THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. **** Saturday/Sunday, March 21 - 22, 2020 |D5
I
MAGINE A FRENCHMANwith a glass of something in
hand, and chances are a glass of wine immediately
comes to mind. Then stop and think about how many
apéritifs are, in fact, French. Dubonnet, Pastis, Suze, Lil-
let, Noilly Prat—and those are just the best known—can
be found in nearly every neighborhood café in France. What’s
more, in recent years cocktails have become all the rage in
French restaurants and bars, particularly in Paris. “Drinking
French” (Ten Speed Press), the new recipe book from David
Lebovitz, explores French cocktails old and new while providing
essential information on everything from the history of spirits
to the mores of what to drink and when.
Mr. Lebovitz, a former Californian who’s lived in Paris since
2004, made his name as a pastry chef, cookbook author, mem-
oirist and pioneering food blogger (davidlebovitz.com). He
turned his attention to drinks after he noticed, watching a bar-
tender at work one evening, that cocktails require much the
same precision as baking. He dutifully tested all the recipes in
“Drinking French” in his kitchen, briefly turning his home into
something more closely resembling a bar than a residence. The
testing is done, the book is now out in the world, but certain li-
quors have taken up permanent abode in his apartment. In a re-
cent conversation, Mr. Lebovitz lamented his leaky faucet, ex-
tolled the virtues of his favorite cocktail and vowed to master
French verb conjugations at last.We reached the pastry chef-turned-cocktail
maven in his Paris apartment, where he
paused, mid-stir, to share a few tipsIN MY KITCHEN
stainless-steel tool has a fero-
cious carbon-steel blade that
moves through metal with
minimal elbow grease ex-
pended. Just clip the kankiri
ontotheedgeofthecanyou
wish to open, sink the thick-
gauge blade into the top, and
with a simple twist of the
wrist continue moving thetool around the perimeter un-
til the task is complete. This
thing is mercifully unfussy,
cleverly designed, free of
flimsy moving parts, dish-
washer safe and built to last.
It opens bottles too. And you
certainly can’t argue with the
price.$5, korin.com
—Gabriella GershensonOpen for
Business
If only everything
in life could be as
blessedlysimple
asthiscanopener.
Streamlinedbut
sturdy, it gets the
job done with
zero dramaFOR THE PANTRYstocked
up with plenty of provisions, a
quality can opener is key.
From Japan, the Gangy
kankiri(that’s Japanese for
can opener) is a favorite
among chefs and campers
alike, with good reason.
Painted a particularly cheerful
MATTHEW COOKshade of red, the streamlined
POWER TOOL
The first thing people notice
about my kitchen is:the size.
It’s roughly 15 times bigger
than a kitchen in an ordinary
apartment in Paris. I devoted
an inordinate amount of space
to it when renovating because I
spend an inordinate amount of
time in it.The best feature of my
kitchen is:an enormous French
white porcelain sink, which I
wouldn’t change for the world.The worst feature of my
kitchen is:my current faucet.
The original one I had wasbrought over from the States
because I couldn’t find a res-
taurant-style faucet here with
a flexible nozzle and hose that
would work in a home. My
American faucet eventually
broke, so I now have one cob-
bled together with a length of
twine that is constantly slip-
ping off, spraying the room
(and me) with water.The cocktail tools I can’t live
without are:a jigger and a
stirring spoon. When I em-
barked on my cocktail journey,
I gathered all the “cool” tools
that professional bartenders
use, including a set of sleek
Japanese jiggers that kept slip-
ping from my fingers. I ended
up using a simple Oxo jigger to
measure ingredients, which
may not be as sexy, but it gets
the job done and has precise
measurements. I did graduate
to a professional stirring spoon
since the ones sold for home
use, with the candy-red plastic
tip and sharp spiral stems,
hurt my fingers.The cookbooks I turned to
when researching ‘Drinking
French’ were:whatever
French books on spirits and
infusions I could find, which
were sparse. Most of the reci-
pes weren’t doable for home
cooks, especially if you don’t
live in France: I didn’t think
many Americans could pick
up 4½ pounds of black cur-
rants to make black currant
liqueur, nor would many want
to make theaperitif a l’oignon
(onion aperitif) that called for
“cinq beaux” [five beautiful]
onions steeped in honey and
white wine. But I was able to
find inspiration in some of
them, using ingredients like
tarragon, cocoa nibs and cher-
ries for aperitifs and liqueurs.The spirit I reach for most in
mixing cocktails is:rye whis-
key. I love the spiciness of it,
and how well it holds its own
with other ingredients.The bottle always on my bar
is:Chartreuse. I have an un-
natural love for the beguiling
herbal French green liqueur.
