Our adorable tabletop Christmas trees will move to the attic shortly for the off-season, and—Epiphany notwithstanding—here’s one last cocktail photo with the colorful seasonal backdrop.

The drink is a lovely change of Martini pace, taking its name from St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, which in turn takes its name from the Left Bank neighborhood of Paris where it’s made. But those elderflower blossoms? They’re from the mountains of eastern France.

To maintain the French theme in the recipe, one could use Citadelle Gin, which is an aromatic, 88-proof gin made by the Pierre Ferrand distillery in France’s Cognac region.

One could, but I don’t. 

I’m just not a fan of floral gins that bury the juniper, which is supposed to be the dominant flavor in gin. Instead, I stick with my go-to dry gins—Sipsmith, or Bombay, or Highclere Castle. The other ingredients in this Martini add plenty of complexity, and a good dry gin gives them a great platform on which to work without fighting over who smells the best. 

Besides, the St. Germain, Chablis wine, and Dolin Dry vermouth are all French enough for this Martini to call itself Parisian.

LEFT BANK MARTINI
2 oz London Dry Gin
½ oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
½ oz Chardonnay (preferably Chablis)
¼ oz Dolin Dry vermouth

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass, add plenty of ice, and stir for 20-25 seconds. Strain the mix into a chilled Martini glass or coupe, and garnish with a curl of lime zest.