/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Food & Drink

How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier’s twist on an Aperol Spritz

By Kate Dingwall| Photography by @CheersToHappyHour
Copy link
How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz
Five O’Clock Somewhere

A gin twist on a classic Aperol Spritz, made with pantry supplies

How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz

To get through the pandemic, Patois bartender Blaise Couturier spent a lot of time cooking. “A lot of cooking,” he says. “Everything from Hokkaido milk bread rolls for burgers to almond meringues and an incredible fermented fennel and scotch bonnet hot sauce.” And his savoury recipes are even better when there’s something strong to sip on.” We’re all kind of losing our sense of time, so we need cocktails that can work at any time of the day,” he says. “It’s always five o’clock somewhere, right?”

For this drink, Couturier wanted to use readily available ingredients, including some things you wouldn’t necessarily think of including—like yogurt water! He combined the yogurt water (otherwise known as whey) with dry gin, Aperol, Prosecco and marmalade for a bright and complex drink. “It’s guaranteed to get your day off to a good start,” he says.

More DIY Cocktails

How to make Le Phénix bartender Marta Ess's take on a classic New Orleans cocktail
Food & Drink

How to make Le Phénix bartender Marta Ess’s take on a classic New Orleans cocktail

What’s in it

1 oz London Dry Gin (Steinhart Dry preferred) 1/2 oz oz Aperol 1 1/2 tsp orange marmalade (If you don’t have orange marmalade, any light stone fruit jelly or jam, like apricot or peach, can work.) 1/2 oz lemon juice 1/4 oz Greek yogurt whey (The water that settles on top of the yogurt is whey. If you need more, you can place yogurt in a strainer on top of cheesecloth or a fine cotton sheet and wait for it to drain.) 2 oz Prosecco 3 mL absinthe or arak (optional) Glass: Copa de balon or Burgundy wine glass Garnish: Orange peel

Advertisement

How to make it

1. Chill your glass in the fridge prior to mixing.

2. If you’re using absinthe or arak, pour it into your glass and swirl it around until the inside of the glass is covered. This is called a rinse.

How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz
No absinthe or arak on hand? It’s not necessary, just a nice touch

3. Fill the glass halfway with ice.

4. Combine the gin, Aperol, marmalade, lemon juice and Greek yogurt whey into a cocktail shaker, then fill it up with ice cubes.

Advertisement
How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz
This cocktail is Couturier’s... jam

5. Shake hard for 20 seconds...

How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz
Note the blur. That’s some hard shaking

6. ... then fine strain the cocktail into your glass.

How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz
You’re almost done. Hope you’re thirsty

7. Top with Prosecco.

How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz
The (almost) final touch: some bubbles

8. Express an orange peel over the glass, then slide the peel down the side of the glass as garnish.

How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz
The finished drink

9. Enjoy!

Advertisement
How to make Patois bartender Blaise Couturier's twist on an Aperol Spritz
Couturier with his creation

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Kate Dingwall is a writer, author and photographer covering spirits, business, culture, fashion and travel. By night, she’s a working sommelier. She has worked with Flare, Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, Maxim, People, Southern Living, Rolling Stone, Eater, Elle, Toronto Life and the Toronto Star, among other publications. She frequently appears on both CTV and NPR, has co-authored a book on gin, judges Food & Wine’s Tastemakers and has strong opinions on the city’s best martini.

Advertisement
Advertisement

More Food and Drink

Inside the Latest Issue

The June issue of Toronto Life features our annual ranking of the best new restaurants. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.