French Martini

10 days of vacation - well, 1 day of it on airplanes, and some time on trains, so let's say 8 days of vacation.  In France.  Ahhhh. No phone. No email. No friends. No family (except mom). No drama.  I am breathing a deep sigh of contentment just remembering how that felt.

Our first day in Paris was an odd one.  Not that it wasn't wonderful, it was just a bit odd. We dropped our bags at the (wHo) Hotel Windsor Opera (address unknown) and breakfasted, strolled, Musee D'Orsay, got lost trying to find said hotel (address still unknown), napped, showered, snack, Tuileries, dinner.  Dinner was at a small restaurant called Brasserie Flo.  We walked by it about 10 times earlier in the afternoon while trying to find the hotel that was tucked at the center of a snail shell-like but not quite circular 9th arrondissement neighborhood. The concierge at wHo said that Flo was "fantastique" and we would really enjoy it so he made us a reservation and out the door we went.  And we walked in circles again for about 20 minutes before we found the place!  Had we realized it was the restaurant we walked past earlier in the day so many times, we could have gone straight to it!

Alas, we went in, were seated smack beside a man and his mistress (oh la la) eating a decadent spread of shellfish.  Mom ordered a carafe of water and I ordered my martini.  Not even hesitating the server (very serious fellow) walked away with our orders and returned about 15 minutes later with an old fashioned glass with 2 ice cubes, about 1 inch full of clear liquid, and a twist of lemon.

I have googled french martini recipes, even googled them in French but to no avail.  I have absolutely no idea what was in the martini...gin, vodka? It will remain a mystery - much like the French are a mystery to Americans (and vice versa).

French martini - Sept (7).

But there are a couple of other beverages that require mentioning - kir royale, rouge gorge, and a c'est la vie.

Kir Royale - Chateau Versailles - at the Salon de The accompanied by a Choc Africain (African chocolate cake - AHHH Bonkers good).  We do have this drink in the US but it doesn't taste this good - it requires French Champagne.

Rouge Gorge - Aux Deux Canards, Paris - red wine (dry but fruity), gin, black loganberry liqueur (where the heck can I find this?)

C'est la vie - Lyon - on the terrace where we saw the mice (yes, plural) - strawberry liqueur, vodka, champagne.  Um...yum.