Liquidity
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Like the way Italians drink their coffee? Try their cocktails.
When did we become such perfectionists about our drinks? The question seems more pertinent if you've spent time watching the cute and serious baristas of Stumptown's new 'brew bar' in Red Hook, Brooklyn, tinkering with their complicated array of coffee makers, or observed the bartenders at Manhattan's Little Branch, earnestly shaking and stirring and tasting.
Some of us are old enough to remember when Starbucks represented a great leap forward and the Cosmo was the height of sophistication. Then, mixing a decent cocktail was a specialist's art. It still is, but the specialists have proliferated. And they love to play. Last summer belonged to gin, with variations on the classic Collins to take the edge off the irrepressible heat.
This year gin is buttressed by Italian amaros like Campari and Aperol, and vermouths. The most celebrated of these is the classic Negroni, made of equal parts Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin, a simple recipe that's easy to get wrong if the proportions are out of sync (a heavier hand on the gin sometimes helps).
Brooklyn Social in Carroll Gardens has been making them with expert care since it opened in 2004, anticipating a revival that has spawned a whole new class of derivatives. An update (see Negroni Spagliato, below) substitutes Prosecco for gin.
At nearby Clover Club on Smith Street, the Bitter Tom starts with a bite, then rolls over and purrs like a pussycat, the pungency of Campari and gin beautifully tempered with grapefruit, lemon, and pomegranate molasses.
At Manhattan's faux trattoria, Morandi, the Aperol Collins uses Grand Marnier and Aperol to even gentler effect. It's as fragrant and lovely as a summer's day in Tuscany. If you're in the mood for something raunchier (and who isn't) you could do worse than the Nueva Italia at San Rocco, a spice-in-the-glass combo of tequila and Carpano Antica Formula, a red sweet vermouth with ancestry. Do yourself a favor and order a side of the popular Nutella cheesecake. This is not a drink fit for an empty stomach.
Three to Try
Negroni Spagliato
Brooklyn Social
1' ounces Carpano Antica Formula (or any sweet red vermouth) ' 1' ounces Campari ' Prosecco
Stir vermouth and Campari and pour into a rocks glass. Top with Prosecco and serve with an orange slice.
Bitter Tom
Clover Club
2 ounces Tanqueray ' ' ounce lemon juice ' ' ounce Campari ' ' ounce grapefruit juice ' ' ounce simple syrup ' 1 teaspoon Benedictine ' 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
Measure ingredients into a Collins glass, top with soda. Roll gently into another glass and back again. Add a grapefruit twist.
Nueva Italia
San Rocco
1' ounces tequila ' 3 ounces Carpano Antica Formula (red vermouth) ' Orange bitters ' Angostura bitters ' Stick of cinnamon for garnishing ' Absinthe
Put ice in a rocks glass, rinse with a few drops of absinthe, and discard ice. Add tequila, vermouth, and a few drops each of orange and Angostura bitters and stir well. Pop in a stick of cinnamon and serve.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
38 Male Celebs Who Did Full Frontal Scenes
November 17 2023 5:18 PM
These are all the celebrities Who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023
December 31 2023 12:19 PM
29 LGBTQ+ celebs you can follow on OnlyFans
April 18 2024 1:00 PM
26 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
February 28 2024 1:50 PM
16 times male celebrities had to say they weren't gay
April 17 2024 11:57 AM
21 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
April 03 2024 4:01 PM
15 Unforgettable Gay Kissing Scenes From TV & Movies
February 14 2024 10:20 AM
14 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
April 04 2024 12:56 PM
40 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
January 04 2024 10:54 AM
The 15 Best LGBTQ+ Movies of 2023
December 04 2023 10:32 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
9 milestones & records that prove 'Drag Race' season 16 was HERSTORIC
April 23 2024 5:08 PM
Was Joel Kim Booster ACTUALLY heckled on stage? Here's what he had to say!
April 23 2024 4:28 PM
'Drag Race' fans are SHOOK by Magnolia Crawford's new out-of-drag pics
April 23 2024 4:14 PM
Manu Ríos & André Lamoglia's reunion is sending 'Élite' fans into a pit of thirst
April 23 2024 1:40 PM
Meet the queens of 'All Stars 9' — and the charities they'll be competing for
April 23 2024 12:00 PM
Photographic proof Pearl has one of the beast beards in the game
April 23 2024 10:26 AM
How the 'Challengers' screenwriter crafted one of this year's most delicious love triangles
April 23 2024 10:24 AM
Ranking the highest-earning queens in 'RuPaul's Drag Race' herstory
April 22 2024 7:29 PM
These are all the 'Drag Race' queens who won crowns in 2024 (so far)
April 22 2024 6:30 PM
'Ugliest House' host Retta is here to help make make America less drab & more fab
April 22 2024 5:19 PM