Zucca – The Mezzo Piano

Think hip, very hip and wearing Prada or Dolce & Gabbana, maybe Armani. Now add Milano’s famous bar Camparino (formerly known as Zucca in Galleria and birthplace, by the way, of the famous Americano cocktail.) Enter the bar to see patrons partaking of Zucca. Zucca is Italian for pumpkin, but this is no vegetable smoothie. It is Rabarbaro Zucca, an amaro, whose principal and most noteworthy ingredient, the ingredient that puts it squarely in the spotlight, is Chinese rhubarb. This complex libation was invented in 1845 by Ettore Zucca, and has been at the top of its category ever since. It is manufactured today by I.L.L.V.A. Saronno, of Disaronno Originale (amaretto) fame. New to our shores, Zucca is becoming a favorite of envelope pushing barmen and mixologists across the U.S. as the bitter component in many new cocktails. Zucca is hot.

I have written about amari before, and I admit that I occasionally still get “the look” when I lift an unfamiliar bottle from the liquor cabinet. A napkin quietly brought to the edge of a guest’s mouth, a slight downward tip of the head coupled with a quiet sidelong glance. You see, many in the U.S. still view amari as “the other.” However, change is coming as more companies import their products. That can only be good news for those of us who imbibe. And for our digestion as well.

Believed to have curative and restorative properties Chinese rhubarb has been used by practitioners of Chinese medicine for millennia. Among the multiplicity of reputed actions are effects on the GI tract including beneficial effects on the liver, stimulating secretion of digestive enzymes, the ability to increase and decrease peristalsis (in varied dosages) and to staunch gastrointestinal bleeding. Sorry to get so technical, but the truth is the truth. And it is these very properties that make rhubarb a natural as a component of many of Italy’s beloved amari and digestivi.

Zucca is an opaque brown liquid, somewhat syrupy, leaving very impressive legs on the glass when swirled. It packs something of a punch at 16% alcohol by volume. For most, the first taste will ring the bitter bell. After bitter, sweet makes her appearance, followed by herbs and the spice girls, with the taste of cardamom, wet and earthy, coming to the fore. Next up is citrus, along with vanilla and smoke. We’re talking nuance and multiple levels here. Sip slowly, just the tiniest bit to start. You will soon discover that Zucca is quite sweet. So sweet, in fact, that you will want to mix it with something. Italians often drink Zucca in equal parts with seltzer water over crushed ice. Drinks made with Zucca are remarkable appetite stimulants, the perfect thing to enjoy at the bar, as your evening gets going.

The Mezzo Piano

serves 1

I used Vermouth di Torino from The House of Cocchi for this one. The weightier Zucca and elegant Cocchi share rhubarb, gentle bittersweet and citrus notes, and over ice they blend to create an elegant drink. You’re going to like this.

1.5 ounces Zucca
1.5 ounces Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
1 ounce seltzer water
lemon twist

Combine liquid ingredients in rocks glass over ice. Stir well. Garnish with lemon twist. Serve at once.

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I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.