This week's feature is the "Versailles Violette" - a regal combination that pays homage to both French nobility's love of violet-scented luxuries and the grand palace gardens where exotic flowers were cultivated to please royal tastes.
Welcome to the About Mansfield COTW 2025! I'm your favorite master mixologist Brian Certain, and we're concluding our "April in Paris" series with perhaps our most elegant creation yet.
The history of Crème de Violette is particularly fascinating. In the courts of Versailles, violet was considered a royal flavor, with Marie Antoinette herself known to favor violet-scented pastilles. The liqueur was created to capture this coveted flavor in a shelf-stable form, becoming a status symbol in 18th-century French society.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz premium gin
- 0.5 oz Crème de Violette
- 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
- Champagne to top
- Crystallized violet and lemon twist for garnish
Directions For this royal indulgence:
- Fill shaker with fresh ice
- Add gin, Crème de Violette, and lemon juice
- Shake gently to preserve delicate flavors
- Double strain into a champagne flute
- Top slowly with well-chilled Champagne
- Garnish with crystallized violet and lemon twist
Flavor Profile
- Primary: Delicate violet, crisp gin
- Secondary: Bright citrus, fine bubbles
- Finish: Floral, effervescent, with subtle botanical complexity
Fun Facts:
- Violets were so prized at Versailles that they were grown year-round in special greenhouses
- The purple color of Crème de Violette comes from actual violet flower petals
- The gardens of Versailles contained over 1,800 fountains during their heyday
- Violet flowers were used to test perfume makers' abilities due to their subtle scent
Pro tip: The key to this cocktail is balance - too much Crème de Violette can make it taste like perfume, too little and you lose the beautiful color and floral notes.
As always, I'm open to hear your take and input. You can reach me at [email protected]