Stormy Morning

Two of my favorite liqueurs are St. Germain, which is an elderflower liqueur, and Creme de Violette, a violet-flavored liqueur. In a search for a Creme de Violette cocktail, I came across the Stormy Morning, a drink created at Bayona in New Orleans. The images from other sites listing this recipe really drew me in--the dark purple that transitions to a hazy light violet evokes the name of the cocktail amazingly well. The whole time I was drinking it, I had "Stormy Weather" (the Martha Wainwright version) stuck in my head. Not exactly the same, but close enough.

The ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Creme de Violette (we use Rothman & Winter)
• 1 1/2 oz St. Germain (or elderflower syrup)
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 4 oz Champagne or other sparkling wine (Many of the cocktails I've seen recently call for topping off with bubbly, so last time we were at Trader Joe's, we picked up a variety of cheap sparkling wine. The kind I used here is some Italian Asti that was like 5 bucks a bottle.)

Fill a Tom Collins glass or tumbler with ice and slowly pour in the ingredients, starting with the Creme de Violette, the St. Germain, the lime juice, and topping off with Champagne. Slightly (very slightly!) stir and enjoy. 

When you start to drink it, it's mostly just Champagne, but as you drink further down, you're hit with the other flavors. By the time you get about halfway down, it gets sweeter, more floral, and fruitier. This is a really spectacular drink and I love anything that lets me use more than 1/2 oz of Creme de Violette. I think this would make an amazing brunch drink...we had it before dinner with some cheese and crackers and it really hit the spot.