Happy Hour: How to Make the Pegu Club's French Pearl Cocktail

We've partnered with Simmer, a new app that allows you to generate step-by-step recipe videos that you can create, watch, and share from your very own kitchen. In the coming weeks and months, we'll continue sharing instructional videos that will teach you how to create tantalizing dishes from JBF Award winners, Beard House chefs, and even Beard himself, all prepared in James Beard's historic New York City kitchen.

With a name as elegant as the French Pearl, you know the origins of this storied beverage must be steeped in history and opulence. This invigorating libation is a tribute to the Beaux-Arts Neoclassical architectural movement of the late 1800s in France, an era in which sipping pastis was quite fashionable. The “pearl” here refers to the visual opacity of the drink, an effect referred to as “louching,” which naturally occurs when any anise-flavored liqueur or spirit meets water.

Crafted by Audrey Saunders from New York City's JBF Award–nominated Pegu Club, this sophisticated and herbaceous cocktail made from gin, Pernod, fresh mint, lime juice, and cane syrup is almost enough to transport us back to the 19th century. Learn how to make one for yourself in the video below, as our director of house operations and events Victoria Jordan Rodriguez invites you to take a sip back in time.