David Lebovitz podcast

A highlight of writing Drinking French was getting to meet, and highlight, some of my favorite creative people in Paris, and in France, who are part of the cocktail scene, which has rapidly expanded over the years, turning Paris into one of the world’s most exciting cocktail destinations.
Franck was one of the heroes in Drinking French, and as you can see in the video, there are more pictures of him in my book…than of me.
After working in an art gallery in Paris, Franck went on to work at the highly celebrated restaurant, Le Châteaubriand, where chef Inaki Aizpitarte was invigorating, and shaking up, the world of French cuisine. Franck saw how the world of cocktails was changing outside of France, and decided to delve into cocktails as well, creating cocktails that leaned into French spirits and ingredients.
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In his book, art, film, and Franck’s distinctive style intersect with his expertly made cocktails, which are deceptively simple. Most are careful revisions of classics such as the Tunnel, a reimagined Negroni served in a coupe glass. And his Yellow cocktail is a masterful mixture of Yellow Chartreuse, gin, lemon juice, and Suze gentian liqueur. (It’s one of my top three favorite cocktails of all time.)
What began as an extraordinarily charming (twenty-seat!) café tucked into a magnificent Hector Guimard Art Deco building, Cravan has extended to a four-story building in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where Franck invited me to stop by for a French 75 on a warm summer afternoon. It was cool perfection in a glass.
À santé!
French 75
Adapted from Cravan: Cocktails and More, Recipes from Paris
One cocktail
To make his interpretation of the French 75, Franck infuses London dry gin with agastache, known in English as dried anise hyssop. I’ve included the recipe for the infusion and the simple syrup after the cocktail recipe.
1 ounce (30ml) anise hyssop-infused London dry gin1/2 ounce (15ml) simple syrup1/2 ounce (15ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice1 dash of absintheLemon twistBrut (dry) champagne
Combine the gin, simple syrup, lemon juice, absinthe, and lemon twist in a cocktail shaker. Fill three-quarters full with ice. Cover and shake vigorously for two seconds. Double strain the mixture into a chilled coupe glass.
Top with champagne and serve.
-To make the anise hyssop-infused gin, mix 1 3/4 teaspoons (5g) dried anise hyssop flowers with 24 ounces (700g) London dry gin. Cover, shake gently, and refrigerate for 24 hours. Strain, then filter the gin through a premoistened paper filter, such as a coffee filter. Store refrigerated.
Dried anise hyssop, which is different than anise, can be found at herbalists and well-stocked natural food stores. A few places to get it online: Reverie Farm, The Herb Loft, and Etsy. I’ve not tried the cocktail without the infused gin but you could give it a go with uninfused London dry gin.
-To make the simple syrup, heat 3 ounces (90g) sugar with 3 ounces (90g) water over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
-A dash of absinthe adds a little je ne sais quoi to cocktails. Pastis and anisette have a similar flavor profile and you could use one of those, sparingly.



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Places mentioned in the video where I shopped: Miyam, Terroirs de Avenir, Pari Local and Leonie bakery…

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Get the Tapenade with fig recipe here:


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It’s been hotter than heck in Paris, and we’re in the midst of our third heatwave. One way our friends in Italy beat the heat (and get their coffee fix) is to make affogato, a dish of ice cream “drowned” in espresso, with liquor sometimes added, giving it an extra kick.
I met Margot Lecarpentier when writing my book, Drinking French. Margot is the owner and head bartender of Combat, one of my favorite cocktail bars in Paris, and she stopped by to make a spirited affogato for me, under the shade of our fig tree.
Affogato is often made with vanilla ice cream but Margot asked me to make a batch of chocolate sorbet, which was perfect with the mix of liquors she stirred up.
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The amaro Margot chose, Rabarbaro Nardini, which is made from rhubarb and has a husky flavor that works beautifully with the other ingredients. There are a lot of amaros/amari out there, and ones such as Fernet-Branca, Braulio, and Dell’Etna, have their own distinctive vegetal notes. You could use one of those, or whatever is available.
You can certainly change the other ingredients to your liking as well, such as swapping in amaretto for the coffee liqueur, or whiskey for the rum, although as I noted in the video, her recipe — as she made it — was truly the best affogato I’ve ever had.
[btw: In the video, you’ll notice some steam drifting across the table. That’s water for heating the ice cream scoop 😄, which helps make nicely-shaped scoops.]
Enjoy the affogato…and stay cool!

Affogato
Two regular servings, or one generous serving
In the video, we shared a generous scoop but you can use this recipe to make two individual portions; feel free to adjust quantities to your taste. Vanilla ice cream is the classic, but Margo thought it’d be fun to use my Chocolate sorbet, and her instincts were spot on.

3/4 ounce (20ml) of each; dark rum, amaro, and coffee liqueur
2 generous scoops, or several smaller scoops, of ice cream
2 shots of espresso

Mix together the rum, amaro and coffee liqueur in a small pitcher or measuring cup.
Put a scoop, or several scoops, of ice cream in two separate ice cream dishes.
Divide the liquor mixture over the two portions of ice cream and add a shot of espresso to each one.
Want more chocolate? Check out my new book: The Great Book of Chocolate!



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I met Carlos Moreno when he was delivering taco kits during the pandemic, when we all wanted to eat “out,” but were stuck eating in. Prior to that period Mexican food wasn’t well represented in Paris. (A lesser-known fact is that France tried to colonize Mexico twice in the mid-1800s.) I loved Carlos’ food and we had a few nice conversations on the sidewalk when he made his deliveries.
Since then he’s gone on to open his own restaurant in Paris, Comer. As I mention in the video, you might not think you want to go to a Mexican restaurant in Paris, but I can assure you that yes, you do. It’s really, really good.
His cooking is based in traditional Mexican fare with lively moles and amazing salsas, as well as a menu that changes based on the season and what’s available, which includes tostadas with raw tuna crudo, peas and citrus, tacos with pork al pastor, a mille-feuille of fresh tomatoes with housemade salsa macha, and a truly melt-in-your-mouth horneado of beef. One item on the dessert menu that’s a particular favorite are his mole brownies, which are slightly spicy, and served with a vanilla atole sauce and mezcal.
I was happy that when I asked Carlos to stop by and make his famous brownies with me, he said yes. We didn’t make the vanilla atole sauce (you can find my recipe here), which he spikes with mezcal at Comer, but the brownies were delicious all on their own. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them!
And if you’re in Paris, Comer is some of the best Mexican food you’ll ever have, anywhere.
Comer96 rue d’Hauteville (10th)Paris
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