Happy Hour Tuesday: Rometti Aviation

Happy Hour Tuesday!

What do Time Square and Hugo Ensslin have in common? The answer comes in a martini glass and is dearly loved by all the cocktail enthusiast in the world: it’s Aviation, a gin based cocktail that traces back to the era of airshows and flight races. Aviation is “from the ’20s, and tastes like spring”, as The Blacklist‘s character Raymond Reddington states during a dinner with FBI agent Elizabeth Keen.

Made with dry gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur and Creme de Violette, the first recipe for Aviation appears in Ensslin’s 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks. Later on in 1930 another version of Aviation appears in the well-known Savoy Cocktail Book, this time without the Creme de Violette. The distinguishing blue/purple color given by such ingredient was now gone, and became impossible to replicate once Creme de Violette completely disappeared from the market shelves in the ’60s, slowly leading Aviation to the oblivion. Only in 2007 Rothman and Winter reintroduced Creme de Violette in the United States, and the past seven years have brought the original Aviation back onto out cocktail lists!

Although many of you might still stick to the recipe without the Creme de Violette, Rometti Limoncello feels like it’s necessary to include it in the ingredients of our Rometti Aviation version: the floral taste and sky color make Aviation a unique, mysterious drink that seems to take us back to the sophistication of those year.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Aviation American Gin
1 tsp Crème de violette
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Freshly pressed lemon juice
1/4 oz Rometti Limoncello

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well, strain into a well-chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with brandied cherry, or a slice of lemon if you prefer.

~Enjoy!

 

Image from 2eat2drink.com

FridayLicious: Limoncello Cheesecake

Thank God It’s Friday… Thank God It’s Delicious!

Do you enjoy savoring a slice of cake with your coffee but don’t enjoy so much baking? Or, unfortunately for your husband and little ones, you would bake everything you could but your relationship with the oven is a love-hate affair that tends to lean a little bit more towards the “hate’? This Friday Rometti Limoncello has a delicious recipe for you that does not require baking: Limoncello Cheesecake. Well, there is a little baking, but it consists in only letting the crust sit!

Cheesecakes are very popular in the United States. If you ask around, some people will even tell you that Cheesecakes are an American invention, which is partially true and partially not. Believe it or not, the ancient Greek were already mastering the art of Cheesecakes, although at the time Cheesecakes were used for religious uses and had a very different taste. It took the introduction in 1872 of American cream cheese to develop the modern Cheesecake we all so love today. And once again, like for other cooking ingredients, cream cheese was nothing less than a mistake! In fact a dairyman called William Lawrence  from Chester, NY,  is the one to claim for such a popular dairy ingredient which he accidentally made while he was trying to reproduce the French Neufchatel cheese. Mr. Lawrence was the founder of Philadelphia brand Cream Cheese. The rest is history.

Just FYI shall you want to make this Limoncello Cheesecake a little more Italian-style, you can substitute cream cheese with ricotta.

Ingredients:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter – melted
8 ounces cream cheese – softened
8 ounces frozen whipped topping – thawed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup Rometti Limoncello

Preheat oven oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Stir together crust ingredients. Press firmly and evenly in bottom of pie plate.
Bake 9 minutes. Cool 20 minutes.
In the bowl of your mixer, beat cheesecake ingredients on medium speed until smooth; spoon over crust.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

~Enjoy!
Recipe and image copyright of Paula Jones with Bellalimento

Happy Hour Tuesday: Italian Fizz

Happy Hour Tuesday!

Today is la festa del papa‘ – Father’s Day- in Italy, as it falls on the same day of Saint Joseph’s Day. In consideration of such great celebration Rometti selected a drink made with ingredients such as Rye whiskey, port and, of course, limoncello: Italian Fizz.

Aged for a minimum of two years in charred, new oak barrels, Rye whiskey is distilled from at least 51% rye (a type of grass similar to barley and wheat). Dry, peppery and with notes of walnut, rye whiskey marries well with Tawny Port, a nutty, woody and dry dessert-wine made with grapes from Portugal fortified in grape neutral spirit aged for 10 years or more in porous wooden casks. The cozy, mellow taste of the two dry ingredients harmonically contrasts with awakening, bittersweet flavor of Rometti Limoncello.

