We are all Constantinopolitans now

Cocktails fit for an Emperor or Empress.

As evidenced by the stats on my vegan desserts last week, no one is interested in fasting right now: we are firmly in Paschaltide. And feasting means cocktails.

Being still newly-illumined, this is the first year that I get to formally celebrate the Feast of Saint Constantine. In Catholicism, his mother Helena is a saint, but he is not. In the East, May 21st is the Feast of Equal of the Apostles Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena. Helena, of course, is credited with the finding of the True Cross, and perhaps best known to Anglos like myself through Evelyn Waugh’s novel, Helena, in which he adheres to the old Anglo-Saxon tradition that she was a British princess.

Constantine was the first Christian Emperor in history. On his orders, the Temple of Venus which had been built over the site of Christ’s tomb, was demolished, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built in its stead.

Likely the most famous story about Constantine is his vision before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, when he saw a cross of light in the sky and the words “(ἐν) τούτῳ νίκα,” usually rendered in Latin: in hoc signo vinces ("in this sign, you will conquer")

In honor of these two great saints, two very good cocktails.

The Constantinopolitan is a new creation, though not a terribly creative one. The name preceded the drink, and with that name it seemed appropriate to do a riff on a Cosmopolitan, the classic drink improved and made chic by Dale Degroff. Degroff is oft-credited with helping to spark the craft cocktail renaissance in the 90’s in NYC, and his classic The Craft of the Cocktail was the first cocktail book I ever owned back in graduate school. The Cosmo is not one of my favorite drinks—I don’t usually go for vodka—but it is an extremely accessible cocktail, and one even folks who aren’t as into cocktails have often at least heard of. The original was made with plain vodka, while Degroff’s recipe calls for Absolut Citron, a lemon-flavored vodka. Degroff’s other contribution to the recipe includes a flamed orange peel as garnish. Flaming the orange peel with a match caramelizes the oils in the peel, adding a lovely smokiness.

My version substitutes pomegranate juice for cranberry, as a nod to the East, and adds a floater of champagne to the top of the cocktail, in observance of his lordship over Gaul and Spain. I like to think this makes it truly fit for an emperor.

The Constantinopolitan

• ¼ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

• ½ oz Cointreau

• 1 ounce pomegranate juice (no sugar added)

• 2 ounces vodka

• 1 oz dry sparkling wine, such as cava or champagne

Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice 40 times. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

Constantinopolitans.

Another drink I might suggest on this feast of an Emperor is from The Savoy Cocktail Book, called simply The Imperial Cocktail. It’s a variation on a martini, with equal parts gin and french vermouth, and includes a dash of maraschino liqueur, which makes almost anything better. I experimented a good deal with this in an attempt to improve it and came up with a slightly updated version that still captures the spirit of the thing. For the gin, if you really want to be festive, you can use Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, which is dyed with butterfly pea blossom to impart a beautiful color—purple, the color of royalty. To be honest with you, this is not my favorite gin. It doesn’t bring very much to the table in flavor. But for this sort of drink, it is perfect—and the title, “Empress,” is a nod to the mother of our Emperor of the day, Saint Helena. If you want to use a different gin, the cocktail will taste equally good, if not better, but it won’t be as visually appealing.

the bottle is lovely.

Do not shake this cocktail! As with all martinis, stir. And please, always keep your opened vermouth bottles in the refrigerator.

The Imperial

• 2 dashes orange bitters

• 2 drops saline solution (optional)

• ½ teaspoon Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

• 1 ounce dry French vermouth (Dolin or Noilly Prat)

• 2 ounces Empress 1908 Indigo Gin

Stir with ice 30-45 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. If you choose to leave out the saline solution, you could garnish with a cocktail onion instead, and spear it with a cocktail sword in honor of Saint Constantine’s conquest under the sign of Christ’s cross.

The Imperial.

I hope you have a very wonderful feast of our Imperial saints this Wednesday. Saints Constantine and Helena, pray for us!

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