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Italian Strawberry Spritz
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!
Sorrento Italy 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.
Italian Strawberry Spritz Salud!
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Italicus Spritz
This is one of my favorite cocktails at RPM Italian in Chicago. The special ingredient is the Italian liqueur Italicus. Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto is a blend of bergamot peel, Cedro lemons, chamomile, lavender, gentian, yellow roses and Melissa balm. An aromatic and lightly spicy liqueur which balances honeyed sweetness with rooty bitterness. It can be difficult to find (and it’s a little expensive) but if you want to duplicate this drink, it’s an essential ingredient.
Add to a cocktail shaker filled with ice:
1 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz Monkey 47 Gin
1 1/2 oz Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
A small pinch of sea salt
Italicus Spritz: Prosecco, Monkey 47 gin, Italicus Shake well and strain into a large goblet with ice cubes and top with:
4 oz of LaMarca Prosecco or your favorite brand
2 oz of club soda
Stir gently.
RPM garnishes their Spritz with a lime peel but I saw several Italicus recipes that suggested garnishing with green olives. So, if you like green olives, give that a try.
Italicus Spritz Cheers!
Click on the three lines to the left of the word “lifestyle” at the top of this page and enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Also, follow me on Instagram at cocktailsandgratitude for photos of cocktails, flowers, my pets and, someday soon, more travel.