Whether or not you are celebrating paternal bonds today, Italian Fizz is a modern drink to enjoy with your Father any time of the year!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 ounce Taylor-Fladgate 10 year old Tawny Port
3/4 ounces fresh lemon juice
3/4 Rometti Limoncello
the white of one egg (optional)
Club soda
Ice

Combine ingredients but ice and soda in a shaker and shake well. Add ice and shake again for 10 more seconds, then strain into a highball glass with 2 ice cubes. Add chilled club soda and stir gently.

~Enjoy!

Image from http://www.foodrepublic.com, Bryan Quinn

FridayLicious: Rometti Limoncello Pound Cake

FridayLicious was delayed this week but,Thank God It’s Delicious!

We all grew up with Pound Cakes throughout our childhood, and personally, I still consider it one of my favorite treats. The simplicity of its ingredients (flour, butter, eggs and sugar) make Pound Cake a simple, versatile type of dessert, loved by both the little ones and grown-ups. Using one pound of each ingredient (from here the name Pound Cake), anyone can adventure in this baking experience and turn out victorious, even those who, well, don’t exactly master the art of cooking.

Pound Cake seems to have Northern European origins (some say British) that date back to the 1700s, and appears for the first time as a recipe listed in a cookbook in the 1796 American Cookery: or, The Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry and Vegetables, and the Best Modes of Making Puff-pastes, Pies, Tarts, Puddings, Custards and Preserves, and all kinds of Cakes, from the Imperial Plumb to plain Cake by Amelia Simmons, and published in the United States. Pound Cakes were already popular way before though, as they trace back to the Egyptians and, later, Medieval Times, when they were made similarly to bread with the addition of honey, nuts and dried fruits.

Today baking powder is also used in the recipe to make Pound Cake lighter and stir away from the bread-consistency, while yoghurt is often a great (and healthier!) substitute for butter.

Last year we were honored to be featured in the Rometti Limoncello Pound Cake by Chef Larry at Whitehall Lane Winery. It’s the perfect, light, zesty pound cake to enjoy as a snack in the afternoon, with tea or some Rometti Limoncello. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

11⁄2 C cake flour
11⁄2 t baking powder
1⁄2 t baking soda
3⁄4 t salt
3⁄4 C unsalted butter (11⁄2 sticks), room temperature
11⁄4 C sugar
1 C plain Greek yogurt
3 eggs
1 T vanilla extract
2 T + 4 T Rometti Limoncello
Zest of one lemon

For the Glaze:
3⁄4 C confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
4 T Rometti Limoncello

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter, dust it with flour, and tap to knock out the excess. In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, yogurt and sugar on medium speed until smooth and light, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons of limoncello, lemon zest, and mix well. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients to combine them, scrape down sides of the bowl, and beat batter for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top. Give the pan a few gentle whacks on the counter to remove any air pockets. Bake cake for 15 minutes, then turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even browning. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking until the cake springs back lightly when touched, the sides have begun to pull away from the pan, and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 to 35 minutes more. Drizzle the remaining 4 tablespoons of limoncello over cake. Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then carefully invert it onto the rack to cool completely. To make glaze, mix together the confectioner’s sugar with the limoncello until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake.
If you would like to see the whole recipe book you can click here.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Larry at Whitehall Lane Winery
Image © Franck Schmitt/Oredia/Corbis

Happy Hour Tuesday: Pear Lemon Fizz

Happy Hour Tuesday!

If there is one fruit that is usually underrated, well.. That is Pear! Apples, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries always grab people’s attention, while this pulpy fruit that becomes ripe towards the end of summer and beginning of fall seems to make no noise. But, believe it or not, pears with their subtle, earthy skin color, definitively less bright than all of their fellow fruits, are actually one of the world’s healthiest foods! Rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and apparently even anti-cancer nutrients, pears also help maintaining good glucose levels. Yep, pears basically seem to cover everything, from a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, to heart disease, and ultimately, reduced cancer risk.

