Aroma Cucina

New Year's: Let's Drink Punch!

People are coming over, or you’re going to a house party. What’s an appropriate libation? Something that doesn’t require precision, can be made in batches, and won’t knock you or your guests on their fannys would be a good start.

Punch to the rescue! Yes, punch. Back in style, thanks to David Wondrich’s lovely book, “Punch”.

Punch, that communal libation, needs a new image.  It makes me think of 1950’s high school dances where someone snuck booze into the party. No, I’m not that old, I’ve only watched old movies. Our generation smoked pot. Hence my nostalgia for big crystal bowls with silly matching tea cups hanging on hooks on the rim of the bowl.

When did the idea of putting a delicious Champagne punch in a too small tea cup seem like a good idea?

Time for a make-over!

Here are two festive Bubbly Punch recipes, one a classic and one so modern it’s almost, nearly good for you.

*A note about the Champagne. These recipes date back to a time when Champagne wasn’t so expensive and you couldn’t find good alternatives like Prosecco or Cava. For these recipes, you only need to use a dry, sparkling, white wine.   But, we’ll keep calling it a Champagne punch because it sounds so ritzy.

The Ritz Champagne Punch
1 bottle sparkling white wine
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
3/4  cup simple syrup
1/2 cup Maraschino liqueur
1/2  cup Triple Sec
16 oz. Brandy
16 oz. Club Soda

Approx 16 servings.

Mix the lemon juice and simple syrup together and taste. If it is super sour, add more simple syrup until the mix is pleasantly tart.

Combine the lemon juice mixture, Maraschino, Triple Sec Brandy into a chilled pitcher and keep cold.

If you are juicing your own lemons, and of course you are, you may want to save 1 or 2 of the lemon skins to make the garnish. Cut the top and bottom off of the lemon and then core out the flesh of the lemon. Slit the lemon skin open and lay it on a flat cutting surface. Trim off any of the white pith, so you just have the lemon skin. It’s a little tricky, don’t get too crazy with this, just get as much of the white off as possible. Now roll the skin into a tight ball, and secure it with toothpicks. When it comes time to serve the cocktail, thinly slice the skin, and unroll the now-curly strips, placing one end over the edge of the glass and letting the unfurled skin dangle inside the glass.

In a champagne flute, add a small shot of soda water, a small shot of the booze and lemon juice mixture, and top with the sparkling wine.

If you don’t want to fuss at all, at the last possible moment, combine all of the ingredients in a large, chilled punch bowl and let the guests help themselves.

This punch could be called the double whammy: it’s very drinkable but very strong! Be warned.

And now, for our nearly healthy punch!

Midnight in Mumbai
2 bottles of sparkling white wine
4 oz. brandy
4 oz. cointreau
1 bag of frozen cranberries
2 thinly slice oranges
1-2 boxes of raspberries frozen into a block of ice

First, everyone must dress like an extra from a dance scene in a Bollywood movie. It totally sets the mood.

Clean the raspberries and place in a square plastic container. Fill the container with water and freeze.

When it is party time, add all of the ingredients into a large chilled punch bowl, float the raspberry block in the punch and start dancing!

 Happy New Year from Jude, Jeff, Raffaello and Dante!

New Year’s Resolution: Craft Cocktails at Home or Why Cocktails are Like Sex

It’s time to take the plunge and start making some creative cocktails at home. Discovering cocktails leads you down the same path as learning about sex:

*Infatuation:  you throw vodka and rum into everything, pretend your are Capt. Morgan and drink with wild abandon.

*Experimentation: oh, gin is good; scotch is interesting, what happens when I add some bitters to the mix!  

*Regrets: I went home with who?? I’ll never drink tequila again.

*Getting selective: no more dark Latin rums after 10:00 pm

*You are a Player: you know what you like, you control the situation. Your cocktails are complex, interesting and you know when to walk away.

And just like sex, you build up your repertoire of satisfying moves. Adding a garnish, finessing with bitters, whiffs of exotic flavors, all make for an enhanced cocktail experience.  You fall in love with the classics and understand why you can keep going back and never get tired of them; just like your mate.

