LE JARDIN GRIS

Come to {Monet’s} Giverny when the gardens are wet, with October vines still climbing the old walls but turning red as coals, when the village becomes the village again, with its own people, the inclining schoolyard, its own pace and identity.

I penetrate the grey, wet garden. Grey. I’d never seen it glow in this somewhat colder hue and yet… The asters and the cosmos take to this softer grey, which points up the whites and myriad delicate shades of blue and pale mauve deftly arranged to blend coolly into the rosy walls and set off the sombre green shutters.

Giverny.org

The first time when I fall in love with Lillet Blanc was in at the Berlin Bar Convention. The sweetness of the candied oranges, honey and exotic fruits are perfectly balanced with a symphony of aromas, making it the complementary vermouth for this elegant but boozy cocktail. I combined it with the new Giffard Crème de Violette and the Dutch Nolet family’s Ketel One vodka as a base spirit to again meet the soft notes of citrus and honey. Although the cocktail is quite strong, it has a smooth sweet aroma that can be perfectly paired with a slice of the brash flavoured French cheesecake. In light of the cocktail’s theme, of course.