Periodista at Chez Henri: Ingredient Question

[pollystyrene]

Does anyone know what brand of apricot liqueur Chez Henri uses in their Periodistas?

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Chez Henri
1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

[barleywino]

guessing Rothman & Winter or perhaps Massenez but keep an eye out for Giffard Abricot du Roussillon which should be available in the near future

[rlh]

I had that Giffard thanks to Murray in Seattle - it's a whole different, amazing apricot brandy - can't want to get it here!

[barleywino]

yeah (coincidentally) i had it at Vessel in Seattle...great stuff

[MC Slim JB]

Chez Henri was making Periodistas for years before Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot became available locally (two or three years ago), so I would not be surprised to find that is uses something else, probably Marie Brizard Apry. I love that drink, would hate to learn that I've been ingesting traces of some cheap-assed American schnapps all along.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

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Chez Henri
1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

[Allstonian]

We just finally replaced our very old bottle of cheap-assed American schnapps with a bottle of the Marie Brizard Apry, and had a round of Periodistas at home last night. Wow, what a lovely difference!

[MC Slim JB]

I love those Marie Brizard products: their Triple Sec is my Margarita standard.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

On StriperGuy's recommendation, I got a bottle of the Luxardo Triplum at Marty's earlier this week: best triple sec I've ever had. Definite peel/oil note, and nowhere near as sweet as many.

[StriperGuy]

Glad you like it. That Triplum stuff just takes Triple Sec to a new level.

When I posted about it someone linked to this excellent review of various orange liquors,

http://ohgo.sh/archive/orange-liqueur...

and I am sure that some are excellent, but if you want the essence of what Triple Sec should be, which is not really the same as a full blown orange liquor, I think the Triplum is VERY hard to beat.

[kimfair1]

Boy, all those Luxardo products seem to be aces. I love their maraschino liquor, and once you've tasted their amaretto, you'll never look at Di Sarrono again. I'll have to pick up a botttle of this next time I buy Triple Sec!

[StriperGuy]

Their amaretto is superb. It is my secret ingredient in Tiki drinks.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Exactly. I grind my teeth whenever someone proclaims that one should use Cointreau or Grand Marnier in a margarita: both of them throw off the entire drink. If I wanted an orange-flavored drink, I wouldn't be drinking a margarita!

[MC Slim JB]

I bought some Triplum on StriperGuy's rec, too, but haven't used a whole lot of it yet. Margarita season beckons, though.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[rlh]

Are the Brizard products widely available - where are the best prices?

[MC Slim JB]

I wouldn't say widely available, but I see them wherever finer spirits are sold, places with a good selection of obscurer stuff. $20-23 for 750ml are typical for Greater Boston.

[pollystyrene]

I just bought a bottle of Brizard Peach (by mistake; I'll have to exchange it for Apry) at Kappy's in Sudbury. It was $26.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

They were out of Apry at Marty's on Monday, though they had several other MB products on the shelf. I swung by Martignetti's on my way home and picked up the Apry for I believe $25.

[pollystyrene]

Thanks for the historical perspective, Slim. I suspected they were using Marie Brizard, and the next time I go I'll ask. It's what I've been using in my Periodistas for years, but I just ran out, and before getting another bottle I thought I'd check to be sure what I'm shaking up at home is as close to the Chez Henri experience as possible.

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Chez Henri
1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

[rlh]

OK - now I have some Apry - anyone have the Chez Henri (or their favorite) Periodista recipe to share so I can try it out properly?

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Chez Henri
1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

[MC Slim JB]

Chez Henri's cocktail menu lists the ingredients as rum, lime juice, apricot brandy and Triple Sec. One recipe I have used puts the proportions at 1.5, 0.5, 0.25, 0.25, shaken over ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass, garnished with a twist of lime. Some folks add some sugar or simple syrup: I don't think the drink needs it. The choice of rum is important: I'm not sure what Chez Henri uses. ESK uses Myers's Dark; I often use a gold rum at home like Appleton V/X Estate.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

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Chez Henri
1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

[rlh]

Thanks - I'll try this - tend to agree that with triple sec and Apry it won't need more sweet, especially if I try the Old Monk I have in mind (and maybe Barbancourt as another version)..will report back.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

I do 1 1/2 oz. rum (I've been using Goslings Gold lately) and a half-ounce each of Apry, Luxardo Triplum, and fresh lime juice, shaken like hell and strained. It absolutely does NOT need sugar or syrup.

[Allstonian]

I would like one of these when I get home from work. Hint, hint.

[rlh]

Has anyone tried Clement Creole Shrubb in this or similar drinks? It was being put to good use by Keith at Il Casale where triple sec was called for, and I am thinking I may need a bottle...

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

I've been hearing good things about it, but I'm so enjoying my explorations with the Triplum that it may be a while before I feel like trying something new.

[MC Slim JB]

I'm finally starting to see that Clément Creole Shrubb in local retail outlets in Boston. Almost bought one the other day, but $28 struck me as a bit steep. Looking online, I see that's not a terrible price.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[barleywino]

Nicole at Eastern Standard was using it for a while in her Scott Fitzgerald (their subsitute for the Hoskins)

[EvergreenDan]

The bitter notes in the Shrubb add complexity and depth to cocktails that need it. Great product, although it could be more bitter and less sweet for my taste. (A friend let me taste a fantastic Shrubb that he imported from somewhere. Shockingly bitter and delightful.)

Also agree on the Luxardo Triplum and Amaretto. The Amaretto is enough better than di Saronno that I poured out an almost-new bottle of the latter. Still, even good amaretto is still, well, amaretto.