Happy Hour Tuesday: Limoncello and Grapefruit Punch

Happy Hour Tuesday!

Call it the come back of bright, vibrant colors in fashion or the turn of the seasons, this week at Rometti we were looking for something fun, fresh, young, and colorful. Gladly I came across a recipe that embodies all of these: Limoncello and Grapefruit Punch.

Depending on which type of grapefruit you decide to use, this cocktail might have a variation of color: red, white or pink will play an important role both for the hue and for the taste – tart, sour, sweet. Our pick was pink grapefruit, which is sweeter than other grapefruits and has a tangy flavor. Thanks to these qualities, pink grapefruit pairs really well with limoncello and mint.

Give a twist to your Sunday brunch or to your girls-only afternoon with this colorful, inspirational and refreshing drink!

Ingredients:
1/2 oz Rometti Limoncello
grapefruit juice, to taste
1/2 oz vodka
mint
lemon
sparkling water to taste
ice

Muddle a few leaves of ming in a lowball glass. Add ice, 1/2 oz Rometti Limoncello, and 1/2 oz vodka. Top with grapefruit juice – which we recommend to make from scratch, it won’t take long!- and sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of mint.

Enjoy!~

Recipe from http://Celebrationsathomeblog.com
Image from Studio Lipov

Happy Hour Tuesday: Lemon Meringue Martini

Happy Hour Tuesday!

This week we are presenting a sweet, mouth-watering, heavenlicious drink: Lemon Meringue Martini. Yes, you heard me, it sounds like a dessert more than a drink, doesn’t it? And, trust me, it tastes like one too!

Although it is called “Lemon Meringue Martini“, there is no gin nor vermouth, however the presentation of the drink is a nod as its served in a Martini glass, which complements perfectly to the island-shape of the whipped cream shaped as a meringue. The main ingredient is Pinnacle Vodka, originally of France and well known because of its variety of flavors. For this particular cocktail we are going to use the Pinnacle Whipped, which as you can imagine has a whipped cream flavor. If some of you have never tasted it, it is worth a shot in the very sense of the word: this type of vodka is easy to drink by itself as well as it can be easily mixed with other liqueur.

The sweetness of the cream, mixed with the simple syrup gives that hint of meringue taste, with its typical sweetness and airiness which marry the crispiness of the citrusy flavor of limoncello.
Sometimes you are in the mood for sweets, other times you wish you’d be sipping on a drink, but if you want both and can’t make up your mind then here is the solution for you: Lemon Meringue Martini is what you are looking for when it’s too late for a snack and too early for dinner. It’s a sweet treat before or after dinner.

Ingredients:

2 oz Pinnacle Whipped Vodka
1 oz Rometti Limoncello
1 oz Half-and-Half Or Cream (you can also use a fat free cream)
1 oz Whipped Cream Topping
2 Meringues

In a plastic bag crush the meringues.
Add vodka, Rometti Limoncello, cream and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the whipped cream topping and sprinkle some crushed meringues on top of it.

~Enjoy!

Image from: http://hungrycouplenyc.blogspot.com

Happy Hour Tuesday: Sgroppino al Limone

Happy Hour Tuesday!

During Thanksgiving week you with undoubtedly spend a significate time in the kitchen. Between the stuffing, the cranberry sauce. the gravy, mashpotatoes and pumpkin pies, you better get your hands to work and your stomach to empty because on Thursday evening no matter what you will probably be stuck on the couch with a full belly and heavy eyes. But don’t discourage, knowing that the major strength of this week for both hosts and guest is indeed to consume such an abundant meal, Rometti has something for you that won’t take you more than five minutes to prepare and surely will help your digestion at every sip: Sgroppino al Limone.

Sgroppino al Limone is a frothy lemon drink made with a base of vodka and the addition of Prosecco and Rometti Limoncello. Sgroppino, which it’s said to have originated in Venice back in 1528 as a drink to consume in between courses to cleanse the palate, is not to be confused with a sorbet. As a matter of fact, Sgroppino is liquid, and sorbet is a frozen fruity ice cream made without dairy! But Sgroppino still has sorbet among the ingredients, and that is because sorbet has been around for ages and evolved into a more sophisticated, alcoholic version called “sgropin” in Venice, thus Sgroppino.

