Happy Hour Tuesday: Amerouge

Happy Hour Tuedsay!

Italy marries Brazil in this week’s cocktail called Amerouge, which features among its ingredients Campari bitter -which at this point we all know what it is, right?- and Cachaça, a distilled spirit made from sugarcane. Cachaça originated in Portugal where it was made up until the 16th century when its production moved to Brazil. Similar to rum, cachaça can be unaged or aged, and today it’s most known in countries outside of Brazil as one of the main ingredients for Caipirinha.
Sweet, smoky, with hints of fruit and spices, cachaça is the yang to the Campari yin: together they balance each other in a bittersweet symphony of smooth, citrusy blend.

Orange juice, mango and a splash of Rometti limoncello contribute to make Amerouge the perfect, exotic aperitif that couldn’t open up our Spring 2014 Happy Hour Tuesday series in any fresher way. Consume preferably ice cold and in company of some good friends.

Ingredients:
1 1⁄2 oz Cachaça
1 oz Campari
1 1⁄2 oz Orange Juice
1 1⁄2 oz Mango Juice
1/2 oz Rometti Limoncello
1/2 Fresh Lemon Juice
3 oz Tonic Water

Mix juices, Rometti Limoncello and cachaça in a shaker with some ice cubes. Shake well until chilled and pour over a glass with some crushed ice. Add Campari, stir gently. Fill up with Tonic Water and add a slice of orange to garnish.

~Enjoy!

Happy Hour Tuesday: The Paradiso

Rometti Limoncello Happy Hour Tuesday The Paradiso

Happy Hour Tuesday!

if there is something that a bartender should know is how to make delicious cocktails that can turn the worst day into a good day. If you can poetically combining alcohol and ingredients in fact, in order to create a subliminal savory drink, every sip becomes a heavenly warmth that embraces you.

This week Rometti would like to cheer to all of those bartenders that put their soul into mixing, shaking, and serving with a smile on their face. We know it’s not easy, especially when across the bar you never know who is waiting for one of your creations, whether it is the old neighbor that lives down the street or a drunk crazy lady/man that entertains friends and strangers with made up stories.

The drink we selected for this week is called The Paradiso, where “the” stands for the Italian article “il” (may you or may not know that Italians love to put articles in front of names!). Sophisticated  in his fruity hints of berries and zesty aromas, The Paradiso is another Italian cocktail statement that combines Campari, orange juice and limoncello. Salute!

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 oz. orange vodka

-1/2 oz. Rometti Limoncello

– 1/2 oz. Campari

– 1 oz. fresh orange juice

– Dried cranberries for garnish 

Combine all ingredients except the drired cranberries in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. If desired, garnish with dried cranberries, either skewered on a cocktail spear or floated on the drink.

~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!

Happy Hour Tuesday: Limoncello Negroni

Happy Hour Tuesday!

Back in 1919 Count Camillo Negroni asked Caffe’ Casoni (now Caffe’ Cavalli)’s bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to prepare him a cocktail similar to the Americano but with more gin than soda water. They didn’t know right away that in the bar in Florence would have become the birthplace of a popular drink called Negroni, in honor of the homonymous Count. Almost a century later, here we are introducing a variation of the cocktail called Limoncello Negroni.
The traditional Negroni, still very popular in Italy, is an aperitif made with gin, vermouth rosso and bitter, usually Campari. Vermouth and dry wine are often common ingredients of aperitifs as they are served before a meal in order to stimulate one’s appetite.
The addition of Rometti Limoncello to the traditional ingredients for Negroni subdues the bitterness of Campari, while it increases the sweetness of vermouth and smoothens its taste. Also, limoncello combined with the sharp flavor of gin increases the refreshing taste yet it adds warmth to every sip.
Ordered straight up in a Martini glass, Limoncello Negroni is the perfect fancy drink to savor till the last drop before a tasty, Italian style dinner.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1 1/2 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz Rometti Limoncello
Orance slice or twist for garnish

Pour vermouth, Campari, gin and Rometti Limoncello in a mixer half filled with ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

~Enjoy!

