Skin & Bones @ Pour Vous, June in January

June in January

I joined HC and Fiona at Pour Vous for a tasting of specialty Esprit de June cocktails by Bar Manager Francois Vera. 

Cocktails:

Fleur de Vigne

1. Fleur de Vigne - G'Vine Gin, lemon juice, Esprit de June liqueur, grenadine
2. The Diamond - G'Vine Gin, Esprit de June, Reagan's orange bitters 
   Everyone loved this
3. Vine 75 - G'Vine Gin, Esprit de June, lemon juice, Cremant Brut 
   A take on a French 75.  Great for brunch. 
4. Banjo - bourbon, Esprit de June, Reagan's orange bitters  
   HC asked for June with a dark spirit.  A surprisingly good combination. 

Not only does Esprit de June add a light touch of sweetness to cocktails, but it also tastes lovely on its own.  Made with the vine-flowers of Ugni Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the liqueur does, as Natalie put it, taste like Paris. 


Skin & Bones

It's exciting to see something as uncommon as a suitcase drum and even more exciting when the band that uses it does not suck.  Sounding a little Johnny Cash and a little Mumford & Sons, the talented duo of Skin & Bones consisted of Peter Blackwelder on electric fiddle and Taylor Borsuk on guitar, vocals, and suitcase drum (yes, all at the same time!).  Borsuk's husky voice eclipsed his youthful 21 years.  Electric violin in a band is nothing new, but Blackwelder shredded his violin with solos meant for an electric guitar. Impressive.  When I asked how they were introduced to the music of Johnny Cash (whom they covered that night), Blackwelder said with a smile, "We have very old parents."