Airmail

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Cocktail History

The Airmail is a classic cocktail that was first published in 1949 in Esquire's Handbook For Hosts: A Time-Honored Guide to the Perfect Party. The recipe is essentially a tropical variation of the French 75 that's made with rum as the base instead of gin or brandy and citrus and honey syrup as the sweeteners. It then tops it all off with refreshing sparkling wine just like the classic but stretches the ingredients over ice in a highball glass instead of a coupe or champagne flute.

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Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Sparkling Wine: This is a carbonated wine made with white or red grapes. I used Villa Bellezza Winery Brillante.

Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. I used Appleton Estate Special Gold Rum.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. I used freshly squeezed lime juice.

Honey Syrup: This is a sweetener made with honey and water. I made mine using this stovetop recipe.

Lime Peel: This is the peel of a lime that has been rolled and stuck on a cocktail pick.

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Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. I used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.

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Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Brown-ish gold with an ombré effect

• Aroma: Citrus and white wine

• Taste: Sparkling wine and funky rum flavor balanced with citrus and honey

• Finish: Bubbly zing and spices

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: "The book's description of this cocktail was a 'Caribbean-inspired French 75,' and I thought that was the perfect way to think of it. Over the last year, I've learned that I'm likely to love just about any cocktail topped with sparkling wine, and this was another winner. In my opinion, most taste like a flavored bubbly, but the rum really shines in the Airmail. I would make this again during the summer months when rum is on the menu but I still want some bubbles."

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Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.