I'm really glad
You’ve extroverted. You’ve mingled. You’ve got a notebook stuffed to the gills with little bits of genius and ideas…and you’re ready to either celebrate, or take a lonnnnng nap before entering the world again.
Either way, I gotchu.
As president of the Silly Little Beverage fan girl club (we love Chelsea Fagan’s silly little beverage playlist), we’ve got the perfect sip to suit.
This French 75 isn’t your average French 75. She’s hued a delicate shade of purple. Just like the Hoan Bridge during the first day of Women’s Entrepreneurship Week. She’s also topped with Veuve Clicquot, created by non other than Madame Clicquot.
Yup. You read that right. Madame Clicquot.
Madam Clicquot and her husband decided that they were going to grow grapes for wine on the side (how very gig economy of them) of their textile company in the late 1700’s. In 1805, with a war raging, and a young daughter, Madame Clicquot lost her husband at the tender age of 27.
Clearly, this woman was going through it.
Faced with a business on the brink of collapse in a war torn world, Madame Clicquot had some serious decisions to make. She did what any of us would do.
Smuggle 10,500 bottles of her vintage wine to Amsterdam. Obviously.
After that, her cuvee hit viral status when Tsar Alexander got a hold of it, declaring he would drink nothing else.
Now that’s brand loyalty.
All of this success meant that our leading lady had to find a way to scale…and fast.
With sustainability at the forefront of her decisions, Madame Cliquot invented an entirely new way to produce those tiny little bubbles, signature to the Cliquot experience. She knew she wanted to reduce waste, so instead of using a new bottle to empty the yeast left behind from the old bottle of champs, she engineered a rack which captured all of the yeast in the neck of the bottle, expediting the process.
Not only did she cut the overhead of bottles used to make her signature product, she essentially patented a whole new technique that to this day, is still used in the Champenoise Method. This process allowed Madame Cliquot to expand her business…world wide. Talk about leaving a legacy, right?
From such immense tragedy and staggering set backs, one of the first every world wide luxury products was born. Grief at the forefront of its very name, “veuve”, which means widow, in French. A tale of innovation, ingenuity, and fierce fortitude at its finest, I often wonder what business advice Madame Clicquot would have for us today…
Honestly, it would probably go something like, “If I can smuggle 10,500 bottles of bubbles into Amsterdam to save my business, you can fight for yours.”
Our favorite variation of the French 75 calls for:
1 ounce Indigo Empress Gin (this is what makes this variation purple)
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Veuve Clicquot to top
Optional lemon twist for garnish
My secret sauce for this recipe, is creating the garnish right over the top of the drink. The extra lemon zest adds a little sour zip on the first few sips that I love!
Looking for a mocktail version? Say less.
Sub your gin for butterfly pea tea (which is also purple and has a slightly earthy taste) and your champagne or sparkling wine for sparkling lemonade. Butterfly pea tea has been reported to have a slight calming element that can aid in the unwind.
Cheers!
If you love pairing fancy cocktails with tales of of wise women entrepreneurs, consider this your official invitation to join the Creative Clubhouse Ledger!
