Topic Index
The font size for a topic word is sized by the number of articles that reference that topic. The more articles the bigger the font.
Click on a word to search for posts with that topic. This page will reload with the search results.
The Backsplash – Cocchi Americano Rosa and Solerno Cocktail
The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.
– Humphrey Bogart
– Humphrey Bogart
Nowhere is Bogie’s sentiment more apt than when used to describe the vicissitudes of a home remodel. Selecting a backsplash for my kitchen has sent me into a tizzy. A tizzy, in case you are not familiar with the term, is Bart’s chosen descriptor for that peculiar state of mind that overcomes me when I am overwhelmed, angry or quite undone. It is not a compliment.
Help however, is not far behind, and it comes in the form of a cocktail, the Backsplash. This one is a combination of Cocchi Americano Rosa, the newest vino aromatizzato (aromatized wine) from The House of Cocchi and Solerno, a liqueur made of Sicilian oranges and lemons. The citrus in both liquors marry beautifully and the kiss of bitter in the Americano Rosa lends a most adult finish. Read the remainder of this entry »
The Hanky Panky – Happy Valentine’s Day!
What do you get when you combine gin, Italian vermouth and Fernet Branca? As the British actor Sir Charles Hawtrey remarked after he drained his first glass “By Jove! That is the real hanky-panky!” The name stuck. And luckily for those who imbibe, so did the drink. Read the remainder of this entry »
L’Americana – a Cocktail for Amanda Knox
Oh, how I waited on this one. Don’t confuse this with the classic cocktail, The Americano. No, I did not misspell anything. For four years I have followed the saga of Amanda Knox, the young American student jailed in Perugia, Italy for the November 2007 murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. I followed Amanda through her original trial, her incarceration and appeal, and finally through this last most excruciating weekend. I emailed with friends halfway across the globe. We agonized for Amanda, her co-defendant Rafaelle Sollecito and especially for the Kercher family. Lady Justice, as they say, grinds slowly, but she grinds finely, and she freed Amanda Knox. Even now, Amanda is most likely on her way back home. Amanda’s home now. Read the remainder of this entry »
Solerno – Sicilian Blood Orange Liqueur
Who said you couldn’t get blood oranges in August? Trust me. You can. But first, if I gave awards for the best packaging, this decanter-like bottle from William Grant & Sons would take the Blue Ribbon. The bottle is a clear light red at its squat base, slowly darkening to a smokey red hue that travels up and over the rounded shoulders darkening even further along the thin neck up to the lip at the top. But it’s the punt, the depression in the bottom of the bottle, that wins the “How cool is this award?” Read the remainder of this entry »