Bilbo Baggins

Colin Field

Sep 21

The apropos toast to the Hobbit box come by way of Paris, where we make a required pilgrimage to Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Hotel. Fancier digs than a Hobbit may be accustomed to, but an awfully nice place for a drink. It exists thanks to the recently retired head bartender Colin Field, known as the “Best Barman in the World”. Field opened Bar Hemingway in 1994, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Paris, as an homage to the great author and war correspondent himself who claimed that he and the French resistance fighters were truly liberating the bar at the Ritz.

The South American aromatic grape brandy Pisco (typically from Chile or Peru) anchors this elegantly simple drink, and the orange liqueur Cointreau provides the sweet counterbalance. The two ingredient drink works surprisingly well. Field explains his creation, “A potent end-of-dinner drink. Bearing in mind the Bar Hemingway’s great literary associations, I couldn’t resist squeezing in my all-time favorite adventure books, The Hobbit … Hobbits are peaceful creatures who do not like habits to change or adventure to happen, so the cocktail I’ve invented is just what Bilbo would need if he had killed a dragon, fallen down the stairs or forgotten the biscuits for tea!” If you don’t agitate the drink, it appears unassuming, like a clear glass of water. Stir it up, on the other hand, and you’ll quickly realize there is something unexpected to be found here. Just like a Hobbit. Cheers!