It’s terrific in a cocktail (the
Last Word is one of my all-
time favorites), but it’s also a
superb post-dinner digestive—
or the perfect dessert along
with a box of dark chocolates.When I entertain, I like to:
have that first glass of wine.
Manycooksliketotreat
themselves to a glass of wine
while making dinner, but since
dinner in France is served at
9 p.m. or later, if I start drink-
ing at 5 p.m., all bets are off
on how much is left by the
time guests arrive.I love it when my dinner
guests bring:a bottle of Cha-
blis, Muscadet or Sancerre, al-
ready chilled. Most people in
Paris drink heavy reds, but I’m
more of a white-wine drinker.A favorite cocktail from the
book is:the Boulevardier, with-
out question. It’s a simple,
three-ingredient cocktail that’s
often referred to as the “French
Negroni.”I began cooking because:I
needed a job! I started as a
dishwasher at a steakhouse in
a suburban strip mall in high
school, then at a vegetarian
restaurant while I worked my
way through college.My cooking mentor was:
Lindsey Shere. She was a co-
owner and executive pastry
chef at Chez Panisse, where I
worked for 13 years. I learned
from her to let the ingredi-
ents speak first and fore-
most, and skip the over-
wrought presentations. Why
hide the taste of a great
peach under a tangle of spun
sugar or under a shard ofchocolate gilded with
gold leaf?The most important piece of
kitchen wisdom I ever re-
ceived was:to put less on
the plate. That was from Al-
ice Waters.I moved to Paris because:I
had an inexplicable desire to
torture and humiliate myself CÉLINE CLANET FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNALGREAT SHAKES
Clockwise from
above: David
Lebovitz mixes a
cocktail in his Paris
kitchen; a couple of
well-used cocktail
strainers; a lineup
of go-to French
apéritifs, plus a
bottle of American
rye whiskey.trying to learn French verbs.My favorite places to have a
cocktail in Paris are:Sister
Midnight for a Manhattan
and Candelaria for a late
night Guêpe Verte.A drink I could happily have
every day is:Champagne.
—Edited from an interview
by Aleksandra CrapanzanoDavid
Lebovitz
Boulevardier
Add2 ounces
rye whiskeyor
bourbon,1
ounce sweet
vermouthand
1 ounce Cam-
parito anice-
filled cocktail shaker.
Rock gently until chilled.
Strain into a chilled coupe
glass. Garnish with anor-
ange twist.La Marguerite
Add 11 / 2 ounces
Lillet Blanc, 1
ounce blanco
orreposado
tequilaand(^3) / 4 ounce
freshly
squeezed orange juiceto
anice-filled cocktail
shakerand shake until
well chilled. Strain into a
chilled coupe glass. Gar-
nish withlimeorhalf an
orange wheel.
—Adapted from
“Drinking French” by
David Lebovitz (Ten
Speed Press)
©2020 California Closet Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Franchises independently owned and operated.
Custom solutions for better living
NEW YORK CITY 26VarickSt | 1625YorkAve
NASSAU 25 Northern Blvd, Greenvale
WESTCHESTER 16 Saw Mill River Rd, Hawthorne
ROCKLAND&HUDSONVALLEY83SMainSt,NewCity
NORWALK 565WestportAve,Norwalk
MIAMI 900 Park Centre Blvd, Miami Gardens
844.295.1402 californiaclosets.com
EATING & DRINKING
NY