The Bloody Monty
The Bloody Monty, or The Orange Monty Redux
My regular readers may recall the delightful mix of orange juice and Amaro Montenegro that made its first appearance in my post Pazza per Amaro. That drink, thanks to Brian of the site Live Like an Italian, has come to be known as the Orange Monty. Since it is blood orange season, and since that season does not last forever, and since the Orange Monty is such a cool drink, I submit for your drinking pleasure the Bloody Monty.
I was cutting and juicing blood oranges for a kitchen experiment, and when I saw all the juice, I felt the tug of distraction in my brain. For those who do not know me, I am somewhat, well, I’ll call it focus challenged. If I were a third grader, I’d probably drive my teacher nuts.
I looked upon the pitcher of remarkably, I mean completely, opaque blood orange juice. This particular juice had come from my Moro blood oranges. They are my favorite because their juice is dark as blood, consistently so, a trait not shared by the other varieties of blood orange, Tarocco and Sanguinello. I saw the juice, and I knew what I had to do. First, I went for the Solerno blood orange liquore, that amazing distillation of Sicilian blood oranges and lemons – the Sicilian sun in a bottle. Yes, Dear Reader, this is a step above. And I’ll make it simple – if James Bond were ordering this one it would go like this:
“One measure of Amaro Montenegro, 2 of blood orange juice, 1/2 of Solerno, over cracked ice. Then add a thin slice of orange.” Just imagine sidling up to a bar and intoning those words.
The Bloody Monty
makes 1
2 ounces blood orange juice
1 ounce Amaro Montenegro
1/2 ounce Solerno blood orange liquore
slice of blood orange for garnish
Fill an 8 ounce glass half full with cracked ice. Add ingredients, stir with a bar spoon, and garnish with a thin slice of blood orange. Serve at once.
A couple of notes:
Blood orange season does not last forever. Buy as many blood oranges as you can, and juice them now. Fill ice cube trays with the juice and freeze. Pop out the cubes and bag them for a supply of juice with which you can dazzle family and guests all year long.
I have always loved the artwork from old fruit and vegetable crates. Italy, home to the world’s finest blood oranges, has a similar tradition of wonderful and whimsical produce artwork. Check out Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome to view a great collection of charmingly beautiful Italian blood orange paper wrappings.
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Friday, March 9th 2012 at 8:42 pm |
This looks like my kind of cocktail!
Friday, March 9th 2012 at 9:11 pm |
Hi Elizabeth,
It really is great. I love amari. Last year I started drinking Amaro Montenegro with orange juice, and we called it the Orange Monty. But the other night, I decided to try it with the blood orange juice I was working with. WOW! It was great, plus it looked striking. After I tasted it I remembered the Solerno blood orange liquore. If you have never tried it, you are missing something very special. You can get it here in town. K&L wines in Hollywood carries it. I thought the addition would brighten the drink and bring the flavors forward. It really worked. So now I say nix the Bloody Mary’s and go for the Full Monty! Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you return often.
Friday, March 9th 2012 at 10:25 pm |
Love this! I will definitely make an effort to find Solerno. I’ve never seen it. But then again, I haven’t been looking.
Saturday, March 10th 2012 at 9:39 am |
Hi Elizabeth,
It is great to see you here! Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you can find some Solerno. It really is spectacular. I was initially seduced by the bottle, and when I removed the stopper the deal was sealed – I was enveloped in the most divine perfume of orange blossoms. It is, I think, best used as a mixer. While it is lovely on its own, it has a remarkable ability to lift and bring forward component flavors of other ingredients. You will never use anything else for a Margarita after you try Solerno. I would love to hear from you once you try it. It is my favorite orange liquore these days.
Sunday, April 13th 2014 at 1:47 pm |
Mr. OO7 would probably specify the glass too. In this case I imagine he’d say “in an extra tall, double old-fashioned tumbler”. GREG
Sunday, April 13th 2014 at 2:30 pm |
Hi Greg,
I think you are right. Cheers!
Sunday, April 13th 2014 at 10:15 pm |
Love this! It looks like my perfect drink for this Easter 🙂 Buona Pasqua Adri. Un forte abbraccio, Paola
Monday, April 14th 2014 at 5:47 am |
Ciao Paola,
Grazie e Buona Pasqua a te!