Ease into the home bar slowly as you learn what you like and don’t like. Start grasping the fundamentals of balance: sour to sweet, sweet to bitter, strong to weak. Learn when to shake (anything with citrus), and when to stir, and when to break the rules. Make room in your freezer and clear a shelf in the cabinet, because it’s exactly like when your significant other started staying over all the time..they need some dedicated space of their own. Bottles, tools, ice, and nice cold glasses all need to be treated with respect.

To get you started, here are a seleciton of gin cocktails that will fast forward you into Player status in no time.
Do not make that “I don’t like gin” face! Gin is vodka infused with flavors. Get out of your rut and go taste some gin. Some of our fav’s are Hendricks that has a whiff of cucumber crispness, or a newcomer Death’s Door, or Bulldog. Each one has a unique botanical flavor. Vodka is like drinking water, nice, but why not go bigger?

I’ve talked about these cocktails before, but these are go-to cocktails around our house so I know they are tried, true, and delicious libations.

And what makes a cocktail a ‘craft’ cocktail, you ask? Attention to ingredients, just like you do with your cooking.  

There are a few cocktails tips that you need to know before you start shaking.
1) Cold is your friend. Our recommended method, is to agitate by shake or stir, rest for 45-60 seconds, and agitate again. Keep your glasses, your bar tools, your hootch in the freezer, if you can.
2) Measure, don’t eyeball. Even if you don’t have a nifty jigger, use one small glass as your unit of measure.
3) More than 2 cocktails and you will be useless the next day. You are responsible for your actions.

Start with the Italian national cocktail: Negroni.

Negroni
1 part gin
1 part Campari
1 part Sweet Vermouth
Stir, serve on the rocks and garnish with an orange wedge.

The Americano variation: replace the gin with sparkling water. Lighter, still delicious.
The Sbagliato: (it means mistake in Italian) replace the gin with Prosecco. Perfect in the summer, actually perfect anytime you have some open Prosecco around. 

Now watch what happens when you swap out the Campari for Sweet Vermouth, you have a Martinez. The bitter element is gone, the vermouth turns the drink a whiskey color, and the palate embraces the complexity.

Martinez
2 oz gin
1 oz Sweet Red Vermouth
1/4 oz Triple Sec or Cointreau
Dash Orange Bitters

Stir, serve with a slice of orange.



The Avatrix is a variation on a classic Aviation...light, lemony, with an elderflower sweetness. The Aviatrix comes directly from the talented mixologist Katie Loeb in Philadelphia.  In fact, I'll credit Katie with being the person who made me realize that there is more to life than a good glass of wine.

Avatrix
2 oz gin
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz St. Germaine
Shake, rest, shake, serve

Maraschino Liqueur is not the cherry juice from those dyed, icky cherries! It’s a rich, profound liqueur made from the marasca cherry.
St. Germaine is an elderflower liqueur that is sweet and marvelous.

A classic Aviation has Creme de Violette liqueur instead of the St. Germain, but to be honest, that violette stuff is a lot like chewing on a bag of old Sen-Sen that your grandmother kept in her  pocketbook.

Then there is the French Pearl, created by Audrey Saunders. With it's tasty cousin, the Italian Pearl, invented by us in Montone, because limes are nearly impossible to come by and it's OK to substitute. Substitution is the love child of desire and necessity.

French Pearl
2 parts gin (Plymouth Gin is preferred)
3/4 part freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 part simple syrup
Pernod rinse
1 mint sprig, lightly muddled
Shake, rest, shake and pour.

Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water. We make it up in batches and keep it in the fridge. 
Muddling means lightly crushing the fresh mint in the bottom of the cocktail shaker. The classic beginner mistake: muddling the hell out of the mint. This causes two problems: the mint becomes bitter and you wind up with little tiny green bits of mint stuck your teeth. Then you spend the next few minutes compulsively licking your teeth because  you’re sipping partner has green bits stuck to his teeth and you don’t want to mention it because it will totally ruin the mood, so you keep wiping your teeth hoping he’ll get the hint.

The Italian pearl uses lemon juice and Pastis or Sambuca in place of the Pernod.

