I happened upon this week’s drink on YouTube at Robert Hess’s channel but a less well-balanced drink is to be found in The Savoy Cocktail Book. Modern variations are to be found all over the Internet but I’m sticking with Hess, who usually gets these things right.
As to why this drink at this time, there’s obviously a bit of symbolism. Maybe I should have saved this one for July 4th but it’s never a bad time to toast a dream.
The Eagle’s Dream
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce creme de violet
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon superfine/baker’s sugar
1 egg white (1 ounce packaged egg white)
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake for a few seconds without ice to fully emulsify the egg white (somewhat optional if you’re using pasteurized egg white). Next, add ice and shake vigorously, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and let the eagle soar.
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The Eagle’s Dream is a mature and balanced beverage that, depending on your choice of gin is either sophisticated but accessible; sophisticated but not too accessible; or just kind of lightly sweet in a pretty delightful way.
Sticking with Rothman & Winter Creme de Violette — other types of violet liqueur I had on hand just didn’t do it — I started out with Beefeater Gin, a good baseline. The drink was lightly flavored with the sweet violet flavor balancing the lemon and being smoothed out by the egg white — this is really just a pretty classic spin on a gin sour. Tanqueray Rangpur brought the drink up a notch with the heavy citrus notes somehow defusing the more tart flavors while celebrating the fruitiness of the lemon juice and violet. Bombay Sapphire, with its heavily floral notes and bergamot, brought an austerity that I had mixed feelings about.
Finally, taking the whole thing downmarket with the more lightly flavored Gordon’s Gin actually resulted in a very accessible, rather delightful drink. I’m tempted to go all the way and try this one with vodka.
