Things we know for sure: Summer is over, hurricane season is over and oysters are here. November brings cooler weather, great seafood and the exciting promise of fine-dining as we celebrate that great American holiday, Thanksgiving. Diets go out the window, which occurs like clockwork in New Orleans anyway, and afternoons built around football with “snacks” are at the forefront, either through television screens or seats in the ’Dome.
We also note this singular time of year in the beverage calendar as one date defines a celebration. The wine, Beaujolais Nouveau, by French law, is released not before the third Thursday of November. (To release before that date in France is illegal, and in America, merely bad form.)
We will celebrate in New Orleans this bright, fruit-forward wine from vintage year 2011 on the correct date, Nov.18, just in time for Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays.
The talented gang over at Cork & Bottle Wine Shop and Clever Wine Bar – both in the American Can complex on Bayou St. John – have developed a cocktail built around Beaujolais Nouveau. It is an only-in-New Orleans approach, which may appall a true lover of Beaujolais, but for us, it’s “for sure.”
The Beaujolais Violette
1 1/2 ounces 2011 Beaujolais Nouveau
(available Nov. 18)
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce Benedictine
3/4 ounce Crème Yvette
Add all ingredients and ice (if desired) to shaker. Shake, strain and serve.
Thanks to Tony DiMunno, mixologist, Clever Bar at Cork & Bottle, for his diligent and creative effort in the development of The Beaujolais Violette.
