This post is a reposting from earlier this year, with the heat here in Switzerland making this a better time than ever to enjoy this splendorous drink.
This drink was developed by one of my coworkers at Rivington for our summer menu. We didn’t want to create a drink for screaming girls at the beach bar, but for the experienced drinkers who want to welcome summer with in style. See our take on a Bourbon summer drink!
The Prince of Venice draws inspiration from the Prince of Wales and the Bellini. The former is a very decadent, serious mixture of pineapple, rye and champagne; and the latter is a more light, playful Venetian drink made with peach purée and prosecco. The Prince of Venice sits comfortably in between these extremes.
The Prince of Wales usually calls for rye; however, we used Bourbon for its natural affinity to peaches and use peach marmalade as a sweetener. You would expect fresh peaches to be better, but we found that their flavour was not concentrated enough to stand up against the Bourbon; and they severely restrain the availability of the drink. There are many good-quality marmalade brands out there that keep preservatives to a minimum (such as Bonne Maman). Don’t start using the marmalade in a Bellini, though; this drink will only work with fresh peach purée.
We add lemon balm for a subtle freshness, since spearmint would overpower the drink, and top with either champagne or prosecco. Both work well, and give a slightly different character to the drink. The prosecco adds a lighter, fruitier touch to the drink; the champagne retains more of the Prince of Wales’ elegance.
The recipe for a Prince of Wales also calls for a piece of pineapple. I don’t think the flavour of the pineapple matches the Bourbon particularly well; however, the leaves of the pineapple add a festive, whimsical look to our Prince of Venice.
- 40 ml Maker's Mark bourbon
- 25 ml lemon juice
- 2 heaped bar spoons peach marmalade (eg Bonne Maman)
- 1 dash Angostura
- 6 leaves lemon balm
- 30 ml brût champagne
- Shake all ingredients except for champagne, add champagne to shaker and fine-strain on ice into chilled metal cup. Add metal straws and garnish with pineapple leaves and lemon balm.
