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: 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

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