This week we decided to give some well-deserved spotlight to this underdog fruit. Before today is over, I bet you are all going to make a quick stop to the grocery store to buy some delicious, succulent pears. You might also want to get some more ingredients (in case you didn’t have all of them) to make a bubbly Pear Lemon Fizz!

Ingredients:
Ice cubes
1/2 oz pear vodka
3/4 to 1 oz Rometti Limoncello
A splash of fresh lemon juice
Champagne, for topping off (about 1/2 cup)
A slice of pear

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka, Rometti Limoncello and a splash of fresh lemon juice. Shake well and strain into a glass. Top off with Champagne. Garnish with a slice of pear, or a lemon wedge.

~Enjoy!

Image from http://www.pinterest.com/pin/14847873741711341/

Happy Hour Tuesday Valentine’s Day Special: Blushing Sparkler

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is the sweetest day of the year, the day when if you have a husband/wife or a boyfriend/girlfriend, or simply a friend that cares about you, you might get a box of chocolate that symbolizes the three words that everyone longs to hear: I love you. It’s time to celebrate!
Rometti Limoncello has found for you a special recipe for such a special day, Blushing Sparkler.

Sweet and sour, definitively fruity and bubbly, Blushing Sparkler is perfectly in theme with Valentine’s Day, and – open your ears my friends!- if you choose a zero calorie flavored sparkling water, you might feel less guilty for all that chocolate that you will have eaten before the end of the day! Not to mention that a flavor such as Pink Grapefruit or Raspberries is simply perfect for such a romantic day!

Ingredients:
1 oz whipped vodka
4 oz Cascade Ice Pink Grapefruit
1/4 oz Rometti Limoncello
ice
Lemon wedge to garnish

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice pour vodka, sparkling water, and Rometti Limoncello. Shake well and pour in a chilled glass. Garnish with lemon wedges.

~Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Cascade Ice Sparkling Water

Happy Hour Tuesday: Kiwi Lemon Kwencher

Happy Hour Tuesday!

One of the best fruits that unbelievably work well with limoncello is kiwi. Kiwis are egg-sized fruit with a fuzzy brown skin and a bright green pulpy texture, speckled with rows of edible black seeds. Soft and with a slightly acidic flavor, kiwis are at the top of the nutritional fruit diet, as they contain the highest amount of vitamins and minerals compared to other fruits. Natural sources of folate and potassium, kiwis should be particularly present in everyone’s diet since they can provide us with antioxidants and improve our immune system.

Kiwi Lemon Kwencher is a refreshing cocktail that mixes up Brut sparkling wine, St Germain, club soda, limoncello and of course kiwi. The result is a colorful and delicious cocktail that pairs well with any vegetable, especially zucchini, and fish.

Ingredients:

Half a ripe kiwi, peeled
0.5 oz St-Germain
0.75 oz Rometti Limoncello
Club soda
3 to 4 oz Brut sparkling wine

Muddle the kiwi in a shaker, fill with ice. Add all the ingredients but club soda, and shake until chilled. Add a splash of club soda, strain into a cocktail glass, and top with sparkling wine. Use a kiwi slice to garnish.

~Enjoy!

image from http://www.liqueur.com

Happy Hour Tuesday: Charlie Chaplin

Happy Hour Tuesday!

This week we found an excellent, fruity drink that takes us back to the 1920s, and it’s from the 1920s’ irreplaceable actor with mustaches, hat and cane, that it takes the name after. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to Charlie Chaplin!

Charlie Chaplin – the drink, not the person!- was made prior to 1920’s and it became the Wastorf-Astoria signature of those years when silent movies started to break out. The original drink is made by equal parts of apricot brandy, sloe gin and lemon juice, however to add some zesty flavor and a  little kick, we substituted the 1 oz lemon juice with 1/4 oz Rometti Limoncello and 3/4 lemon juice.

Almost as sweet as the slapstick acrobat that made generations laugh for decades, Charlie Chaplin is a blend of fruity, earthy and citrusy notes, delightful as after dinner.

Ingredients:
1 oz gin
1 oz apricot brandy
1/4 oz Rometti Limoncello
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake all the ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a sliver of lemon zest and serve.

~Enjoy!

