Improvisation in Charente-Maritime: A Summer Cocktail Born from Necessity

Last week, I spent my holiday in Charente-Maritime, a sun-drenched region on the Atlantic coast of France, nestled between the legendary wine regions of Cognac and Bordeaux. With its salty sea breeze, rolling vineyards, and rich culinary culture, it was an ideal setting for indulgence — and, of course, inspiration.

Naturally, I couldn’t resist experimenting with local ingredients. But I made one major mistake: I had forgotten to pack my bar tools. No shaker, no jigger, no strainer. And as it turns out, finding decent bar gear in a sleepy coastal village isn’t all that easy.

But as is often the case, limitations sparked creativity. On our first morning, we had a simple breakfast: a piece of baguette with jam. The tiny jam jar caught my food blogging wife’s eye — and became my saving grace. 

Once cleaned, it turned out to be the perfect size for a 30 ml jigger. Shaking wasn’t an option, but stirring with a spoon certainly was. 

Happy World Cocktail Day !!! - Green Martini

I’ve always been very much into everything retro and vintage. These days, my 70s childhood is already considered vintage too… and I have to admit I love it. The furniture and drinks from the 60s and 70s were fabulous. Even until the early 80s each bar served these flashy drinks based on Blue Curacao, Safari, Malibu, Passoa… and the liquid rockstar of every bar : Pisang Ambon. Even back then you could buy much better Banana liqueurs (e.g. Crème de Banane), but everyone wanted a flashy green drink. 

This week we also received a new bottle of gin. Drebbel Gin is a handcrafted London Dry gin from Holland. Distilled alcohol from French corn. Juniper from Macedonia, Orris Root from Italy, Coriander seeds from Morocco, Angelica root and fresh lemons from the south of Spain. Ginger and Liquorice from India and vanilla from Madagascar. Like any good London Dry gin you can enjoy this one neat, with a cube of ice or with a nice bitter tonic. I used it as the supporting spirit in this vintage Martini from my youth.  

For this years #WorldcocktailDay, let’s get nostalgic and hitchhike back to the 70s. Throw on some Abba or Beach Boys music on high volume and spin that disco-ball. I started from an old vodka cocktail recipe and adapted it for this boozy holiday. 

Green Martini

Ingredients
40 ml Drebbel Gin
40 ml Pisang Ambon
20 ml Lime juice
Vanilla aroma. 

Method
Add Pisang, gin and lime juice to a shaker with lots of ice. Shake for 10 seconds and fine strain in a Martini glass. Carefully add two drops of vanilla aroma on top. Garnish with a cocktail cherry. 

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