Pomeranian is a true craft-tail because you need to make your own grenadine syrup. Relax, it’s equal parts unsweetened pomegranate juice and simple syrup with a little dash of vodka or gin to keep it from going fermented.

Pomeranian
2 oz gin
1/2 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed, but you know that
1/2 oz St. Germaine
1/2 oz fresh grenadine syrup

Shake, rest, serve. It’s a beautiful color; just the right shade for cocktails around holiday time!  In fact, Jeff invented this lovely crowd pleaser one Christmas night a few years back.

And speaking of holidays, our next post well be some good New Year’s Eve libations. Merry & a Happy, indeed!

World Cocktail Day: The Bloody Pearl

"Twas cocktail time in Montone. The swallows are circling overhead, the sun is setting and the moon is rising.

Our World Cocktail turned out to be the The Bloody Pearl:

2 parts Gin
2 parts freshly squeezed blood orange (double strained)
1/4 part Pastis
Mint (lightly muddled)

And it was a fine cocktail to start the evening. Now we're off to trip the light fantastic at the Hotel Fortebraccio, where they actually serve fish in Umbria! Will wonders never cease?

Happy Friday! Happy Weekend! Happy Cocktail time wherever you are.

 

World Cocktail Day, What's shaking?

Could there be a better day for World Cocktail day than Friday the 13th? Cocktail makers have a weird sense of humor.  I mean, who names a cocktail The Corpse Reviver?

It's not quite cocktail time in Montone, but we're getting close. We've got the last two of our blood oranges in the wings, but Jeff won't say what's he's making.

Let's have some fun...post your cocktails pictures on Aroma Cucina's Facebook page. Or Tweet your photos to @judithklinger or @jeffaromacucina. #cocktail Get creative! Show me what's shaking for your world cocktail celebration. 

Seasonal Cocktail: Bloodthirsty

Go now! Go find ‘em! Get thee some blood oranges now! One of Jeff’s best cocktail inventions ever.

The Bloodthirsty
1 part freshly squeezed & strained blood orange juice
1 part gin
1/2 part Campari

Shake. Rest. Shake some more. Serve.

Sip your antioxidant, high fiber, holy moley- this-is-good cocktail without one drop of guilt.

Here’s a shoutout to Bluecoat Gin who’s tweet inspired Jeff to create this cocktail.  Unfortunately, we can’t find the amazing Bluecoat Gin in Italy. It’s slim pickin’s here in the boonies of Umbria.  But rest assured, the moment we’re back in NYC, we’re on the case...then the problem will be the blood oranges...it’s tough drinking seasonally!

Seasonal Cocktail: Tangiers

Happy First Day of Spring!  The tangerines are in season in my neck of the woods, and they were Jeff's inspiration for the Tangiers Cocktail.

2 oz. gin.

1/2 oz Maraschinio 

1/2 oz freshly squeezed tangerine juice

Delish. Next time we'll try it with a Campari rinse, just to keep things interesting. Looking forward to all colors and flavors of springtime!

Mezcal: Tequila’s Smoky Cousin

While tequila is blue-blood, dancing in the limelight, Mezcal is the dusky cousin  who’s having a better party in the smoky basement. Both liquors  come from the same Agavaceae family of plants, but tequila is exclusively from blue agave, while mezcal can  come from any one of the maguey plants.

Mezcal reminds me of grappa. It’s made old school style in small batches,  it can be throat ripping fire, or nuanced liquid smoke. It can be clear, or it can be aged in oak to give it a softness and golden color.  There’s a little tickle at the back of the throat that smells and tastes like grappa, but they are very different flavor experiences.

Let me be clear, I’m no mezcal expert; we discovered it quite by accident on a stroll around the Lower East Side. We were hungry and decided to take a gamble on Casa Mezcal late on a Sunday afternoon. The place was quiet and we grilled our friendly waitress on all the intricacies of mezcal.  It takes about 7 years for the plant to mature, then the heart of the maguey is roasted in a covered, underground pot. That’s where the smokey flavor comes from and then it is single distilled one. Tequila is distilled twice for a purer, smoother product.

