For many centuries, there was no love lost between the people of Germany and France. It goes so for back that it was noted by Julius Caesar, referring to the people of Germania (Germany) and Gaul (France). France eventually bonded into one nation, while Germany remained a loose confederation of principalities well into the 19th century. The major flare ups began as Germany came closer and closer to a nation, triggering the Franco-Prussian War. France was defeated by the Prussians, further solidifying the German state. France had to give up land and a considerable amount of cash to the new Germany, an insult they carried with them until World War I. France suffered heavy casualties in that war, and extracted a heavy price for peace from Germany. They regained lands and reputation, punishing Germany on the international stage at any chance they could. This environment led to World War II as Germany then sought to regain power on the continent, barreling through the Maginot Line and taking northern France in one of their many blitzkriegs. When Berlin fell in 1945, there was a debate as to whether or not allowing France to have a part in the splitting of Germany would sow the seeds for another war. It did not, and the two countries finally buried the hatchet in 1968 with the Élysée Treaty.
If you are in the bar industry and do not know who Gary "Gaz" Regan is, you are just not trying. He was one of the first to start writing about the emerging craft cocktail scene, starting with his 1991 book The Bartender's Bible, and has been writing and bartending at a furious pace ever since. Since 2011, he has been working on finding and sharing the 101 Best Cocktails of the year. There have been three volumes of these cocktails, culled from thousands from all over the world. Today's cocktail has come from his 2015 explorations, created by Ivan Mandaric from OXBO Bar and Grill in Zagreb, Croatia. Mr. Mandaric created the cocktail with French cognac and German Jägermeister as part of an autumn cocktail contest.
In honor of Dayton's Masquerage 2015, a Jagermeister cocktail.
Élysée Treaty (by Ivan Mandaric via 101 Best New Cocktails, 2015 Edition)
2 wide strips of orange zest
1.5 oz./ 45 mL cognac (Martel V.S.O.P. is suggested)
.75 oz./ 22 mL Jägermeiste
.75 oz./ 22 mL simple syrup
4 to 5 ds. orange bitters
Glass: Chilled cocktail
Garnish: Orange twist
Ice: None
Place the two strips of orange zest in a mixing tin. Pour the liquid ingredients over the zest. Add ice, and shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds. Double strain into the chilled cocktail glass and express the orange zest over the drink. Drop the zest into the cocktail and serve.
Even if you are not a fan of Jägermeister, this cocktail is appealing. Orange is what I tasted most up front, but that eventually gave way to the richer spice notes of Jägermeister. I would say almost coffee-like. It is spicy, warm, and inviting. It incorporates a technique I am reading about more and more, muddling herbs and other delicate ingredients with the ice in the shaker. It requires some extra straining afterwards, but it removes a time consuming step from the cocktail without altering the results. It has worked well in this cocktail, and when I tried it with the Gin-gin Mule. Something I will continue to experiment with.