Fridaylicious: Limoncello Macarons

Thank God It’s Friday… Thank God It’s Sweet!

Welcome to Rometti Limoncello’s new blog Fridaylicious focusing on the use of Limoncello for culinary purposes. Yes, Limoncello is not good only by itself or as ingredient for flavory cocktails, but it can also be used in cooking, especially with desserts! We hope you will enjoy such a delicious Friday blog to end your working week on a high note and start your weekend in the sweetest way!

For our first Fridaylicious entry we couldn’t help but picking a classic dessert, a pearl of French cooking: Limoncello Macarons AKA Meyer Lemon Macarons with Lemon Curd and Blackberry-Thyme-Limoncello Jam.

Macarons come in quite a big variety of colors and flavors, they consist of a meringue-like cookies with a soft cream sandwiched in between. The colors often suggests the flavor, and they are extremely pleasant to present!

We found this amazing recipe posted by Mardi Michels on her food blog Eat. Live. Travel. Write. If happiness comes in small quantities, Mardi’s recipe will deliver it under the resemblance of sweet, chewy little bites!  These macarons made with the addition of Rometti Limoncello will brighten up your parties, receptions, bridal showers, and will be a tasty, buds-blowing gift for friends and family!

Ingredients:

For the Meringue (French Method):
1 3/4 cups + 2 1/2 tablespoons of almond flour
1 3/4 cups of powdered sugar
6 egg whites
1 cup + 3 tablespoonsof granulated sugar
2/3 cup water
yellow colored paste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl sift together almond flour and powdered sugar. Mix it together and add 3 egg whites in it. With a spatula stir it until it becomes a thick almond paste.
In a small saucepan combine granulated sugar with water on a medium-low heat. It needs to become a syrup, once it reaches 248 F take it off the stove.
Take the remaining 3 eggwhites and whisk them into a mixing bowl until they softens up. At that point pour in the syrup down the side and continue whisking for 2-5 minutes until stiff and glossy. Add a pea-size of yellow colored paste.
Finally, mix in the meringue with your almond powder mixture and fold it in until the meringue forms a thick and uniform texture.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch #4 round tip, and fill with batter. Pipe 1-inch disks onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. The batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a soft skin forms on the tops of the macaroons and the shiny surface turns dull, about 15 minutes.

Bake, with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macaroons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macaroons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macaroons from the parchment. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

ps: if you, like me, need a sylicon baking mat, Mastrad offers a whole kit for Macarons-aspiring-chefs: get your Mastrad macaron baking set here!

For the Curd (Recipe from the Flavor Forecast):
9 eggyolks
2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice
1/4 cup Rometti Limoncello
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, cold cut into tbsp pieces

For the Meyer Lemon Curd, mix egg yolks, Meyer lemon juice, Limoncello liqueur and granulated sugar in large heavy saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Whisking constantly, cook on medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until curd is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter, one piece at a time. Spoon into large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight until chilled and set.

For blackberry with Limoncello and thyme (recipe author: Mardi Michels):
1/2 cups blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Rometti Limoncello
2 tsp dried lemon thyme (or 1 tsp finely chopped thyme and 1 tsp Meyer lemon zest)

Combine blackberries, sugar, Limoncello, thyme and zest in a medium heavy saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until the blackberries begin to soften a little.
Use a wooden spoon or a potato masher to break up the fruit.
Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture begins to thicken, about 30 minutes.
The jam won’t be as firm as you think it should be but it will definitely firm up once it cools down.

Once everything is ready, pair up the meringues and lightly spread on the flat side of each some of the lemon curd. On only one side add a pea-size worth of blackberry jam, put the two meringues together and here you go: you have made your first Limoncello Macaron!

~Enjoy!

Top 15 Bottles for the Ultimate Home Bar / Cocktail Party

I recently held a large cocktail party with an open bar and was overwhelmed at the prospect of getting all the famed cocktails covered, and while I over spent in the process I now see sticking to the classic categories of alcohol can be truly versatile.  One disclaimer, I have some preferred brands based on my own experience, do what works for you, and your budget. If anything this could be a good guide to get you on your way.  Also build this up over time.  I once had a collection of 20+ vodkas i bought slowly over the course of a year, when a New Years Party was in the works I had quite the ultimate vodka tasting (not recommend by the way unless you have Excedrin on hand).  That said, have fun with it, try a few key cocktails at a time and build up your core ingredients and special recipes.  You can even work through our Happy Hour Tuesday  section of our blog to get some great cocktail ideas, most of which you can make using this list.

