French Maid Cocktail Recipe

Name: French Maid Cocktail Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1.5 Oz Bisquit Dubouche cognac; 1 Oz ginger beer; 0.75 Oz lime juice; 0.75 Oz sugar syrup; 0.25 Oz Velvet Falernum; 4 slices cucumber; 6-8 mint leaves; 1 mint sprig to garnish; Ice

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PREP TIME 5 min

Cocktail Type

Cognac

Great for

Summer

Difficulty

Easy

JUMP TO RECIPE

A delightful spin-off of the popular Kentucky Maid Cocktail, the French Maid cocktail recipe is the perfect choice on warm summer’s days when nothing will do except a tall, ice-cold cocktail that looks as refreshing as it tastes.

What is a French Maid cocktail? Ah, only a prettily herbal, deliciously sweet, subtly spiced drink that is zesty and cool to the core – ideal for garden parties and lazy afternoons on the patio when the weather is lovely.

How to make the French Maid cocktail

This recipe does call for quite a few ingredients, but once you have it all gathered, it’s very quick and simple to assemble. Here you go!

QUICK TIPS

Muddle the cucumber slowly and gently.

You can sub Velvet Falernum with grenadine or maple syrup.

Fresh lime juice is always a winner!

INGREDIENTS

Classic color pencil illustration of a French Maid cocktail

MAKE FOR

1 Person

45 Ml

1.5 Oz

1.5 Parts

Bisquit Dubouche cognac

30 Ml

1 Oz

1 Parts

ginger beer

22.5 Ml

0.75 Oz

0.75 Parts

lime juice

22.5 Ml

0.75 Oz

0.75 Parts

sugar syrup

7.5 Ml

0.25 Oz

0.25 Parts

Velvet Falernum

slices cucumber

6-8 mint leaves

mint sprig to garnish

Ice

INSTRUCTIONS

Muddle the cucumber and mint with the sugar syrup

Add the rest of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously, and strain into your serving glass

Garnish with a mint sprig through a cucumber wheel

What can I use instead of Velvet Falernum?

Velvet Falernum (pronounced fah-LEHR-num) is a spiced syrup that serves as an important ingredient in tiki drinks and all sorts of delightful Caribbean-style cocktails. There are two kinds — an alcoholic version that is basically low-proof rum infused with spices and sugar, and a non-alcoholic kind that is a syrup flavoured with almond, citrus, cloves, and other spices. If you can’t find Velvet Falernum, you can substitute grenadine or maple syrup. This will also bring down the alcohol content of the drink somewhat.

Tip: Whenever you use a substitute in a drink recipe, start by adding a small amount, and then adding a little more until you find the sweet spot that works for your particular palate.

How to muddle cucumber?

Here are a few steps that will pave the way for fantastic cucumber muddling when you mix up your French Maid cocktails:

Choose a floral cucumber variety such as Japanese or Persian cucumbers if you can.
Rinse and dry the cucumbers, and peel the skin gently.
Slice the fruit in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Slice the cucumber into 5mm slices.
Place the cucumber slices in the shaker along with the mint and sugar syrup.
Gently push the muddling spoon into the cucumber slice while rotating your wrist, pressing the cucumber against the side of the shaker as you twist.
Stop once you smell the distinctive cucumber aroma (around 6 or 7 twists should do it).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Velvet Falernum (pronounced fah-LEHR-num) is a spiced syrup that serves as an important ingredient in tiki drinks and all sorts of delightful Caribbean-style cocktails. There are two kinds — an alcoholic version that is basically low-proof rum infused with spices and sugar, and a non-alcoholic kind that is a syrup flavored with almond, citrus, cloves, and other spices. If you can't find Velvet Falernum, you can substitute grenadine or maple syrup. This will also bring down the alcohol content of the drink somewhat. Tip: Whenever you use a substitute in a drink recipe, start by adding a small amount, and then add a little more until you find the sweet spot that works for your particular palate.

When it comes to muddling cucumbers to add to French cocktails like the French Maid, the main thing you need to remember is to go gently. The thing that makes this delicate aromatic fruit (yes, it's a fruit - not a vegetable!) such a prized cocktail ingredient is the esters that impart its clean, mild taste. This is what you want to coax out with your gentle muddling, rather than the stringy bits of flesh that will result when you go in with too much gusto. Here are a few steps that will pave the way for fantastic cucumber muddling when you mix up your French Maid Cocktails: Choose a floral cucumber variety such as Japanese or Persian cucumbers if you can. Rinse and dry the cucumbers, and peel the skin gently. Slice the fruit in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Slice the cucumber into ¼ inch slices. Place the cucumber slices in the shaker along with the mint and simple syrup. Gently push the muddling spoon into the cucumber slice while rotating your wrist, pressing the cucumber against the side of the shaker as you twist. Stop once you smell the distinctive cucumber aroma (around 6 or 7 twists should do it).