I was today years old when I learned that Emma Watson’s family had a “rich history of winemaking.” Domaine Watson in Burgundy, France is apparently where my childhood hero spent her summers. (The Hollywood Reporter)
“I was clearly a Burgundian soul who had the misfortune to be born in England,” said Watson’s father, Chris, who purchased the family vineyard in 1991, and last year Watson and her brother, Alex, started their own gin brand, Renais, which just became available in the United States. Distilled from upcycled wine grapes using the family’s surplus, “Renais” is “derived from ‘renaissance,’ meaning ‘rebirth’ in French.”
“When I realized that all of this love and care and attention is going into growing the grapes…and they would press them and discard them…I was like, ‘That doesn’t seem right,’” said Alex Watson. So, they “collect the leftover grape skins, ferment them and then distill the alcohol from that organic material,” resulting in what they describe as a “soft and approachable” flavor.
Um, yum? Alex says he drinks it neat over ice (respect) but Emma has a signature cocktail, The Emma Spritz that I’ll definitely be trying, and not just because it has my name in it (though that helps). The Emma Spritz consists of:
-A glass with ice
-about 1 ounce of Renais Gin (she had it in ML but who is really measuring that, so I’m converting for you and rounding)
-about half an ounce of dry white wine
-about half an ounce of Elderflower liqueur (preferably St. Germain in my house)
-about half an ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice
-“2 dashes” of Suze Gentian Liqueur, so, you know, just a plop (Suze is my favorite summer spirit but she seems to be using it like you would bitters? Maybe that’s a British thing)
-and top it off with soda water
You can watch her make it in this video for British Vogue, in which she’s even less detailed about measurements and just kinda eyeballing it, my kind of bartending!
So, what I’ve learned from this is that Emma Watson is a professional drinker (speaking from experience), and she’s just like us (likes to get a buzz on in the summer with a strong little spritz). The regular bottle clocks in at $65 and the special edition bottle with “summer artwork” at $80, so I will probably be making this lovely spritz with something cheaper, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