We asked for a neat shot so we could see what this mezcal business was about, and the waitress chose a clear, new mezcal for us. It was served with two slices of orange dusted with worm salt. Yes. Worm salt. It’s ground up dried moth larva, like the worm (which is really not a worm) you may find in a bottle of tequila. It tasted, um, earthy. But it was great with the orange and a sipful of mezcal.

We ordered an assortment of peasant style tacos and two mezcal cocktails. The cocktail selections were unique to say the least with ingredients like bell pepper and basil, but the flavors really worked. The glasses were rimmed red and green, half with hibiscus salt and the other half with avocado leaf salt. The magenta colored hibiscus salt with it’s tart acid note was lovely to look at and lovely to taste.  A very interesting cocktail flavor; it lends itself to pairings with fruits and vegetables and herbs. I suppose that makes sense since Mexico is known for its fruits and vegetables.

And the tacos? Yummy bits of stewed chicken and pork and beef, served on fresh corn tortillas. Delicious. I’m not a Mexican connoisseur but this seemed like good home cooking, and that works for me. (A quick search on Google & this place is meant to be all hot 'n tot, but on a Sunday afternoon, it's just cozy.)

Casa Mezcal
88 Orchard St.
NYC (between Grand & Broome St.)
(212) 777-2600

Valentines Day: Massacres, Vinegar & Unsainted Saints

What do debunked saints, a mob massacre, punch, highballs and vinegar have in common? They’re all part of our Valentine’s day celebration.

What Pope Gelasius I declared in 469AD, namely the honoring of Saint Valentine, who may have been two men, one from Rome and one from Terni, Pope Paul VI took away in 1969 when he removed St. Valentines Day from the Roman Catholic calendar.  But that never stopped the steady march of Hallmark and the eating of chocolate and giving of roses.

Valentines Day was less of a sacred holiday in 1929, when the infamous St. Valentines Day massacre took place in a Chicago warehouse.  Bugs Moran’s henchmen were lured there by the promise of a shipment of Old Log Cabin Whiskey from Canada and they were ambushed and executed by Al Capone’s gang... although no one was ever officially charged with the crime.

In honor of Old Log Cabin Whisky, why not make this 1929 Canada Punch? Recipe from Cocktail.com.  Offer a toast to Bugs, Al & Carrie Nation, and invite a lot of friends.

1929 Canada Punch
96 oz. Rye or Old Log Cabin Whiskey
32 oz. Jamaican rum
3.5 lb. of sugar
14 lemons, thinly sliced
2 pineapples, thinly sliced
4 gallons of water

Garnish with 1-2 Advils on a skewer, to be used the morning after.

Too complicated? Try a classic Prohibition drink:  The Highball: Whiskey, Ginger Ale. Serve with a straw so it looks like soda pop.

And if saccharine sweet Valentine’s are not your thing, try a Vinegar Valentine. Popular in the 1850’s they poked fun at the romantic notion of holidays.

If you really want to get to the core of the matter, then we should probably be wishing each other a happy Lupercalia, an ancient pagan festival that encourages good health and fertility. 

So many ways to celebrate!  Enjoy your Valentines Day no matter what you choose to do!
In the spirit of the holiday, Vook is offering Cooking Simply: The Italian Way for 99cents today, just in case you need a quick cooking lesson.
Me? I’m going vegetable shopping and then we’ll take it from there.

Crispy Chicken Paprika and the Kindness of Mountain Friends

There is a mountain tradition, when you leave the mountains, you pass along  left over food to who ever comes along and may need it.  Our stash pass here at the ‘Bird is a bit more upscale than left over granola or packets of freeze dried cranberries. 
Friends of ours left this week and passed along the mother lode of goodies: fresh parsley, mint, cilantro, Maytag Blue cheese, steel cut grits, onion, garlic, frozen vegetables and prosciutto.
Fresh food has immense value up here in the mountains; salad cravings have been known to cause grown men to tear up,  climb into their vans and drive down into the valley foraging for crunchy goodness.

And this particular stash pass came at a critical moment; we were down to nearly nothing!  It’s like playing mystery ingredient, what do you make with this bounty?

