Overlooking Place de la Concorde since 1909, Hôtel de Crillon stands as an icon of Parisian luxury. Nestled within its historic walls, the cocktail bar Les Ambassadeurs continues to set the gold standard for quality drinking experiences. Recently, it unveiled its new cocktail menu, Autumn Harvest, the latest chapter in the A Sense of Taste series.
Autumn Harvest Makes Its Debut
As the name suggests, Autumn Harvest draws inspiration from the quintessential flavors of Parisian autumn. Golden apples, Williams pears, pumpkin, bergamot, and rosemary are just a few of the seasonal ingredients showcased. The menu, crafted by bar director Kevin Rigault and his talented team, features 15 creative cocktails designed to highlight these fall favorites.
The New Creations at Les Ambassadeurs
Following the success of their previous menu, the first drink you’ll find in the new lineup is Pumpkin, a twist on the classic Sidecar. It’s made with pumpkin, cognac, Moscato wine, orange curaçao, citrus, and a touch of soy. Next comes Quince, a New Fashioned variation with whiskey, quince, pear, quince eau-de-vie, and bitters.
The Porcini Mushroom reimagines the Negroni Sbagliato with the addition of porcini mushrooms, combining Italian bitters, gin, vermouth, and a subtle umami kick from the fungi. Then there’s Corn, a milk punch that brings together rye whiskey, amontillado sherry, pecans, citrus, Japanese green tea, and clarified corn milk.
The fifth cocktail on the list, Gherkin, riffs on the Pickleback, blending bourbon, cucumber, and coriander seeds. Another standout is Combava, a fresh take on the French 75 made with reposado tequila, olive brine, citrus, agave, champagne, and kaffir lime (combava).
More Creative Twists on Classics
Bar director Kevin Rigault describes the Pistachio as a playful interpretation of the Ramos Gin Fizz. It’s a mix of eau-de-vie, pistachio, almond, cream, milk, orange blossom water, citrus, and soda. For fans of the Moscow Mule, Rosemary offers an exciting twist with vodka, rosemary, red wine, Espelette pepper, citrus, and ginger beer.
Bergamot combines silver tequila, bergamot, jasmine, fino sherry, and orange curaçao, while Hazelnut features rum, hazelnut, cocoa, amontillado sherry, green tea, spices, citrus, and clarified milk.
The Williams Pear highlights its namesake fruit with VSOP cognac, cocoa, vanilla milk, and verjus. Meanwhile, Golden Apple pairs sherry cask-aged whiskey with Golden apples, citrus, apple eau-de-vie, and spices.
The Final Trio of Creations
The menu concludes with three more stunning cocktails. Dill blends gin, verjus, absinthe, cucumber, and cumin for a unique herbal profile. Gin and verjus also shine in Grape, where they’re paired with tonic water, white grapes, and sage. Finally, Kaffir Leaves combines mezcal, Sauternes wine, dry vermouth, kaffir lime leaves, and lemon verbena tea.
With each drink expertly crafted to capture the essence of the season, Autumn Harvest is a masterclass in creativity and flavor, solidifying Les Ambassadeurs’ reputation as one of Paris’ top cocktail destinations.
Images courtesy of Les Ambassadeurs
