Properly Sauced - Ginger Liqueur

By Anthony Todd in Food on Mar 13, 2009 6:00PM

Ginger is one of the most common ingredients in modern cocktailing. It’s infused into vodka and gin; muddled into the bottom of martinis; and crystallized as a garnish. It adds an exotic, spicy twist to a ton of classic cocktails without turning them into something you’d find wrapped in cellophane in the candy aisle of the grocery store. So, the last time we were browsing the shelves at our local liquor superstore and found Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, we decided to take a risk and try something new. After drinking almost an entire bottle, we’re glad we did.

Domaine de Canton is an infusion of baby ginger into French Cognac. Drunk on it’s own, the stuff is unbelievably smooth, with a tickling bite of ginger at the finish that makes your nose itch. Since it’s unobtrusive and based on a quality cognac (rather than some cheap malt liquor or vodka) it can be added to existing cocktails with little modification. We tried adding some to our invention, the Cold Snap, and it got even better. We added about a shot of it to Rob's Manhattan and ended up with a very tasty drink that even cocktail purists could get behind. Mix about 1/2 an ounce into a Sidecar for a stellar lemon/ginger combination. Watch out - it’s stronger than it tastes.

If you’re looking for some new cocktails, their website suggests a ton. We particularly enjoyed these two. The first is a twist on the Baileys-with-Coffee school of cocktails called the Indochine Tea and the second is a sophisticated martini that you wouldn’t be ashamed to serve to adults.

Indochine Tea

Brew one 8-oz mug of quality green tea. Add 1.5 ounces of Domaine de Canton. Stir. Enjoy.

French Ginger Martini

2 oz. Domaine de Canton
2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Cointreau or Triple Sec

Combine over ice in a martini shaker. Shake well to combine. Strain and serve in a martini glass - no garnish.