Well, we started with a Mountain Pearl Cocktail. Yet another riff on the famous French Pearl.
This time with lemon juice because we had fresh lemon and Pernod because that’s all we had in the Absinthe department.

Mountain Pearl
2 oz. gin
1/4 oz Pernod
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simply Syrup
Muddled Fresh Mint

Shake, rest, Shake, serve.

Mike: “Oh, I don’t like gin but let me taste this. Oh, this tastes good. I’ll take one. In fact, I’ll take this one.”  It’s a good cocktail.

Iceberg lettuce. I confess I don’t often eat iceberg lettuce;  perhaps I’m a micro-green, arugula loving food snob?
Doesn’t matter, because when there is iceberg lettuce and good blue cheese around, there is nothing better than a juicy, crispy wedge of iceberg slathered with blue cheese dressing and crumbles of cheese. Maybe it’s a 1950’s steakhouse speciality, but I was born in the 50’s so it suits me just fine.

And now for the finale:
Crispy Chicken Paprika
2-3 medium russet potatoes
1 fresh white onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 T minced guanciale or pancetta or bacon

4 chicken legs (1 per person, with thigh)
Paprika (preferably the Smoked Spanish Paprika) Salt, Pepper
Sour Cream, Splash of Milk, Splash of olive oil


Thinly slice the potatoes, onions, garlic and place in a roasting pan. Add a few tablespoons of sour cream, a splash of milk and olive oil. Lightly salt. Heavily Pepper. Mix well.

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, lots of salt and some pepper. Rub the chicken legs with the paprika mix and lay on top of the potatoes. 
Roast at 400F until done, or when the cocktails are finished, whichever comes first.

I think we made fine use of our bounty, where we can always rely on the kindness of friends.

Thanks Bert & Jeanie! We all toasted your generosity and anytime you want to pass the stash, our refrigerator door is always open.

The Mysterious Marvelous Mythical Martinez Cocktail

Mysterious because there are more variations on this classic cocktail than I’ve seen for any other cocktail. It’s odd that this cocktail has no ‘definitive’ version, although it is alleged to be the precursor to the Martini.
Marvelous because it is very delicious in an aromatic way.
Mythical because every cocktail historian has another spin on how it came to be.
Martinez? I have yet to find a reference as to why it called a Martinez. Something about a guy in a bar named Martinez....?

Here is the Aroma Cucina house version:
2 oz gin (whatever we have in the cabinet)
1 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz Triple Sec
2 dash orange bitters
Stir.
Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

The Historical Version:
David Wondrich’s take on the Jerry Thomas version from 1887:
1 Dash Boker’s Bitters
2 Dashes (1t) Maraschino
1 Pony (1oz) Old Tom Gin
1 Wine Glass (2 oz) vermouth
2 lumps ice

Jerry Thomas says shake.  Wondrich says stir.

The Old School Confusing Versions:
"Mr. Boston, Platinum Edition", same book, 2 recipes
p.21                                              p. 78
1 oz gin                                         1 oz. gin
1 oz sweet vermouth                      1 oz dry vermouth
1 dash orange bitters                      1 dash orange bitters
Stir, garnish with a lemon twist        3/4 t Triple Sec
                                                      Stir, garnish with a cherry


"Old Man Drinks", Robert Schnakenberg
2 oz gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz Maraschino liqueur
Dash orange bitters
Shake

The Maestro’s Versions:
"Essential Cocktail", Dale DeGroff
1/2 glass gin (2 oz??)
1/2 wineglass Italian sweet vermouth (1 oz)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes curacao
Stir

Agostino Perrone, 2010 Winner Best Bartender, Tales of the Cocktail
(An Italian, who works in London, wins in New Orleans)
Martini Rosso sweet vermouth
Genever Bolls Gin
Maraschino
Abbots Bitters
Stir

Balsamic Martinez from Perrone
(Bangin’ good)
Genever Bolls Gin
Sweet Vermouth
Maraschino
Galliano (!!!!??)
Dash true Balsamic vinegar
Dash Abbots bitters

If your are out and about in NYC, Odeon Restaurant in Tribeca makes an outstanding Martinez and if I ever get anyone to answer their phone, I hope they’ll share their recipe.