Agreed. It seems they feel there is more ground to be gained with the “natural” crowd than with the vintage cocktail crowd. Who would like their Blue Moons blue, TYVM. Since the consensus in the cocktail crowd is that a more purple tint would be more desirable.

Of course, since it’s currently not available in Fly-Over Country, from my perspective it’s moot, anyway. :-) Luckily we do have a local bar that specialized in vintage cocktails and can mix a mean Aviation. Possibly I’ll play “stump the bartender” next time and ask for a Submarine Kiss.

I’ve never talked directly with the makers of the new Crème Yvette, but the story goes that they specifically abjured the use of artificial colorings. Just between you and me, I think they chose poorly. I’d say the original violet color was much to be preferred, but it looks like we’re stuck with the red, alas!

The cocktail made with the real vintage Yvette would certainly be more blue.

Good gin drinks start with good gin. To showcase the gin, a martini is the obvious choice, but there are many different directions to take the classic martini. Derek Bradley’s Martinez is a good example. Instead of adding dry vermouth, try adding an h…

So, Maria, it’s you we have to thank for kickstarting our local supply of Maraschino and Peychaud’s—thank you for that! Life certainly got easier when I no longer had to make serious road trips just to lay in basic supplies.

(It’s valuable, I suppose, to reflect on those days when what I regard as simple basics were so difficult to come by. I still get surprised and delighted to run across products I’ve read of but didn’t expect to see in my market, and suddenly a new list of cocktails becomes possible that previously were only “interesting” —real cocktails versus abstract cocktails, if you will. It’s a good reminder that some, perhaps, many of the readers of this and other blogs may be in the same boat—big town or small, liquor stores with limited, non-cocktailian inventories still seem to be the norm.)

Back to the question at hand: no, it never occurred to me to try Parfait Amour in Blue Moon. I’m trying to think in positive terms about the idea of a “sophisticated gumball” … can you really have such a thing? I guess I’ll have to find out one day. That’s one thing about cocktails—there’s always another one that can surprise you.

By the way, I’d love to know what cocktail motivated you to push for Maraschino in this market?

Bragging over, here’s my real reason for commenting on this post:

Have you ever tried a Blue Moon with Marie Brizard’s Parfait Amour? I bought mine long before any of the violettes re-appeared on the scene. I really like it– hard to describe the flavor, but it’s supposedly got orange in it (I don’t get that), as well as violet and vanilla. The result makes me think of a really sophisticated gumball, which I find delish! The color is wonderful– more purple than the creme de v., and great in a Blue Moon as I make it (your “sour” version above). Try to forget I said “gumball,” and give it a try. They carry it at Surdyk’s.

I agree that the darker reds, the traditional clarets, make a considerable diffrence in putting the Blue Moon across. Ensslin was definitely on to something worthwhile there.

I haven’t seen the Bitter Truth violette—they don’t seem to have much distribution in my area—but I’ll be watching for it.

also bitter truth just came out with a violette – not sure about it yet.

I haven’t encountered the Tempus Fugit Violette, either. If it’s truly less sweet, that would be a welcome addition to the pantry. The only Violette I’ve encountered in my market is the Rothman and Winter, which is pretty sweet and very floral.

Good eBay find—that is the cutest little bottle of Creme Yvette ever. Very amusing.

Frederic—I don’t know if Yvette contains anything artificial, either. I’ve seen an interview with maker Rob Cooper of Jacquin et Cie, where he makes a point about the product being all natural (sorry, can’t find the link again.) The Creme Yvette website also notes this. It looks to me like Jacquin made a business decision to capitalize on “natural” (whatever that means), rather than duplicate the original purple and carry a label declaring artificial ingredients. I never tasted the original, but if it is true, as some suggest, that the current release has a more “subtle” floral profile, the step away from artificial ingredients might explain that, too.

Pt 1: http://www.dudekicker.com/2011/01/violet-hours.html
Pt 2: http://www.dudekicker.com/2011/01/cr%C3%A8mes-de-violette.html

But when googling for it, I came across an interesting gamble: if you dare taking a chance that a sealed miniature bottle of 1940s properly violet-coloured Creme Yvette has held up, check out eBay auction 390291507515