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: Tuscan Rosemary Lemon Drop

Happy Hour Tuesday!

as the countdown to Summer gets shorter – as a matter of fact Memorial Day is next week!- this week we chose another drink that tastes fresh, zesty, yet pungent but extremely earthly aromatic: Tuscan Rosemary Lemon Drop.

Herbs are perfect for cooking, however they also taste delicious in drinks thanks to their oils and aromas which are released especially after muddling their leaves. Rosemary does not need to be muddled because its needle-style leaves are so astringent that by only putting them in contact with the alcoholic mixer they contaminate its flavor (in a good way of course!). Believed to improve memory, rosemary is a source of antioxidants, iron, vitamin b6 and calcium.

Tuscan Rosemary Lemon Drop was created by Chef Kathy Casey during a friends’ wedding in Tuscany. Whether or not the wedding was the reason of her choice of using rosemary, its association with weddings goes a long way back. To the Middle Ages, when rosemary would be used in weddings as a love charm. Since then rosemary has played the folkloristic role of symbolizing love and loyalty in proportion to how big and strong the plant would grow, together with its believed ability of repelling nightmares and witches.

Whether it’s a friend’s wedding, a date night, a gathering with friends and family or a Sunday barbecue, Tuscan Rosemary Lemon Drop is an inspirational recipe that will refreshen your soul on a Summer night.

 

Ingredients:
Rosemary Sugar (recipe follows)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce Rometti Limoncello
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
1 rosemary sprig for garnish
Rosemary Sugar
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup superfine or baker’s sugar

 

To make Rosemary Sugar:
Mix the rosemary and sugar together in a small bowl, and spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet. Set in a warm dry place for about 4 days, until the rosemary is completely dried. Process in a food processor or spice grinder until finely ground. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to one month at room temperature.
Rim a large martini glass with rosemary sugar, and set aside. Bend 1 rosemary sprig and drop into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice. Measure in the vodka, Rometti Limoncello, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Cap and shake vigorously. Strain into the sugar-rimmed glass. Float a rosemary sprig in the drink for garnish.

~Enjoy!

Recipe from Sips and Apps: Classic and Contemporary Recipes for Cocktails and Appetizersby Kathy Casey (Chronicle Books, May 2009).