2 oz Mezcal, Banhez
1 oz Pamplemousse Rose, Giffard
1⁄2 oz Pepper liqueur, Marie Brizard Poivre de Sichuan
1⁄2 oz Lemon juice
Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a coupe. Garnish rim with grapefruit peel cone filled with pink peppercorns.

Notes

In 2019 Ehrmann provided the following as a substitute for the Marie Brizard Poivre de Sichuan (https://www.marketwatchmag.com/cocktail-pioneer/): Elixir de Poivre cordial--8 oz 120 proof vodka, 1 tablespoon pink peppercorns, ¼ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon coriander seed. Macerate 12-24 hours, strain, mix with equal parts 1:1 simple syrup

History

2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Cocktail of the Year

Cocktail summary
Picture of Pamplemousse au Poivre
https://www.thrillist.com/amphtml/drink/2018-cocktail-of-the-year-from-san-francisco-world-spirits-competition
Created by
H. Joseph Ehrmann of Elixir in San Francisco CA
Year
2018
Is an
authentic recipe
Curator
5 stars
Average
3.5 stars
(3 ratings)
YieldsDrink
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Comments

Curated to add the lemon juice to correct the recipe. I would like to try this one, but Marie Brizard Poivre de Sichuan is no longer available. Anyone have a recreation recipe for this ingredient? I figure it will require someone with a bottle to create one.


Marie Brizard includes it on their website. Is it available in France?

In the book San Francisco Cocktails, the house-made Elixir de Poivre Cordial is:

  • 8 oz Stolen Heart (120 proof) vodka
  • 1 T pink peppercorns
  • 1/4 t Sichuan peppercorns

Steeped at room temperature for 24 hrs and then mixed 1:1 with simple syrup.


Thanks for the recipe info. I don't know if the Marie Brizard Sichuan is still available in France. So far I haven't turned up a link for it there. Typically if something is available in only one country/region I can usually turn up a link to it on a shelf somewhere.

I would probably alter the given recipe to at least half the peppercorns being the Sichuan--since the Marie Brizard had that in the name, one would expect them to be at least half the pepper flavor. The 1:1 dilution of the tincture is right to hit 30% ABV to match the Marie Brizard. But half of that being simple syrup might steer too sweet, hard to know without having sampled the original. I might try half simple with half water for a "half simple" syrup dilution since I can always add sugar later. EDIT: Nevermind, found a link to Ehrmann's 2019 replacement, and he did indeed keep the Sichuan pepper quantity low.


Searched under the name: "Elixir de Poivre Cordial" and found the following link from 2019 with Ehrmann as the source: https://www.marketwatchmag.com/cocktail-pioneer/ It differs slightly in the addition of coriander-- 8 ounces Stolen Heart Overproof vodka (120 proof), 1 tablespoon pink peppercorns, ¼ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon coriander seed. Macerate 12-24 hours, strain, mix with equal parts 1:1 simple syrup.

Makes a person wonder if he had trouble regularly sourcing the Marie Brizard version even then. The serve of the cocktail had also changed to in a glass over crushed ice.


The flavor of Sichuan peppercorns is much stronger than pink peppercorns. The ratios given are not particularly surprising to me.


Curated to include Ehrmann's Elixir de Poivre cordial in the notes. I made the cordial using twice as much szechuan peppercorn as called for. It worked very well in this drink, and if anything I might increase the szechuan pepper again to try to capture some of its numbing essence (which was not apparent in the cocktail.) The cocktail was very good and my wife soon requested another. She is not usually a fan of mezcal drinks, so this was high praise.