Top 10 Most Interesting Limoncello Facts

1.  Lemons are nature’s top source of citric acid, a life essential found in the cells of all living creatures. 2.  Limoncello is one of the most popular liqueurs in Italy. (Other popular liqueurs are Sambuca, Campari, Amaretto.) 3.  Christopher …

Happy Hour Tuesday: Dry Lemon

Happy Hour Tuesday is back, after a couple of weeks in Italy!
While there, we experienced the joy of dining with friends and family, and what other digestif would have been the perfect way of ending our Italian Summer nights but limoncello?

This week we would like to enlighten you with a cocktail recipe that we savored just recently, Dry Lemon.
Other than Campari and Rometti Limoncello, which you should all now be familiar with, we introduce Angostura, which is a concentrated bitter made of water, alcohol, gentian root and vegetable extracts. Although a German Surgeon General came up with the recipe, Angostura takes its name after a town in Venezuela where the ingredients were easily available. Believed to have restorative properties, Angostura seems to be great to cure hiccups and upset stomach!
In addition to Angostura, Dry Lemon uses also the British Tanqueray Gin (from Charles Tanqueray, its first distiller), a London dry gin made of double distilled grain.

Dry Lemon is a dry, refreshing cocktail which will both quench your thirst and satisfy your tasting buds!

Ingredients:

1/4 Rometti Limoncello

1/4 Campari bitter

a few drops of Angostura

2/4 Tanqueray Gin

1 Lemon wedge

Add Rometti Limoncello, Campari, a few drops of Angostura and Tanqueray gin into a cocktail shaker filled with some ice cubes. Shake well and pour into a glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

ENJOY!~
Recipe courtesy of DBRicette.

Happy Hour Tuesday: Italian Sunrise

Happy Tuesday everyone!

We hope you all had a great weekend and got to spend some time with your Moms, with whom hopefully you got to enjoy some Lemon Bacca Baci drink as we suggested last Tuesday 🙂

This week we celebrate one of the most popular drinks that use limoncello, the colorful Italian Sunrise. Preferably served in an ice cold highball glass, this cocktail with its warm red and yellow tones that playfully blend in as on a painted canvas reminds of a beautiful sunrise over the Tuscan hills.

The unmistakable bittersweetness of Campari offsets the sweetness of the orange juice with Rometti limoncello, and adds a pleasant herbal aroma that goes so well with the sweet and sour from the citrusy mix of oranges and lemons.

Whether it’s raining outside or the sun is shining, you won’t help but smiling while sipping on your tasteful Italian Sunrise!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 oz Vodka

3/4 oz Campari

1/4 oz Rometti Limoncello

3/4 oz Orange juice

3/4 oz Sweet and sour

This couldn’t be easier! Shake the ingredients and stir into a cold highball glass. If you like you can add a cherry on top or a lemon spiral to garnish.

ENJOY ~

Happy Hour Tuesday: Campari Smash

Hello Everyone!

I’m proud to introduce  Happy Hour Tuesday, our weekly review of drinks, cocktails, shots, punches, aperitifs.

This week we picked Campari Smash, the perfect mixture of bitterness and sweetness, tanginess and freshness that come together in this appealing cocktail. As the name suggests, the main ingredient is Campari, an Italian aperitif that has been around since the 1860s and is obtained from the infusion of fruit and herbs with alcohol and water. The herbal essences give that sharp bitterness that is typical of Campari and other bitters, which make them suitable both as a predinner  aperitif mixed with other ingredients, and as digestifs.

There are quite a few different recipes for Campari Smash, we would like to share with you the one that uses Limoncello, which adds a hint of sweetness to the astringent taste of Campari, creating a savory, zesty, harmonic blend. With every sip, alone or in good company, Campari Smash with its warm, distinctive, red color will bring a little bit of Summer all year long!

Ingredients (as given by Forbes.com that in 2006 classified Campari Smash among the  Ten Cool Summer Cocktails):

4 lemon wedges, seeds removed if possible
1 1/4 ounces Campari
3/4 ounces Rometti Limoncello

Muddle the lemons in a shaker. Add Campari and Rometti Limoncello. Shake lightly. Serve in a rocks glass.

ENJOY!