Berlioni Cocktail

We had boiled globe artichokes and tapenade as a starter tonight, and with them came the challenge of what to drink?  Artichokes are notorious for killing wines, but we found the answer in this cocktail, which includes Cynar, made from....globe artichokes!  We love Italian amare and bitters, the best known of which being Campari (to which I am probably addicted) and I realise they are an acquired taste, but I love them.  This was an excellent combination of 2 parts gin, 1 part Cynar and 3/4 part Noilly Prat white dry Vermouth.  Stirred and served over ice with a lemon twist, this was a delicious bitter drink that echoed the artichokes perfectly. 

The Gallone Cocktail

This is a pretty full-on Italian aperitivo, and pretty delicious too.  It consists of 2 parts gin, stirred with one part each of Campari and Cynar (a funky bitter Italian aperitif made from globe artichokes!) and served over ice, topped with soda water.  Wonderfully refreshing, served with roasted asparagus wrapped in Parma ham.  Cin cin!

White Lady Cocktails

Looking at previous blog entries, I can't believe I haven't mentioned this one before - perhaps because it is such a timeless classic, I just presume everyone knows it.  But if you don't, do make yourself one, it is such a perfect, delicious drink.  We use 2 parts of Gordon's Gin to 1 part each of Cointreau and freshly-squeezed lemon juice and gomme/sugar syrup to taste - we use around half a part syrup, but start with less and taste until you get the level of acidity you can bear.  Shake on ice, and serve in a martini glass with a lemon twist.  Perfect accompaniment to smoked salmon blinis.

Exploding Etna Cocktails

In honour of Mount Etna, and the beautiful blood oranges we received from Riverford that grew on that volcano's lower slopes.  We invented this cocktail ourselves and originally called them 'Bloody Sicilians' but, given the volcano's disquiet this weekend, we thought we'd placate it and rename the drink in her honour - for a volcano is surely a 'she'!  Take 1 part gin, 1 part Cointreau and 2 parts freshly squeezed blood orange.  Add a couple of dashes of orange bitters.  Shake well over ice and strain into martini glasses.  Add an orange twist or slice of one of the oranges cut before squeezing the rest.

Fitzgerald Cocktails

A delicious lemony drink, this, and one we first had at the now defunct Rainbow Room bar on the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Centre in New York nearly 20 years ago.  I shall never forget that experience - it was dark and very foggy, and we were sitting in front of a picture window, with all hopes of seeing the Empire State Building in front of us dashed - suddenly, the fog cleared, and there that wonderful building was, glittering in the dark sky.  Wonderful!  Anyway, we like to think that the now world-famous Dale de Groff might have mixed this, his own invention, for us that evening, as he was the head 'mixologist' there at the time.  It consists of 1.5 parts gin, 1 part of gomme syrup, 3/4 part fresh lemon juice and several good shakes of Angostura Bitters.  Shake together with ice and serve in an Old Fashioned glass over LOTS of ice and a slice of lemon.  Delicious with blinis, creme fraiche and smoked salmon.  A very nice alternative to G&T.

Appetizer Cocktail

Regular readers will know of my passion for Campari, but I also have a fondness for Dubonnet, which has a reputation for being naff though I don't know why.  It was originally developed for French Foreign Legionnaires to take quinine in North Africa in the 1840s, apparently. This is a delicious way to use it, whether or not you have malaria, being equal quantities of gin, Dubonnet and freshly squeezed orange juice, with a couple of dashes of Angostura Bitters.  Shake over ice and pour into a martini or rocks glass, garnished with a strip of orange peel.  Just right to accompany the Parmesan Biscuits.  Chin chin!