From sushi to lemonade, a sizzling splash of ginger makes just about everything better. Which is why the introduction of Canton, a luscious new blend of Vietnamese ginger and French cognac, seems like such a canny move. The brainchild of John Cooper – scion of the family that introduced Chambord and Jacquin’s liqueurs to the U.S. – this new elixir takes its inspiration from recipes of the European aristocracy of French Indochina in the mid-19th century.
What’s remarkable about Canton is that it’s almost impossible to turn it into something that doesn’t taste wonderful. Since the formula includes Tahitian vanilla, orange-blossom honey and cane sugar, it’s sweet, but not so much that it’s not tasty sipped neat or over ice. Add soda, vodka, cola, fruit juice – pretty much anything that goes with ginger – and you’ve got a cocktail that will beguile and impress.
Canton suggests an “Indochine Martini” that mixes equal parts liqueur and vodka with a splash of pineapple juice and a candied-ginger garnish. But I imagine that, like Chambord, Canton would perfectly accent even vanilla ice cream.
Bonus: Its bamboo-shoot-shaped bottle will also flair to any bar.
Canton ginger and cognac liqueur, $29, available
at Morrell, 1 Rockefeller Plaza (212) 688-9370, morellwine.com, and Union Square Wines and Spirits, 140 Fourth Ave., (212) 675-8100, unionsquarewines.com