Once you make your grocery list, please share your best and or worst cocktail bar experience!

Here are the must haves / Top 15 Bottles for the Ultimate Home Bar or Cocktail Party:

1. Ketel One (Vodka)  $24
2. Highland Park 12 yr (Single Malt Scotch)  $45
3. Macallan 12 yr. (Single Malt Scotch) $90
4. Beefeater (Dry Gin) $16
5. Bombay Sapphire (Gin) $30
6. Wild Turkey (Bourbon) $18
7. Cazadores Blanco (Tequila) $20
8. Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum (Dark Rum) $16
9. Havana Club (Anejo Rum) $15
10. Rometti Limoncello (Lemon Liqueur)  $24
11. Cointreu (Orange Liqueur)  $35
12. Grand Marnier (Orange Liqueur)  $34
13. Compari (Red Bitters)  $24
14. Angosture (Bitters) $10
15. Martini (Dry Vermouth) $10

Mixers:

Soda, Sprite, Tonic, Cola, Orange –Cranberry- Tomato- Pineapple Juice, homemade simple syrup.

Garnishes:

Cocktail Olives, Limes, Lemons, Oranges, Other exotic fruits, Sugar, Salt, Pepper.

Vodka: While true mixoglist will say vodka is an excuse to not be creative, I say if its good for Bond its good for me, thus I default to one of the better vodka’s out there Ketel One.

Scotch: This is the break the bank section of your bar set up however for any true enthusiast a nice singe malt is a must. I’ve included two in my top 15 selections for good reason. The Highland Park is a good value ($45 for a 12 yr) and it’s spice notes work well as part of creative cocktails such as a London Sour.  There are a lot of incredible scotches out there but you also need one neat, not to be messed with…Macallan is a very nice smooth all-around scotch.

Gin: I’ve also broken this up into two bottles as well, Beefeater is cheaper and works well in cocktails as it has a nice baseline in flavor without getting a lot of the floral notes. Bombay on the other hand is much more complex and is your default to a good classic gin martini.

Bourbon: Unless you’re set up in West Texas, Bourbon neat may not be your most popular request, however its imperative in many cocktails.  Wild Turkey is a great low cost option.

Tequila:  There’s a lot of great sipper Tequila’s out there i.e 1942, however your average Margarita lover wont know the difference from Don John, to Don Julio.  I find that Cazadores is a great tasting tequila that can be used in many forms without Don Julio rolling in his grave.

Rum: is broken up into two bottles one a spiced rum, another Anejo or aged rum which carries a stronger flavor but generally smooth.  While I’ve added Havana Club to the list, for our US readers you wont find this on any shelves here, so Sailor Jerry’s is a great choice.

Lemon Liqueur:  Rometti Limoncello lives two lives, one is a stand alone liqueur celebrated by great Italian heritage, the other one of the most versatile liqueurs for cocktails out there.  From adding a twist, or freshly squeezed lemons, or citrus.  Limoncello is the answer, and of course Rometti Limoncello is one of the best-handcrafted 100% natural limoncello’s you can find commercially in the US.

Orange Liqueur: Two of the best brands here are incredible compliments to cocktails, Cointreu and Grand Marnier.  Countreu is a great additive if you don’t want to over sweeten the cocktail while still giving it a nice citrus balance.  Grand Marnier on the other hand is about twice as sweet, so for the right combination this can smooth things out nicely.

Bitters: I think bitters are making a come back as the mixology trend is at its peak right now.  Compari is a red bitters one of the most traditionally used in Italy and is quite refreshing. Angosture is your true cocktail bitters and one of the best I’ve tried.

Vermouth: While there are many choices here Martini is widely used, and is key for your Martini’s, Manhattans, Negroni among others.

Whats your best and or worst cocktail bar experience?

CHEERS!