If you have already started or if you are just about to start preparing a magnificent Thanksgiving dinner, we recommend that you take those extra five minutes before serving to prepare this delicious Sgroppino al Limone… you will be thankful for it!

Ingredients: (serves 4)

2 cups good-quality lemon sorbet, softened
2 tablespoons vodka
1/3 cup Prosecco wine, chilled
4 tbsp Rometti Limoncello
mint to garnish

Chill the champagne flutes.
Whisk the lemon sorbet until smooth. Gradually whisk in vodka, Prosecco and Rometti Limocnello. Make sure you don’t whisk it too much or it’ll be too liquid. Serve into the chilled champagne flutes and garnish with a mint leaf.

~Enjoy!

Happy Hour Tuesday: Limoncello Screwdriver

Happy Hour Tuesday!

As the sunny season leaves the spotlight to a cloudy sky and weekly showers, we better stock up with vitamins to avoid getting sick before wintertime! The drink of this week other than being delicious is also a source of vitamin C thanks to the presence of fresh orange juice, Limoncello Screwdriver. You will love the citrusy taste especially during the Fall season, however we do have to recommend not to abuse it, it will not substitute your daily vitamin intake!

The classic Screwdriver is served in a highball glass and combines two very simple ingredients, orange juice and vodka. Its name seems to have originated in Saudi Arabia, where American petroleum engineers used to add vodka to their orange juice and stir it with screwdrivers.

If you are one of those people who see the Fall as a new beginning, make sure to sip on our Limoncello Screwdriver as you put away your bathing suits and write down the resolution for the new season. The sweetness of limoncello and the slightly bitterness of the orange juice mixed with vodka will wake up your senses at every sip of this reinvigorating drink.

Ingredients:

2 oz Vodka
5 oz Fresh orange juice
1 oz Rometti Limoncello
1 Orange slice
Ice cubes

Fill the highball glass with ice cubes. Pour vodka, orange juice and Rometti Limoncello over the ice and stir. Garnish with an orange slice and serve.

~ENJOY!

photo credit http://www.hgtv.com

Happy Hour Tuesday: Limoncello Martini

Dear Reader,

If you are one of those people who enjoy treating themselves every now and then to a fancy night out, then you are going to love this addition of Happy Hour Tuesday!

Martinis has been around for centuries, yet there is no specific person we can thank for such a glamorous drink. Theories attribute Martinis to a drink named Martinez and originated in San Francisco back in the 1860s, but other rumors link its origin to the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York City. What we know for sure is that Prohibition increased the popularity of Martinis in the 20th century, when gin was the easiest spirit to manufacture illegally.

But Martini fans are often split between the choice: gin or vodka?

Classic Martini is actually a mixture of gin and vermouth, of floral taste and herbal aromas, often served with an olive or a lemon twist. You can have it dry, sweet or dirty. If instead of gin you use vodka, then you have a variation of Martini, called Vodka Martini and best known as James Bond’s cocktail: “Vodka Martini. Shaken, not stirred“(from the movie Goldfinger). It’s in the 1970s that Vodka Martini with its fruity variations gains more popularity in North America, and booms in the 1980s with the come back of appreciation for cigars, fine spirits, aperitifs and red meat.

If you like fruity drinks but want to stick to something classy, then the Rometti Limoncello Martini is the answer to your palate. It’s quite easy to make, yet its sophisticated taste makes it a vibrant drink that adds a hint of fanciness to your nights out.

Ingredients:

3 oz vodka

1 oz Rometti Limoncello 

1 teaspoon simple syrup

Lemon twist, to garnish

Mix the vodka, Rometti Limoncello, and simple syrup in a shaker half filled with ice. Shake well and serve in a martini glass garnish with a lemon twist. Before pouring the contents in the glass you could also dip the glass first in lemon juice and then in sugar.

~ENJOY!!