There’s nothing quite like The Olympics to stir up patriotic spirit among friends getting together to watch their favourite sports. And this time around, at the 2024 Paris Games, women’s soccer will be high on the agenda, thanks to Canada’s golden victory in Tokyo. What will you serve the gathered fans? Beer? Wine? This is the Olympics! In Paris! A couple of rounds of chic cocktails, freshly prepared at strategic intervals during each 90-minute match, might be more à propos. What should those cocktails be? You could honour this year’s setting by fixing everyone a Parisian, a wonderful creation that was all the rage during the 1924 Olympics, also held in Paris. (Stir equal parts gin and dry French vermouth with a spoonful of crème de cassis, and garnish it with a lemon twist.) Or you can be more specific and flatter the national loyalties of your guests. We’ve chosen five of the countries that are serious contenders for the women’s soccer gold medal and selected a representative cocktail for each of them. Whether shaken, stirred or carefully built, these drinks will elevate the Olympic spirit, kindle the flame and make dreams of glory come true.
Watch the 2024 Summer Olympics on CBC Gem here.
The Brazilian Canary White Port Cocktail
“The Canaries,” or “As Canarinhas” in Portuguese, is the nickname of Brazil’s soccer team, whose shirts are canary yellow. The Canary cocktail is based on dry white port, a style pioneered by Taylor Fladgate in 1934 and now produced by many leading port houses. It’s relatively fresh and tangy for a port but still has some sweetness – characteristics that are amplified by the lemon and honey in this recipe. The cocktail must be shaken twice – once without ice (“dry shaking”) to better mix the egg white and honey and then again with ice to chill it all down. The mint leaves are a surprisingly meaningful component.
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The Colombia Flag Cocktail
The idea here is to build a layered cocktail that proudly mirrors the colours of the Colombian flag as well as those of the women’s soccer team’s kit, which is made up of yellow shirts, blue shorts and red socks. Layering requires a steady hand and relies on the difference in weight and viscosity of the liquids in the drink. Adding crushed ice or small ice cubes in separate stages helps keep the colours separate, but if the stripes do blur, it’s not the end of the world – the cocktail will still taste great. Aguardiente is Colombia’s own sugar-cane spirit, and it’s lightly flavoured with anise. Quality varies dramatically between brands (though Antioqueño is a good dry option), which is why this cocktail is usually made with vodka in North America.
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France’s classic Rose Cocktail
After the First World War, an irresistible tsunami of American cocktails and bar culture swept through Paris, though some citizens still clung to traditional aperitifs, such as the Vermouth Cassis (with or without soda water). Homegrown cocktails that combined the old school with the new also appeared, and chief among them was The Rose. Invented at the Chatham hotel on Rue Daunou, it became the charming star of the era known as ‘Les Années Folles,’ though the recipe never quite settled down. Sometimes gin replaced the kirsch or redcurrant syrup stepped in for cherry brandy, but invariably, the cocktail was pink and almost always had a generous measure of dry white vermouth to give it a complex herbal heart.
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Stars and Stripes All-American Cocktail
This modern cocktail’s moniker is also the nickname of the U.S. women’s soccer team, the most successful women’s squad in the sport’s history. The drink, happily, is far less intense than their rivalry with our Canadian team. Refreshing and fruity, it’s built around the pleasing flavour marriage of absinthe and blueberry, sharpened by lemon and sweetened by raspberry liqueur. (Beware the brands that imitate the taste of sour candy.) How much ginger beer you add to lengthen the cocktail is a matter of taste.
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Canada’s Toronto Rye Whisky Cocktail
Here’s a classic with roots in the 1920s, when it was known as a “Fernet Cocktail” and “much appreciated by the Canadians of Toronto,” as famed Belgian bartender Robert Vermeire affirmed in his classic book, Cocktails: How to Mix Them. Delicious enough to represent the whole country, our version soothes the rye whisky with mellow maple and then spikes it with the sharp bitterness of Fernet-Branca. Serve it stirred and strained into a Martini glass, or build it on the rocks in a tumbler, like an Old Fashioned. Either way, it offers convincing proof that there is more to Canadian mixology than the Caesar. We recommend using actual rye, such as Alberta Premium, rather than a typical blended Canadian whisky – its spicy edge adds an extra dimension to the drink.
