cocchi americano – cocktails & gratitude

We had a delicious, refreshing strawberry spritz at Marina Grande in Sorrento, Italy and I did my best to recreate it. It’s perfect for a summer cocktail party!

Two key components of this cocktail are the strawberry infused white vermouth and Italicus.

White Vermouth – this is not the dry vermouth you use in your martini. Look for white vermouth (vermouth blanca or bianco) which has crisp floral and citrus notes. If you have trouble finding white vermouth, Cocchi Americano Bianco is a great substitute in this cocktail.

Italicus – This is an Italian liquor made from herbs. It’s expensive, but there’s really nothing else with a similar profile. (I use Italicus in another delicious cocktail, the Italicus Spritz, if you’re looking for ways to use up the bottle.)

A day or two before you want to make this cocktail, infuse the white vermouth (or Cocchi Americano Bianco) with fresh strawberries. Wash the strawberries, remove the green stems and slice up the strawberries into quarters. Place the strawberries in a large Mason jar and pour the white vermouth over the strawberries. Seal and let sit on the counter for at least 24 hours. Shake every 4 – 6 hours to redistribute the strawberries and help the infusion process. Once the strawberries have lost most of their color and are looking a little mushy, pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, capturing the infused vermouth. (The longer you infuse the strawberries in the vermouth or Cocchi, the pinker your spritz will be.) Pour the strawberry infused vermouth back into the Vermouth bottle or a Mason jar and chill. Discard the strawberries.

Recipe:

1 1/2 parts strawberry infused white vermouth or Cocchi Americano Bianco

1 part Italicus

3 parts processo

1 part club soda

Combine in a wine glass over ice, stir gently, garnish with strawberry slices.

Salud!

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Below are a few tips to help you prepare the best champagne cocktail.

Chill your glass in the freezer for 5 – 10 minutes while you gather your ingredients and open your champagne. (Heat is the enemy of carbonation.)
Since none of these drinks are served over ice, chill all ingredients in the fridge for several hours before making your cocktails.
Freshly squeeze all citrus and strain to remove any bits of pulp. Chill.

The basic ingredients of a champagne cocktail usually includes:

a bitter or sweet liqueur
a flavor accent, if you used a bitter for the first step this step will mostly likely be sweet
Champagne or Prosecco

Once you understand the basic components, have fun and create your own cocktail. Below are a few options to get you started.

The Classic Champagne Cocktail

1 sugar cube

Angostura aromatic bitters

5 oz Champagne

Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a chilled champagne flute. Dash bitters onto the sugar cube until soaked. Top with champagne. This is a classic party drink because it’s quick to make and the sugar makes the champagne fizz.

Kir Royale

1/2 ounce black currant liqueur (Creme de Cassis)

5 oz Champagne

Luxardo cherry (do not chill or the syrup will crystalize)

Pour the chilled liqueur into the chilled champagne glass. Top with champagne. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry.

Cocchi Champagne Cocktail

1 oz Cocchi Americano

1/2 oz Orange simple syrup (see below)

5 oz Champagne or Prosecco

Combine in a chilled champagne flute. Garnish with an orange slice or a fresh orange peel.

Orange Simple Syrup

Simmer in a saucepan for 5 – 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

1 cup water
1 cup of sugar
The peel from 1 orange and 1 lemon (try to include as little white part (pith) as possible since that will give your syrup a bitter taste)
Juice from the orange you just zested

Strain out the peels, discard. Refrigerate the citrus simple syrup for up to one week.

Hibiscus Champagne Cocktail

1 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

1/2 oz Hibiscus rosemary concentrate (see below)

5 oz Champagne or Prosecco

Combine in chilled champagne flute. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Hibiscus Rosemary Concentrate. If you can find hibiscus flowers that’s great, (available on Amazon) but if not, just pick up a container of natural hibiscus tea at the grocery store. The Republic of Tea is a good brand.

Boil 1 1/2 cups of water
Add 1/4 cup of hibiscus flowers or several tea bags and a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary

Let steep for at least 10 minutes until the concentrate is a dark red.

Strain out the flowers and discard. Refrigerate the concentrated tea for up to one week. (If you have any leftover concentrate, try it in the Hibiscus margarita.)

Cherry Champagne Cocktail

Luxardo cherries (do not chill or the syrup will crystalize)

1 oz Cherry liqueur (I used Heering 200)

Fresh lemon juice

5 oz Champagne or Prosecco

Drop a Luxardo cherry in the bottom of a chilled champagne coupe or flute. Use a spoon to drizzle a tablespoon of Luxardo syrup in the glass. Top with 1 oz cherry liqueur and a few drops of fresh squeezed lemon juice, then top with Champagne or Prosecco. Garnish with a lemon wheel or lemon peel.

Sorbet Champagne Float

Sorbet

Raspberries or blackberries

Champagne

Place a ball of sorbet in a chilled coupe, top with champagne and berries. Serve with a spoon. You could even serve this for dessert, just use a chilled dessert dish and increase the size of the sorbet scoop.

I can’t forget the classic, Aperol Spritz.

For the person who just wants a glass of champagne, consider adding a few pomegranate seeds and watch them dance on the bubbles.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Comment below with your favorite bubbly cocktail. I’m always looking for new ideas.

Italian Strawberry Spritz

New Year’s Eve Champagne Cocktails