurous imagination of the founder.
## Wickedly good
Price: US$55 ($A70)
The legend of Dr. Faust generally involves the protagonist trading his soul to the devil for unlimited knowledge. Yet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe altered the pact slightly: His antihero instead condemns himself for the sake of pleasure and passion. These elements play a part in the liquid interpretation of the legend offered by Napa Valley vintner Agustin Huneeus and his son, Agustin Francisco Huneeus, who sought to produce a bold wine that offers a tasting tour of the region in a single glass. They did not resort to diabolical aid to achieve their goal, but if they had, the Faust 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon would have been worth the sacrifice. Rich as sin, this luscious red — with notes of black plum, chocolate, and licorice — would tempt even the most pious palate.
## A gem of a stopper
Price: From US$6,300 ($A8300)
Crown your most elegant wines and decanters with an Art Deco–inspired stopper. The Regal Lion designs, by Cameron–Zemtsov Design Associates, are created in signed and numbered limited editions sculpted in elite silver, 18-karat gold, and 950 platinum. The lion heads are accented with diamonds or golden sapphires.
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Recommended for you
How to Make a Gimlet, the Gin and Lime Cordial Cocktail That’s Perfect for Summer
It will also keep scurvy at bay, which is nice.
December 1, 2024
Gut Samaritans
Other top clinics around the globe are also offering microbiome-oriented remedies. Here are four to book.
By Mary Holland
November 8, 2024
You may also like.
You may also like.
First Drive: Bentley’s Flying Spur Speed Is a Muscular Heavyweight That Sets a New Benchmark
The most cumbersome part of the marque’s most powerful sedan to date is perhaps the infotainment system.
“Remember, it’s 25 years in jail for damaging a cactus,” warns Wayne Bruce, communications czar for Bentley Motors Limited, as he tosses us the keys to the marque’s newest and most powerful four-door ever, the fourth-generation Bentley Flying Spur Speed. Sufficiently admonished, we’re set loose from the veranda of the Four Seasons Scottsdale and into the foothills of the Sonoran Desert. We have no plans to damage local flora, but beneath the sophisticated lines and refined amenities of the vehicle lurks a beast begging to be unleashed on this cacti-flanked thoroughfare.
Bentley’s Beyond 100+ strategy, geared toward greater sustainability, has a number of components underway as incoming CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser takes the helm. Primary among these is the brand’s first all-electric model, due in 2026. The Flying Spur Speed—a Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde of a car—is a bridge between the old Bentley and the new, a model variant that must compensate for the loss of its W12 engine.
The new all-wheel-drive Flying Spur Speed comes equipped with a plug-in-hybrid power train comprising a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 and an electric motor. The pairing delivers a total of 574 kilowatts, an acceleration time of zero to 96 kph in 3.3 seconds, a top speed of 284 mph, and 75 kilometres of electric range. It’s also the first Flying Spur to get four-wheel steering.
My driving companion, Kristin, and I depart the hotel in Bentley mode, the automaker’s eponymous default setting, and—first things first—begin scrolling through the manifold touch screen controls to customise the individual climate and postural settings for our quilted, hand-stitched leather seats.
The car purports to “measure and maintain the perfect body temperature via zoned heating and ventilation.” It shouldn’t take long for the Flying Spur to learn about us. I tend toward freezing, whereas Kristin veers the other way, mentioning, “I’m a 53-year-old woman. I’m always hot.”
At least the functionality should eliminate any fighting over climate control. But we are equally intrigued by Bentley’s twist on seating comfort: a postural adjustment feature that the automaker claims “soothingly and seamlessly varies the pressure on the occupants’ muscles throughout their journey” to minimise fatigue. This sounds promising. As our route to Sedona and back is a circuitous mix of surface streets, highways, and twisty canyon roads, the prospect of traveling the 482 miles without a nap seems unlikely.
“Sitting consistently the whole time—that’s what gives you a numb bum,” says Bentley spokesman Mike Sayer, explaining more about the seating system. “It’s about blood flow. If that seat is very slowly changing shape underneath you, that [numbing] never happens.”
A look at the V-8 engine inside Bentley’s hybrid Flying Spur Speed.
The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 pairs with an electric motor for a combined output of 574 kilowatts James Lipman, courtesy of Bentley Motors Limited
Leaving Scottsdale, Kristin and I get to work, so consumed with jabbing at the car’s cumbersome, 31 cm touchscreen that we hardly notice the car seems to be doing the driving for us. “Cruise control isn’t engaged?” I asked. “No,” Kristin replies. “I’m not even touching the pedals.” Yet there are no preternatural powers at play here, as this particular street features a long, imperceptible descent that requires no throttle input, a fact we learn only later.
