Water Lily
An equal-parts gin cocktail with crème de violette, triple sec, and lemon juice that blooms a striking pale lavender in the glass.
- ¾ ozgin
- ¾ oztriple sec
- ¾ ozcrème de violette
- ¾ ozfresh lemon juice
- Orange twistgarnish
- 1Chill a coupe glass with ice water.
- 2Combine gin, triple sec, crème de violette, and fresh lemon juice in a cocktail shaker.
- 3Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
- 4Discard the ice water from the coupe and double-strain the cocktail into the chilled glass.
- 5Express an orange twist over the surface and place on the rim to garnish.
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The Water Lily was created in 2007 by bartender Richard Boccato at Little Branch in New York City. One evening, Georgette Moger-Petraske requested something with violet and gin; Boccato composed this equal-parts drink on the spot. The name comes from Georgette's middle name, Lillian. Jim Meehan later adapted the recipe at PDT, replacing the original violet syrup with crème de violette liqueur, and published it in The PDT Cocktail Book. A riff on the Corpse Reviver No. 2, the Water Lily swaps Lillet Blanc for crème de violette and omits the absinthe rinse entirely.
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