The Bastille

The Bastille by Robert Weeks

Here's a toast to Castle Emberlock, for good fortune and fortitude before the siege, liquid courage while the battle rages on, and celebration after the victory is at hand. The cocktail recalls another infamous castle, the notorious French prison fortress which was liberated in 1789 during the French Revolution. A castle full of secrets not easily given up. It ideally features the French grape brandy Armagnac, the more colorful, unrefined and tastier cousin to Cognac.

storming the castle

Robert Weeks is a well known bartender and general manager at the Cold Room in Montreal. I recently featured another one of his excellent drinks, the Dragon Punch, which I paired with a fantastic dragon themed castle. Robert seems to like thinking about high adventure when creating his cocktails. I suspect he might enjoy these puzzles, too. The Bastille, one of the Cold Rooms signature drinks, is an “autumnal Old Fashioned / Manhattan twist” featuring a few of Week’s favorite ingredients. He mentioned to me that “Basically I love Benedictine and believe it makes pretty much every drink better. Aged Cognac and Armagnacs sometimes get these really good stone fruit, figs and date flavours. So just thought all worked really well together.”  It just might be the perfect drink for storming the castle. Cheers!

keys to the kingdoms

The Bastille by Robert Weeks

1 ½ oz Armagnac

¾ oz Lillet Blanc

¾ oz Benedictine D.O.M.

2 dashes Black Walnut butters

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass over a large cube.

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