Nurse
I dubbed this aperitif the Nurse thanks to its restorative quality for a hangover I woke up with after visiting Noilly Prat’s production facility in Marseillan, France in 2015.
The wine base of Noilly Prat dry vermouth’s original formula is barrel-aged for over two years before the botanicals are added, which yields one of the most complex aromatized wines in the world. I was blown away by Noilly Prat’s versatility as a food pairing with the traditional cuisine of the region (oysters and shellfish) when I visited. Instead of serving it with a lemon as they do in Marseillan, I prefer a cucumber slice to enhance the botanicals and lend melony notes.
The “extra dry” formula of Noilly Prat dry vermouth is made from a wine base that isn’t barrel-aged and lacks the nutty, oxidized notes of the original formula. For the photo, we cut the cucumber wheels into crosses to allude to the cocktail’s “medicinal value.”
Recipe notes
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