James Lipman, courtesy of Bentley Motors Limited
That, though, is the point of the Flying Spur Speed. Like its two-door Bentley Continental GT Speed sibling, it benefits from the automaker’s most advanced chassis ever. On exhibition is Bentley’s suite of performance enhancements that includes the aforementioned four-wheel steering as well as active all-wheel drive, torque vectoring, an electronic limited-slip differential, and twin-chamber air springs.
“Then we have our little secret weapon,” says Bruce: a twin-valve damper sitting within the air springs. The independent control over compression and rebound damping means that Bentley can improve the Flying Spur’s Comfort mode without sacrificing performance.
James Lipman, courtesy of Bentley Motors Limited
As we near Sedona, we toggle between chassis settings, observing for differences in ride quality. We alternate between Comfort, which loosens the dampers to absorb bumps on the road, and Sport, which stiffens the suspension and uses active all-wheel drive to send more power to the rear axle. We also drop it into EV mode, which activates at speeds up to 140 kph. And best yet, plugging in is optional. The new Flying Spur comes with a charge mode that allows the engine to fully replenish the battery even while driving.
This new dual-character Bentley leaves us with no reason to bemoan the loss of its gas-guzzling W12 engine. True, the hybrid version is heavier, but it delivers a surprisingly nimble yet planted ride, and requires less time spent topping off the tank.
Kristin and I had no qualms about the performance—even though I did find the postural adjustment at times abrupt and bordering upon naughty—but considered the car’s main kink to be the infotainment system, which shut off the navigation just before important turns, obfuscated the menus we wanted, and continually stopped its job to nose its way into our private conversations. Didn’t we almost have it all?
You may also like.
01/12/2024
Porsche Design Tower Bangkok in Photos
The automotive icon has announced plans for a 21-story residential building in Thailand. Set for completion by 2028, the 21-story building will house 22 “Sky Villas” priced from $23 million to $60 million.
For some time now, branded residences by household names like Armani and Fendi have attracted those with a lust for designer luxury. Car makers have entered the real estate market, too, with unique offerings by Bugatti and Bentley as well as Porsche Design, which has launched residential towers in Stuttgart, Germany, and Miami, Florida. The German lifestyle brand, founded by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, creator of the iconic Porsche 911, now has plans to take their real estate endeavours to Asia.
This month, the company unveiled its third real estate development, a collaboration with Ananda Development, a Thailand-based developer, to introduce the Porsche Design Tower Bangkok. Construction on the 21-story tower begins next year and is set to wrap by the end of 2028. The ultra-luxury condo will be located on Sukhumvit 38, one of the most prestigious addresses in Bangkok.
Photo: @Porsche Design
“The Porsche Design Tower Bangkok is the next big thing for Porsche in Southeast Asia,” says Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG, in a statement. The region is becoming increasingly important for us, which is highlighted by major events taking place here these days. To name just one example: in January we celebrated the world premiere of the new all-electric Macan in Singapore.”
The tower’s striking design, as seen in renderings, is inspired by the kinetic movement of the 911 Targa roof mechanism, according to a press release. Its exposed pedestal structure, called “X-Frame,” takes cues from the design of the auto brand’s Mission R concept car and its exoskeleton structured to create a unique entry experience. A vibrant red light strip crowns the building, mirroring light displays on Porsche’s iconic sports cars.
The tower will house 22 exclusive duplex and quadplex “Sky Villas,” aimed at attracting “ultra-high net-worth individuals,” according to a press release. The abodes will range from 5,651 to 12,217 square feet, with a price range of $23 million to $60 million.
Owners can expect to find luxury furnishings and high-end appliances throughout the residences and the building that evoke the car company’s commitment to elegance, power and flawless craftsmanship.
The complex’s many amenities will include an 82-foot-long swimming pool, fitness center, spa, social lounge, and a luxury garage with “passion spaces,” similar to showrooms, that can be tailored to the individual liking of residents. Upscale restaurants and shopping malls are located nearby for a variety of entertainment options.
Visit pdtowerbangkok.com for more details
You may also like.
How to Make a Gimlet, the Gin and Lime Cordial Cocktail That’s Perfect for Summer
It will also keep scurvy at bay, which is nice.
“Why on earth this stroke of genius stands unheralded and unsung in this fair and allegedly free land of ours shall, to us, always be a mystery…” –Charles Baker Jr., The Gentleman’s Companion: An Exotic Drinking Book
The above was published in 1939, when the author, an American food writer travelling through Asia, first discovered the Gimlet. This is honestly a fairly common reaction to a well-made Gimlet, and the only major thing that’s changed in the last 80 years is that while we didn’t know why it wasn’t more popular then, we know exactly why the Gimlet is not more popular now. The answer is a saccharine, highlighter-yellow liquid that can be found entombed in plastic on the bottom shelf of every liquor store in this country called Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice.
Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice, a.k.a. Rose’s Lime Cordial, wasn’t always this way. It started as medicine and was literally lifesaving technology when a Scot named Lauchlin Rose invented it in the mid 1800s. Before then—basically, from the beginning of human sea-travel until about 150 years ago—the biggest threat to a mariner wasn’t pirates or sharks or sea-madness but scurvy, which claimed some 2 million sailors between the 16th and 18th centuries. We now know scurvy is caused by about three months without any vitamin C, but it took millennia to figure that out. Once we did, there was still the problem of preservation, because some other forms of preservation (things like boiling it or storing it in copper) are, as it turns out, incredibly efficient ways to destroy the vitamin C. It was ultimately Rose who figured out a way to preserve lime juice with sugar in 1867, the same year the Merchant Shipping Act decreed that all British sailors must have an ounce of lime juice in their rations every day. Rose’s new “lime cordial” fortified the entire British Royal Navy against scurvy, all at the mere cost of suffering the nickname “limeys” for the rest of time.
The Gimlet fits into this like so: The sailors drank rum, but the officers drank gin. A shot of lime juice is some fairly unpleasant business, but alcohol seems to help the medicine go down, so one story is that it was Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette who first took his Rose’s Lime Cordial with a spot of gin. Another story is that the Gimlet was named for the metal tool used for opening the barrels to get the alcohol out. In either case, we meet the Gimlet officially in 1923, in Harry MacElhone’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails as equal parts Plymouth Gin and Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial. Fifteen years later Mr. Baker (above) calls it a “stroke of genius.”
So why aren’t Gimlets more popular now? Because Rose’s has become a zombified version of itself, embalmed with high-fructose corn syrup and sodium metabisulfate, and is now one of 125+ brands owned by the gargantuan Keurig Dr. Pepper group. This is a problem, because while you need a lime cordial to make a proper Gimlet, Rose’s is explicitly the type of mass market, highly processed bullshit that the whole “mixology” thing was resurrected to combat. It helped get us to where we are—Lord knows I made my share of Mojitos with Rose’s in those dark and early days—but fortunately for all of us, we now have a better way, because fresh cordials are quick, easy, and savagely delicious.
If a Gimlet with Rose’s is the speaker on your phone, a Gimlet with a fresh cordial is a concert hall. It’s like tasting in technicolor, what was a chemical note of lime now a chord of acidity, piquant and resonant. A good Gimlet is bright and full, sharp and piercing, with a clarity that sings no matter what gin you choose. To try a good one is to really get what Baker was talking about, or to see why Chandler and Hemingway wrote the Gimlet into their fiction, or to understand the type of joy that comes from knowing you won’t die from scurvy, after all.
Gimlet
- 60 ml. gin
- 40 ml. lime cordial
Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds. Strain off the ice either up into a cocktail glass or else onto fresh ice in a rocks glass, and garnish with a lime wheel or peel.
NOTES ON INGREDIENTS
Gin: As mentioned, use whatever gin you like. Some gin cocktails have ingredients which strongly prefer one brand over another—the raspberries in a Clover Club, for example, uniquely complement the rose petals in something like Hendrick’s—but here we’re just dealing with gin and lime, and all gins will go well with lime. My perennial favorite for shaken gin drinks is Beefeater, which indeed works great. You could also take a note from both the original recipe and from Naval history and make it with Plymouth Gin, which works fantastically well in both its standard (41.2 percent) bottling and its Navy Strength (57 percent).
Lime Cordial: There’s lots of ways to make a lime cordial, and as your faithful servants we’ve made / bought every single one we could find and tried them in side-by-side to determine the best. Our surprise and breakaway favorite was a cordial developed by Portland bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler, which has the perfect balance of full lime flavor and sharp zesty edge. It requires getting some citric acid, which sounds intimidating but is natural and abundant and about $10 next day on Amazon (recipe below). If you absolutely insist on not making your own cordial, a good option was to just make the Gimlet using fresh ingredients (2 oz. gin, 1 oz. lime juice, 30 ml. simple syrup) and throw a lime peel into the shaker to shake with the ice. It lacks the cordial’s intensity, but the extra zestiness helps.
What’s great about the cordial is that not only is this spectacular with gin, it’s delicious with literally any clear spirit: tequila, vodka, rum, you name it. The sweet and sour of it is already balanced, so you can just add soda for a quick and easy limeade, or use it as a starting point for your own creativity (i.e. a Raspberry Pisco Gimlet is what happens when you add three raspberries to the shaker tin and use pisco instead of gin). The cordial will last in the fridge for at least a month and in the video above, I show you my favorite way to make, but here’s the complete recipe below.
