LV Recommends: Clinton St. Social Club's off-menu Ms. Beauregard

TK NAME pours a Ms. Beauregard -- photo by Matthew Steele — Nick McManus pours a Ms. Beauregard — *photo by Matthew Steele*

Ed. Note: There have been several reports of customers’ unsuccessful attempts to order a Ms. Beauregard at Clinton Street Social Club. The Club itself has contacted us to express the confusion caused by our editors’ recommending an off-menu drink. Little Village decided to suggest this drink because our editors have ordered and enjoyed the drink on several occasions there, and wanted to give credit where credit was due: to the Social Club for carrying these hard-to-find ingredients. When attempting to order a Ms. Beauregard at the Social Club or elsewhere (Donnelly’s can make one), please make sure you know the ingredients yourself, in case the bartender is unfamiliar. We recommend a simple version (recipe below) that can be made in most places, so long as they carry lavender bitters and Crème de violett. Hopefully you can enjoy one soon, but please respect the bar staff and time your request appropriately; during busy nights, consider something a little more readily available.

You won’t find this perfect concoction on Clinton St.’s cocktail menu, but the sultry Ms. Beauregard lives behind the bar in several bottles, begging to be combined.

Gin, muddled with cucumber, mixes with Crème de violett and lavender syrup in an iced cocktail shaker and pours as a frothy, mauve tincture, finished with a slice of cucumber and a twist of lemon. If that sounds like a fancy Southern belle’s drink du jour, that’s because it is. If it looks like witches’ brew, that’s because it’s that, too—and the spell it casts is one of instant coquetry and allure.

Put another way: Everybody looks sexy holding a Ms. Beauregard.

Crème de violette was all but unavailable in the US until 2007, when Haus Alpenz started importing Rothman & Winter’s version of the liqueur, which is made from Alps Queen Charlotte and March violets.

But this drink isn’t just about looks. The sweet, dense fog of Crème de violett buoys the sharp floral lavender syrup, while the cucumber and lemon bring forward fruity flavors. Sipping this cocktail is like drinking a humid, late-summer night; for a more autumnal palate, ask your bartender a dash of lavender bitters.

And if you want to make this drink at home, you’re in luck. John’s Grocery now sells Crème de violett, and the New Pioneer Co-Op has lavender bitters in stock. Try it first at the Clinton Street Social Club, then impress your friends at your next coven-meeting-come-cocktail-party.

This article originally appeared in Little Village issue 184.