You were across from her at the Swizzle Stick Bar, and with all the hopped-up people waiting for the game's start, she's the one you noticed.
Dimpled cheeks, smart knowing eyes, toned bare arms under a tight Saints tee. Your buddies urged you on, so eventually you sent over a drink.
"Whatever she's having," you told the bartender, because that's how it's done.
But someone beat you to it, and when you dared to look, she'd raised a glass with someone else. Still, you remember: delicate bubbles, a shade of vanilla blush, a thick lemon peel curled inside.
At Thanksgiving, you return to the Swizzle Stick Bar. This time, you don't hesitate: a Jill's Cocktail to the lady in black. This time, her dimples are meant for you.
"I like to watch the dance between people," says Lu Brow, the Swizzle Stick's flame-haired bar chef. She created Jill's Cocktail for friend Jill DeGroff's book signing (2009's "Lush Life"), originally garnishing the glass with orchids.
The drink is feminine and lively, with a warm spiced-citrus finish. This comes from the Creole Shrubb, a rum-based orange liqueur that adds a bittersweetness—like love itself.
Jill's Cocktail
Written by Lu Brow; courtesy of the Swizzle Stick Bar at the Loews New Orleans Hotel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz. Plymouth Gin
- 1/2 oz. Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb
- 1/2 oz. Canton Ginger Liqueur
- 1/2 oz. lemon juice
Method
Shake together with ice, strain into a champagne flute, top off with sparkling wine. Garnish with a twist of lemon or flowers.
Serves 1
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