Americano + And A Little Love From Italy

Michael and I spent Easter in Italy, in Imperia to be precise, a small town on the Ligurian coast, close to the French border. I realize that Imperia sounds a lot less intriguing than Rome, Florence or Paris, another big city that we could travel to rather easily from Switzerland. But Imperia was all we needed, a not-so-touristy, small and rather quiet coastal town. There was little to do, but lots of sun, cheap and strong espressos, walks along the sea front, and the occasional aperitivo.

I felt very grown up for drinking the typical Italian aperitivos instead of the beer I usually order. The Italians drank several different aperitivos that were all based on Campari, Vermouth, Aperol and other liquors that are similarly bitter and herby. We ordered Americanos, Negronis and a Campari Soda, but I have seen people order Aperol with Soda, too, and other similar drinks that I was not able to identify. Of the three drinks I had, I liked the Americano best. An Americano is a lot classier than most cocktails, it does not scream bachelorette party like the Sex on the Beach or the Piña Colada (can you see I am not much a fan of these kind of drinks?). In fact, wikipedia tells me that this is the first drink James Bond orders in the short story "From a View to a Kill". And I have to say, if it is good enough for James Bond, it is good enough for me, and far enough from the mental image of bachelorette parties, too.

The Americano is perfect for an aperitivo, even before lunch when you feel it might normally be too early to have a drink but since you are on vacation it might be okay!? The Negroni is similar, with added gin, and I feel more appropriate for an after dinner drink than an aperitivo. Both are really good, though.

P.S. Do you see that rice "pie" in the first picture? It is a tortaverde, a pie with an olive oil dough and a filling of rice, spinach and zucchini, and I think I need to make this one soon and share here. I really loved it.

Vin d'Orange

I am soo ready for spring. As in, I have been ready for spring for the last month or two but he (she?) decided to take some more time and leave me here in the dead of winter. But the last few days were warmer, I saw the first spring flowers peak out of the cold soil and I actually one day enjoyed lunch outside, though still wrapped up because it is not that warm here. As I write this, though, the temperatures are slowly dropping again, and we are expecting some snow on Thursday and Friday.
The one thing I am sad about saying goodbye to is citrus fruit. (Oh and Avocados. Avocados grow in winter in Spain, apparently). I'd love to bring citrus fruit into spring and summer with me, to hang out with cucumbers and tomatos and eggplant. And to just generally eat on a really hot day. I'd really love that. Since I can't (or techincally I can because I can probably buy oranges all troughout the year but won't since they are from South Africa or Australia then) I decided to preserve some of the last oranges and refashion it into a drink that is ready for spring and summer.

I had Vin d'Orange for the first and only time at Michael's parents' house, probably two years ago. I am not a liquor kind of girl, but this Vin d'Orange with some white wine, or better sparkling wine was just so good. I don't know what kept me from making it, it is really easy to throw together and the result is really delicious. I just hope I have made enough to actually have some leftover for when the days are warmer.

Vin d'Orange

8 oranges, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
350 gram sugar
350 ml vodka (40% alcohol)
1,5 - 2 bottles white wine(750 ml each)

Layer the orange and lemon slices with the sugar in several mason jars (I used three 1 l jars and had some wine leftover). Pour the vodka over the orange slices and fill the jars with the white wine.
Set aside in a cool dark place and shake the jars once a day, for about a week.
Drain the vin'd orange through a sieve lined with cheesecloth and fill it into bottles. Store it in the fridge and use within 6 months.

The vin d'orange is really great over ice, with a few mint leaves thrown in, and I plan to add it to a glass of sparkling wine, soon.

And stay tuned for an idea on what to do with all the lovely leftover orange you have after bottleing the vin d'orange.

Gin + Tonic

I am quite aware of the fact that you probably think that you don't need a recipe for gin + tonic, as it is really easy to just throw together without any directions at all.
But a gin + tonic has become one of my favorite drinks over the last weeks/months, if not my favorite, and as I learnt from my uncle, there are still a few things you have to get right for a great gin + tonic.
If you are anything like me, you buy quality ingredients when you think it matters, and in other cases you buy the cheapest you can find. I'd never buy the cheapest wine (although I also don't spend a ton of money on a bottle) because I know the cheap ones are barely drinkable. But when it comes to spirits, I just go out and buy the cheapest bottle I can find. It had never occurred to me that the different brands of gin actually vary in quality. Duh.
But as I mentioned before, I talked with my uncle about gin and the different brands and their flavor and he suggested I try Hendrick's gin, and I did go out to buy a bottle.
Hendrick's gin is flavored with cucumber and rose, in addition to the traditional juniper. And the difference in taste compared to the generic brand gin is amazing. It is less harsh, almost delicate and the flavor is complex, with the cucumber and rose showing through lightly. No wonder Hendrick's Gin was named Best Gin in the World by the Wall Street Journal in 2003.

So now that you have spent quite a bit more cash on a bottle of gin that you used to, you don't want to use any cheap tonic water either. But spending the extra money on a bottle of tonic is really worth it, too. For the sake of research I had to compare to versions of gin + tonic, one made with a generic brand of tonic that I bought at Migros, the Swiss supermarket, and the other made with a tonic made by fever-tree, a British tonic I bought at a store here in Bern. (If you are interested in buying this particular tonic as well, the link to fever-tree actually leads to the availability page. They do sell them in the States, though I don't know how easy they would be to find)
The generic tonic was a lot sweeter than the fever-tree tonic, less bitter too (and bitter is good). The fever-tree tonic water is a lot more subtle and fresher, with more herbal flavor than just sweetness like the generic brand tonic.
As a result, the gin + tonic with the fever-tree tonic was less sweet and had a more complex flavor, just add a slice of cucumber and you have the perfect gin + tonic.