Winter is wrapping up in parts of the country, but things are still pretty chilly here in Seattle.
A few weeks ago, I went with some of my girlfriends to an Italian Winter Cocktails class at The Pantry, which is the cooking school associated with Delancey, the pizzaria associated with Molly Wizenburg, author of the famous food blog, Orangette. (Whew! That’s a lot of association.) I’ve been reading Orangette for years and followed the opening of Delancey. I was excited when they started offering cooking classes and decided that would be a perfect girl’s outing.
So one cold winter day we went to Delancey and stood in line outside until it opened. We were told that people did that and it was true. We had delicious pizzas and decided to share a bottle of wine, which in retrospect is not the best idea ever when you are about to go to a cocktails making class. (and an explanation of why my photos aren’t very good) We wander in a little bit wobbly and find ourselves learning about and drinking four new cocktails.
It was a fun night.
We learned the recipes for four new drinks. We learned that one of my friends doesn’t like Italian Cocktails and that apparently the Italians like their drinks bitter. I found most were better with a little simple syrup added in.
The first was my favorite of the 4. The Sicilian Sling.
This drink was light, summery, and herbal tasting. It would work for winter or all year round. I tried to make these a few weeks ago, but couldn’t find all the ingredients. I’ll be trying again soon.
Sicilian Sling
Ice cubes
1-1/2 oz Averna
1/2 oz cherry brandy
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz lemon juice
Chilled club soda
1-2 fresh basil leaves for garnish
Fill shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add first 4 items. Shake well.
Fill highball glass 3/4 full of ice. Strain mixture through a fine strainer into the glass. Top with club soda. (This next part was my favorite.) Gently smack the basil leaves against the palm of your hand to release the essential oils. Rest them on top of the drink.
That’s right, smack that basil around!
Apparently, the difference between a Sicilian Sling and a Singapore Sling is you use gin instead of Averna and pineapple juice instead of lemon. Sounds delish.
Next up is a Negroni. This was probably the best known of the drinks and my least favorite. It was too bitter for me, but very pretty.
Negroni
Ice cubes
1-1/2 oz gin
1-1/2 oz Campari
1-1/2 oz sweet vermouth
Orange slice for garnish
Fill shaker halfway full of ice cubes. Add the liquor in equal portions. Shake well and strain into glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
The third drink was a Cynartown. I quite liked this one, but only after I had them sweeten it with some simple syrup. It smoothed out the bitterness for me and made it tastier. I’d recommend you make the actual recipe, taste, and adjust for your own tastes from there.
Cynar is actually an artichoke liquor, which sounds gross, but was really nice and herbal and rich tasting. It is pronounced “chee-nar”.
Cynartown
Ice
2 oz gin
3/4 oz Carpano Antica (A type of sweet vermouth)
1/2 oz Cynar
1 sour cherry for garnish
(optional- simple syrup)
Fill shaker halfway with ice. Add liquor. Stir well. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with cherry.
Taste and add simple syrup if needed.
The final drink was a Hanky Panky. I wrote in my notes “lovely! -maybe b/c last one.”, which might say something about my state of mind at this point. But I seem to recall enjoying this one and it was certainly pretty. My notes on this one are not as thorough as some of the previous ones. Big surprise.
(Though there are amusing notes on this page, as this is the point when we decided to try and see if we all remembered the full cursive alphabet or not. We didn’t. We polled nearby classmates for help. I’m pretty sure we were the life of the party.)
Fernet-Branca is a very bitter, herbal liquor. The orange twist is a long peel of orange without the pith. This one certainly needed simple syrup for me, but again, I would make it, taste it, and decide for yourself.
Hanky Panky
Ice
1-1/2 oz gin
1-1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz Fernet-Branca
Wide orange twist for garnish
(optional- simple syrup to taste)
Fill shaker or mixing glass halfway with ice. Add liquor. Stir well. Strain into cocktail glass. Twist the orange twist over the glass to release the oils into the drink and either drop it in or drape it on the rim of the glass.
So there you go. I suggest curling up in front of a fireplace and sipping on one of these magical concoctions this winter. They might be a little bit bitter, but sometimes you need a little bitter to appreciate the sweet. Maybe the Italians are onto something.
Pingback: Singapore Sling | Katie Stew
January 27, 2015 at 1:45 pm
MORTGAGE FRAUD AND FORECLOSURE FRAUDS ARE THE SAME CRIME!
January 28, 2015 at 11:59 am
Gunnerdave how you manage to reply some of this posters is amazing you’ve earned my respect
February 6, 2015 at 9:08 pm
I4e5Ml This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!
February 9, 2015 at 4:02 am
I cannot thank you enough for the post.Really looking forward to read more. Cool.
February 9, 2015 at 5:06 am
Really informative article.Thanks Again. Cool.
February 9, 2015 at 5:18 am
I really appreciate this post. I’ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again
February 9, 2015 at 6:17 am
Im grateful for the blog.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged.
February 9, 2015 at 6:35 am
Hey, thanks for the post.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
Pingback: relogios da armani
Pingback: rolex preço
Pingback: rolex daytona preço
Pingback: lojas armani
Pingback: rolex brasil
Pingback: rolex preço
February 9, 2015 at 8:35 am
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.
February 9, 2015 at 10:41 am
Hello, you used to write wonderful, but the last few posts have been kinda boring��� I miss your super writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
February 9, 2015 at 11:48 am
Thanks-a-mundo for the blog.Really looking forward to read more.
February 9, 2015 at 12:14 pm
Wonderful work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the internet. Shame on Google for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my website . Thanks =)
February 9, 2015 at 12:25 pm
Looking forward to reading more. Great article. Will read on…
February 9, 2015 at 1:33 pm
Im grateful for the article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
February 9, 2015 at 2:26 pm
I really liked your post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.
February 9, 2015 at 3:51 pm
Fantastic article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
February 9, 2015 at 5:05 pm
Thank you ever so for you blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.
Pingback: relógios armani exchange
Pingback: relógios masculinos armani
Pingback: relogio emporio armani masculino
Pingback: relogio armani preço
Pingback: lojas armani
Pingback: relógio armani
Pingback: relogio emporio armani original
Pingback: relogio emporio armani original
Pingback: armani ar5860
Pingback: relogio armani preço
Pingback: relógio armani exchange
Pingback: loja armani
Pingback: relógio diesel only the brave
Pingback: relogio rolex presidente
Pingback: relógio diesel
Pingback: relógio armani
Pingback: relogio diesel radar
Pingback: relogio diesel radar
Pingback: relógios masculinos diesel
Pingback: relógios diesel
Pingback: relogio armani preço
Pingback: relogio diesel radar
Pingback: relógio diesel feminino
Pingback: relógio diesel only the brave
Pingback: rolex de ouro
Pingback: relogio diesel quadrado