Drinking French Bar Box

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I was delighted that so many people were interested in setting up a French bar in advance of the publication of Drinking French and have been asked what liquors and spirits to get. So I’ve teamed up with Slope Cellars wine and spirits shop in New York City to release a Drinking French Bar Box.

The Drinking French Bar Box includes a bottle of Old Forester Bottled in Bond Rye, Forthave Red Apéritif Bitters (Aperitivo), Citadelle gin, and a demi-bottle of Dolin sweet vermouth, as well as a copy of Drinking French. With those bottles, you’ll be able to make several drinks in the book, including my favorite cocktail, the Boulevardier and the Americano, a low ABV apéritif that’s perfect for easy-going spring and summer sipping. You may want to augment your Bar Box with any of the spirits listed here to increase the number of drinks you can make. (Some specific suggestions would be Salers, Dolin dry vermouth, Byrrh Grand Quinquina, calvados, Lillet, and/or Chartreuse. The shop also carries a very good selection of French wines.)

The Old Forester bottled in bond rye is a revival of a historic recipe and is higher proof than standard rye whiskey, so it shines more brightly when mixed in a cocktail. Citadelle gin was the first gin produced in France and is family-owned, flavored with juniper collected from gardens around the family home. Forthave Spirits is a micro-distillery in New York City that produces an especially excellent apertivo (red bitter apéritif, similar to Campari) with a strong botanical profile. It’s great in a cocktail, or on its own with a splash of sparkling water and a twist. Dolin French vermouth is another family-owned distillery, operating since the 1820s in the French alps, and made with local herbs, flowers, and roots.

The cost of the box is $120 which includes the four bottles listed above and a copy of Drinking French. And for a limited time, you can get a signed bookplate copy of the book if you want to give one as a gift or for yourself. (Unfortunately, I am unable to personalize individual books due to travel restrictions.)

 

Click here to order your Drinking French Bar Box!

 

Delivery Details

Free delivery is available within Brooklyn and Manhattan. Please select “delivery or store pickup” at checkout and provide all essential delivery information. These conditions are subject to change. Due to state laws, the store can ship to NY, D.C., Florida, and Alaska.*

You are welcome to contact Slope Cellars for queries about shipping elsewhere.

*U.S. liquor shipping laws vary widely from state-to-state. To address concerns or comments about where deliveries can or can’t be made to your state, please contact an elected official from your state here. (Please don’t leave comments here regarding shipping, or specific destinations, as the shop can’t respond to them here.)

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12 comments

    • Marie

    Hi David! I bought a bottle of Chartreuse but could not find the lot number anywhere – was eager to apply the 1084 principle! I looked everywhere including at the gold band near the cap, but nothing :( Could this be a fake bottle? It looks and tastes legit and bought for €85 from a liquor store!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Gosh, I don’t know. There was some bad Chartreuse produced by another company when the monks were kicked out of France and the state took over production (which was in the early 1900s) but not sure about finding lot numbers. Those may have been replaced when they added the year of production on the back? But if you got it from a reputable liquor store, you could ask them about it.

    • angela billows

    Need the same in France! I have already accumulated quite a lot already, but with only supermarkets open, only the most popular bottles are available. Nothing artisanal.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      That would be great but it’s not possible to get copies of Drinking French shipped to France right now. You can order good-quality liquor and spirits from Les Caves du Roy and La Maison du Whisky in France, if you need to restock ;)

    • Elizabeth Fleming

    I remember drinking Chartreuse with my father in the late 1970s.

    Im going to buy a bottle to relive those memories.

    Thanks for all the fabulous recipes and Instagram videos.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Yes, during the 1960s and 70s there was a lot of Chartreuse bring drunk. They had some amazing ads for Chartreuse from that era, as well as drinks like the Swamp Water- those were the days!

    • Cheryl Perez

    Look what my fabulous French restaurant-bistro-market in Eugene, OR is offering up for Mother’s Day — https://provisionsmarkethall.com/product/wish-we-were-at-a-parisian-bar/
    I wonder if I had any influence on this? I told them I was reading your book when I requested some of the aperitifs you mentioned which they have (to my delight) been able to provide — Cap Corse, Pineau, Pommeau, etc.

    • Emilie Quast

    Here’s a défi for you: Daughter and/or I couldn’t make it to Paris this year, and are always eager to hear how Denise Acabo is celebrating life. Since she’s closed in the summer, and probably is already closed for Covid, may I suggest you concoct a summer chocolate drink (cold, I’d think) “chocolat [something descriptive or evocative] a la Acabo”. Anna’s last trip to Paris resulted in me getting a fantastic sugar-cured clementine encased in hard, perfectly paired chocolate shell. You can say you were challenged by The Minnesotan and her mother.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I have three Frappés (cold drinks) recipes in Drinking French; A chocolate frappé, a coffee frappé, and a cold frappé with Irish Cream Liqueur (which the French are fans of) – enjoy!

    • Liz

    Hi David — just want to say thank you for your incroyable book. My wife loves Drinking French — honestly, it’s one of the best things that’s come out of the 2020 COVID-19 weirdness (which has been an even more bizarre experience considering we’ve been taking it all in while living in Tunisia)…only second best to getting married in Tunisia itself this summer (after being unable to travel to our home in the US because of the pandemic). Due to your book, my wife, a former professional chef herself, has introduced me to new favorites like Crème de Cassis, Lillet (still so hard to pronounce that “t” after all my French language training), and, bien sûr, Chartreuse. Malheureusement, we’re unable to ship alcohol here (otherwise we’d have already ordered the Drinking French Bar Box). I was wondering, however, if you had any new drinking recipe ideas (Drinking French part deux?), or even a recommendation for another fantastic classy drinking-infused book that could carry us through the rest of 2020 and into the new year. Regardless, thank you for creating Drinking French and keeping our “spirits” up. Cheers!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Thanks Liz, and so glad you are enjoying Drinking French! It’s hard to recommend another cocktail book as they are all so different. You might look into those by Jim Meehan (his recipes are a little more professional, but most are do-able at home), Jeff Morgenthaler (The Bar Book is great for basics), Brad Parsons (his books on Amaro and Bitters both teach you about the ingredients but have solid recipes), as well as Robert Simonson. I love his book Three-Ingredient Cocktails as you don’t need to buy a lot of ingredients and all the cocktails are do-able.

    • Barbara

    David, My husband’s birthday is at the end of November. He and I were supposed to spend October 2020 in Paris, so when I saw your book, I thought, “Perfect.” He loved the book, so to keep his birthday going, I called my local wine and beverage store and ordered nine bottles. (The guy at the store was really into it!) Suffice it to say, we are really enjoying trying new drinks. I love Suzy’s Hanky! Thanks so much for making a dismal time so much better.

A

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