Happy Hour Tuesday: The Corsican

Happy Hour Tuesday!

If you are not Italian or French you may not know that Corsica is a small island located to the West of Italy or to the South-East of France, thus a territory that in the past has been fought over between these two countries. Today Corsica belongs to France and it’s also called Island of Beauty, as it offers a variety of sceneries, from its beautiful beaches where scuba diving is almost a must, to its great trails along the mountains.

The Corsican Cocktail, similarly to the inner nature of the island, mixes a bit of French and a bit of Italian: the aperitif Lillet Blanc with Rometti limoncello. Given the refreshing, zesty taste of limoncello, these two ingredients marry well together since Lillet Blanc contains wine, orange peel and quinine. Their flavors combined make a remarkable, balanced, modern drink, not extremely bitter and with a moderate sweetness. In addition to Lillet Blanc and Rometti Limoncello, eldelflower syrup and club soda are added, which increment the sweet, floral taste that makes this cocktail an enjoyable treat for every occasion.

Ingredients:
3 ounces Lillet Blanc, chilled
7 ounces Rometti limoncello, chilled
3 1/2 ounces elderflower syrup
1 3/4 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 (10-ounce) bottle club soda, chilled
6 lemon twists (optional)

Combine the Lillet, Rometti limoncello, elderflower syrup, and lemon juice in a large measuring cup or medium bowl. Using a funnel, transfer to a 3-cup-capacity bottle (or 750-ml bottle) with a tightfitting lid and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
When ready to serve, pour about 4 ounces of the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass and top with about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 ounces of the club soda. Garnish with a lemon twist, if desired, and serve. (Alternatively, you can combine all of the ingredients except the lemon twists in a 5-cup punch bowl and serve immediately.)

~Enjoy!

Recipe from http://www.Chow.com

Image from OHSOBEAUTIFULPAPER.COM

Happy Hour Tuesday: Meloncello Cocktail

Happy Hour Tuesday!

As you all know either through your Grandma’s healthy eating habits advices or because of all those losing-weight advertisements on tv, fruit and vegetables are great sources of vitamins and nutrients. Among the fruit that replenish us with vitamin C we find watermelon, the bright red, fresh and juicy fruit of the vine-like watermelon plant. Even the rinds contain hidden nutrients although their taste prevents most of the people from eating them.

Meloncello Cocktail is a refreshing drink that combines the sugary taste of watermelon with the citrusy flavor of limoncello. Sit back and enjoy the afternoon with an icy glass of fun, fresh, Meloncello Cocktail!

Ingredients:

1 cup cubed seedless watermelon
ice cubes
3 1/2 ounces Rometti Limoncello
1/2 ounce lemon-flavored or light rum
Splash club soda
cocktail sugar
lemon wedge

Rim a rocks glass with the sugar, if desired, and put in the freezer. Puree the watermelon cubes in a blender until juicy.
Fill the prepped glass with ice.
Add the watermelon juice, Rometti Limoncello and rum. Top off with enough club soda to give the drink a light bubble.
Garnish with the lemon wedge and serve.

~Enjoy!

image © Heath Robbins

Happy Hour Tuesday: Strawberry & Pineapple Shake with Limoncello

Happy Hour Tuesday!

sometimes life just needs some color, something that awakens your childhood memories and brings you back to a happy place especially when everything around is rushing, spinning and never seems to stop. Of the five senses the one that is the most connected to our memories is the smell. Just like a camera catches the moment and impresses it on a film, smell and taste record particular moments of our lives and makes us re-live them through the sip of a drink, or the perfume as a stranger walks by.
With the arrival of Spring I can’t help but thinking of which type of fruit and flowers I can grow to give that pop of color to my little backyard, as well as I can’t resist the temptation of filling up my grocery basket with red strawberries, purple blueberries, orange peaches and colorful vegetables for a delicious salad medley! This week’s happy hour drink is not just a cocktail, it is statement, a hymn to sunny days, lazy weekends, playful dates and everything in between: Strawberry & Pineapple Shake with Limoncello.
During this time of the year strawberries are not in season in most parts of the country, but if you are lucky enough to be in a location where it is warm enough to grow them, hand picking them will make this drink even more special! Just remember that if your five-year-daughter is impatiently sitting and waiting for her strawberry shake, you might have to distinguish the limoncello-free drink!
Ingredients:

3/4 cup Pineapple
2 cups Cold water
1 cup Strawberries
1/4 cup Rometti Limoncello
1/4 cup Sugar (or less)
5 – 6 mint leaves
ice

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve chilled and with a smile!

~Enjoy!

Recipe and image courtesy of http://www.apronandsneakers.com

Happy Hour Tuesday: Limoncello Bellini

At only two days from the official beginning of Summer, this week under the spotlight we have another popular drink that perfectly suits the season, Limoncello Bellini.

Originated in Venice as a mixture of Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) and white peach puree’, Bellini in Italy is often served at celebrations. Cocktails like the Bellini and Mojito, are linked to Ernest Hemingway, as the Harry’s Bar in Venice, place of origin of Bellini, was one of his favorite spots. Its founder, Giuseppe Cipriani, named the drink after Giovanni Bellini, a Venetian painter who gave the toga of the saints he painted a gracious pink color, similar to the color of the drink (the pink tone was actually given by the original addition of a splash or raspberry or cherry juice). New York was the first American city that adopted Bellini as its popularity grew.

The availability of white peaches and Prosecco, determines the variations of the drink. Yellow peaches and nectarines can also be used, as well as flavored French champagne instead of Prosecco, as long as it is served in a champagne flute glass that gives it that sophisticated elegance, typical of Venice.

Limoncello Bellini uses the original ingredients to which adds a splash of Rometti Limoncello that enhances the sweetness of the peach flavor and balances it out with a little bit of sourness.

Ingredients:

2 oz White Peach Puree

2 oz Prosecco

a splash of Rometti Limoncello

Into a champagne flute glass pour the peach puree and the Prosecco. Add a splash of Rometti Limoncello. If you like, you can garnish it with a couple of raspberries or cranberries.

ENJOY!~

image taken from http://cucina.corriere.it/ricette/cocktail-e-aperitivi/36/bellini