Tribute to a King – Paul Bara Brut Reserve

This is actually the last drink I mixed in our old apartment. Yet, I was not happy with the pictures I took in a hurry. So, I remixed the drink and also used the chance to present you a tasty champagne.

For the Brut Reserve Paul Bara use 80 % pinot noir and 20 % chardonnay grapes. Half of the cuvee comes from reserve wines. In the end, the champagne is bottled with a Dosagé of 7 g / l and at an ABV of 12,5 %.

Red Apples

I do like a high percentage of pinot noir in sparkling wines. So, it does not come as a surprise, that I enjoyed the Paul Bara Brut Reserve very much. The champagne starts with a touch of citrus before the yeast notes take over. Yet, the most prominent flavour for me a ripe red apples and other meadow orchard fruits.

Inspired by…

Well, I actually do not know what inspired me to combine those flavours. I just had bourbon and a homemade plum jam on hand and thought that some bubbles would work great here. This is why I took a basic sour recipe, used the jam as a sweetener and topped everything of with champagne. To be honest, I also added a bit of simple syrup to balance everything out .

The drink starts with a great combination of bourbon and plum jam flavours. The cinnamon also shines through slightly. The champagne gives the drink a luxurious feeling. Like always when mixing with jam the drink has a silky mouthfeel, too. Yes, I know the flavours of the cocktail better suit the colder times of the year, but in total this also was a more than enjoyable sip in early summer!

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The champagne was provided by Champagne Characters.