New York’s Finger Lakes can freeze in winter, but the region can also offer the allure of sunny Capri. Le Moné, a new Meyer lemon drink made in Hammondsport, NY, has enough bright, lemony flavor to cancel out winter. It is called an aperitif wine because the base alcohol is wine, from the Finger Lakes region of western New York. Eric Bachli, a former brewmaster at Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, teamed up with Max Nevins, also of Sixpoint Brewery, and Marissa Reiser, a sommelier, to create the appetizer. California brandy adds a kick to the 32-proof drink. Understated sweetness is provided by organic blue agave syrup from Mexico, and Meyer lemons, usually from a distillate that uses the peels, create the slightly bitter lemon profile. It’s soft yet refreshing on the rocks or in a spritz; it finds its calling added to dry gin, martini style with a twist. It has now been shipped to a handful of states, a list that will be expanded in the coming months.
Le Moné appetizer wine, $35, drinklemone.com.
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