The expert mixologists at The Roof Garden’s Babylon Restaurant in Kensington show us how to make the Coquettier – a take on the Sazerac, one of the first ever versions of the classic ‘cocktail’. The drink, similar to the Old Fashioned, is made to its classic recipe with a Babylonian twist: infusing the Cognac with dried figs.
BABYLON’S COQUETTIER RECIPE:
Serves two:
35ml Bourbon – Four Roses Single Barrel 25ml Fig infused Cognac – Hennessy 5ml Sugar Syrup 4 dashes of Creole bitters 2 dashes of Whisky Barrel bitters Stir down with ice
Chill two small cocktail glasses with crushed ice and add a few drops of absinthe to each.
After stirring for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, strain into a small decanter/medicine bottle.
Empty glasses of ice and absinthe and present glasses and bottle on a small slate. Decorate slate with spices, dark chocolate, dried figs for eating and lemon peels to add to the drink.
This drink is classically an aperitif and would originally be a little drier. Nowadays these sorts of drinks are popular after dinner. Babylon’s version is made sweeter and richer with the fig infusion and works perfectly with a dark chocolate dessert or as a digestive on its own/with an espresso.
