the francomtois

Last summer a friend and I had lunch at Raymond Blanc’s famous restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and I had a delicious pre-lunch cocktail that used vin jaune, a beautiful wine from Jura. I chose it as I was recently back from a trip to Jura and had bought a bottle of this wine, planning to cook with it, so I was intrigued to try it within a cocktail.

Vin jaune is similar to a dry fino sherry but, unlike sherry, is not fortified. It is made from savignan grapes (these plus chardonnay are the key white grapes in Jura and produce some really interesting wines; the savignan usually provides a spicy character to the wine) and is only produced in four AOC regions. My bottle was from Château-Chalon, the little village where we stayed.

When we were in Jura I tried a chicken and morels dish, that was made with vin jaune, which is something I’ve cooked previously, using a Raymond Blanc recipe and dry sherry, so that was on the menu again and I decided to see if I could get the cocktail recipe.

The Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons team were happy to help and after also tracking down a bottle of fig liqueur, I was all set. It’s a beautifully dry but balanced drink, with an aroma that initially reminds me of apricots. It showcases the vin jaune beautifully and I’m fascinated to reverse my experience with the recipe, and now try this with dry sherry.

Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons’ The Francomtois
35 ml vin jaune
10 ml Edmond Briottet creme de figue
20 ml Fair quinoa vodka (any high quality, smooth, round vodka will work)
5 drops Angostura aromatic bitters
Pour all the ingredients into a stirring glass. Fill with ice, and stir. Strain over into a chilled tasting/sweet wine glass. We served it with a slice of Comte and some toasted hazelnuts.