Lime Cordial Recipe
Recipe from jeffreymorgenthaler.com
- 220 grams. white sugar
- 240 ml of warm or hot water
- 40 ml. fresh lime juice
- Zest of 2 medium or 1 large lime
- 30 grams citric acid
Zest the lime and put the lime zest into a blender. Juice the zested lime(s) into the blender, then add the sugar, water, and citric acid. After blending on medium speed for 30 seconds, strain with a fine strainer. Bottle and refrigerate or mix a cocktail immediately, if you so choose.
You may also like.
01/12/2024
Gut Samaritans
Other top clinics around the globe are also offering microbiome-oriented remedies. Here are four to book.
ANANDA IN THE HIMALAYAS India
Using a more natural approach, Ananda in the Himalayas heals the gut, among other problem areas, through ayurvedic treatments and medicine with a holistic program overseen by a senior ayurvedic physician specialising in gastro health and metabolic disorders. The spa is ensconced in a former palace in the foothills near Rishikesh, making the location just as relaxing. From around $1,235 per night for seven- or 14-night programs
LANSERHOF SYLT Germany
On the weathered island known as the Hamptons of Hamburg, the year-old Lanserhof Sylt boasts a team of medical experts specialising in cardiology, neurology and dermatology, among other fields. Its gastrointestinal package includes a sonogram of the entire abdomen and comprehensive stool examinations. From around $6,940 for a one-week program, not including accommodations, which begin at around $1,145 per night
RAKXA Thailand
This integrative wellness retreat in Thailand has a seven-night gut-health program that blends medical technology with traditional regimens. Treatments include colon hydrotherapy and chi nei tsang (a form of abdominal massage); guests also undergo a food-intolerance test and leave with a month’s worth of supplements. From around $16,890 for a seven-night program
ARO HA New Zealand
The Revive & Thrive program here nurtures vibrancy with gut-focused, detoxifying plant-based meals. Guests enjoy nutrient-rich plates that support the gut-brain connection, enhancing overall wellbeing from the inside out. From around $6,950 for five nights.
You may also like.
Upcycle Your Vacation
For merging serious riding with high-end hospitality, Le Blanq isn’t the only game in town. Here are a few others to consider.
When it comes to merging serious riding with high-end hospitality, LeBlanq isn’t the only game in town. if you are up for unapologetically indulgent weekends of eating, drinking and riding we have collected a few other travel operators to consider for your next cycling holiday abroad.
The Slow Cyclist
The reassuringly named company was founded by British author Oli Broom, who spent 412 days riding—via 23 countries—from London to Brisbane to watch a few games of cricket (and raise money for charity). The company is part of the “slow travel” movement, which aims to minimise your impact on local communities while maximising your engagement with them—and what better way to do so than arriving by bike. The Slow Cyclist will put you on two wheels in locations you might never have considered, from the mountains of Transylvania to the volcanoes, lakes and gorilla-filled wilds of Rwanda.
Cycling for Softies
As its name suggests, Cycling for Softies focuses unabashedly on the luxury hotels and Michelin-starred dining that punctuate its easy trips (e-bike optional)—“a gâteau in every château”, in the words of author and client Kathy Lette. The company operates in five European countries, with itineraries traversing the regions with the best comestibles, whether Provence or Portugal’s Douro Valley. Your bags are transported between hotels each day, and you ride at your own pace, following an app that even details the best cake stops en route.
Sportive Breaks
If you want to go harder than even LeBlanq can offer, Sportive Breaks will fast-track you into the most sought-after events of the year. From L’Étape du Tour, in which “civilians” take on a hard mountain stage of the Tour de France, to the roughly 314-km-long Mallorca 312 and other spectacular closed-road, mass-participation events (known as sportive rides), this specialist eases the logistical pain, if not the physical. Our pick? The slightly gentler annual Strade Bianche, whose 87 and 142 km routes over the white-gravel roads of Tuscany are bucket-list stuff for many.
Butterfield & Robinson
Established nearly 60 years ago, Butterfield & Robinson is the OG of the luxury cycling world. A coterie of loyal and well-heeled clients has followed the Canadian company into new fields, from safaris to superyacht charters, but bike trips remain its beating heart. Don’t bother packing energy gels or even your wheels: the aim here is seamless, stress-free travel, with itineraries curated by a firm with more experienced hands and likely a broader range of destinations— covering Europe, Asia, South America and Africa—than anyone else.
Trek Travel
The travel wing of the behemoth Wisconsin-based bike maker is your go-to for North American trips, with itineraries in 18 US states, Canada, Australia, Chile and Japan, and can organise custom private vacations for as few as one rider. As an official affiliate of the Tour de France and a team sponsor, Trek also offers excursions that follow the greatest race at a gentler pace: for around $17,000, you get six nights in top hotels in Nice and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, with VIP access to the final stage of this year’s event.
