Drinks

Arletty

Arletty.

Today we would like to recommend the Arletty. It is a signature drink from Jenny and Andreas Berg from the Mirabeau-Bar in Freiburg and is the liquidised dream of a French caramelised mirabelle tart with roasted nuts and almonds.

5,5 cl Barbeito Malvasia Reserva Madeira Doce
3 cl Onsen Mirabelle von Nancy (2019) [mirabelle eau-de-vie]
1,75 cl MXPSM Nuss Likör [nut liqueur]

Preparation: Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass without ice. Then add 3 ice cubes and leave to cool still for 2 minutes. Strain into a pre-cooled small cognac snifter.

We could now find many words to describe this successful composition, but we’d better leave that to Jenny and Andreas.

Recipe card from the Mirabeau Bar for Arletty.
Recipe card from the Mirabeau Bar for Arletty.

 

For us, their recipe cards are an expression of the passion and love with which they run their bar. Anyone who has ever been a guest at their bar will confirm this. We are therefore delighted to be able to report from the recipe card:

With a few exceptions (for example in ‘Prince of Wales’ recipes), Madeira is rarely used as an ingredient in historic drinks. In contrast to sherry and port wine, it leads a shadowy existence in the bars of this world. However, the fortified liqueur wine from the Portuguese Mediterranean island of the same name is perfect for mixing, as it brings both sweetness and plenty of acidity as well as oxidative notes. Recipes with fruit eau-de-vie are also among the bar-historical exceptions, although the mirabelle plum, which is grown in Lorraine in particular, does not occur at all. At the end of November 2024, we were lucky enough to find a perfect match in the five-year-old Malvasia from Vinhos Barbeito and the Mirabelle plum from Nancy (Kaiserstuhl) from the Onsen distillery in Freiburg: The wine provides a raisiny fullness and at the same time gives the Mirabelle plum its original freshness. We identified the liqueur made from walnuts, hazelnuts and bitter almonds from the Berlin-based MXPSM (Michelberger X Preussische Spirituosen Manufaktur) as the perfect junior partner for this strong duo. Our three-piece blend combines to create a marvellous digestif. On the nose and palate, it reminds us of a caramelised mirabelle plum tart with roasted nuts and almonds, as we came to know and love in France (Tarte aux mirabelles et aux noisettes). We dedicate our creation to a star of French cinema in the 1930s and 1940s: the actress Arletty (1898-1992, real name Léonie Bathiat). Arletty achieved immortality in Marcel Carné’s ‘Les enfants du paradis’ from 1945 with her portrayal of Garance.

– “Madeira kommt, bis auf wenige Ausnahmen (beispielsweise in ›Prince of Wales‹-Rezepten), nur selten als Zutat in historischen Drinks vor. Im Gegensatz zu Sherry und Portwein fristet er in den Bars dieser Welt ein Schattendasein. Dabei eignet sich der aufgespritete Likörwein von der gleichnamigen portugiesischen Mittelmeerinsel perfekt zum Mixen, denn er bringt sowohl Süße als auch ordentlich Säure und darüber hinaus oxidative Noten mit sich. Rezepte mit Obstbränden zählen ebenfalls zu den bargeschichtlichen Ausnahmeerscheinungen, wobei die insbesondere in Lothringen angebaute Mirabelle gar nicht vorkommt. Ende November 2024 hatten wir das Glück, im fünfjährigen Malvasia von Vinhos Barbeito und der Mirabelle von Nancy (Kaiserstuhl) der Freiburger Destillerie Onsen ein perfektes Match zu finden: Der Wein sorgt für rosinige Fülle und gibt der Mirabelle gleichzeitig ihre ursprüngliche Frische zurück. Als passenden Juniorpartner dieses starken Doppels machten wir den Likör aus Wal- und Haselnüssen sowie Bittermandeln der Berliner MXPSM (Michelberger X Preussische Spirituosen Manufaktur) aus. Unser Dreiteiler verbindet sich zu einem herrlichen Digestif. Er erinnert uns in Nase und Gaumen an eine karamellisierte Mirabellen-Tarte mit gerösteten Nüssen und Mandeln, wie wir sie in Frankreich kennen- und lieben lernten (Tarte aux mirabelles et aux noisettes). Unsere Kreation widmen wir einem Star des französischen Kinos der 1930er und 1940er Jahre: der Schauspielerin Arletty (1898-1992, mit bürgerlichem Namen Léonie Bathiat). Unsterblichkeit erlangte Arletty in Marcel Carnés „Les enfants du paradis“ aus dem Jahr 1945 mit ihrer Darstellung der Garance.«

We are completely convinced by this composition. It is incredible how long the wonderful flavours of this mirabelle tart linger on the palate.

Finally, we would also like to praise the excellent products from the Onsen distillery. We have been able to elevate many a mixed drink to new dimensions of flavour with them!

As you can see, Freiburg has a lot to offer. It’s well worth a visit.

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About

Hi, I'm Armin and in my spare time I want to promote bar culture as a blogger, freelance journalist and Bildungstrinker (you want to know what the latter is? Then check out "About us"). My focus is on researching the history of mixed drinks. If I have ever left out a source you know of, and you think it should be considered, I look forward to hearing about it from you to learn something new. English is not my first language, but I hope that the translated texts are easy to understand. If there is any incomprehensibility, please let me know so that I can improve it.