spritz

An Americano in LA

by whit on June 17, 2011

I began to really dig chinato when I met Mauro Vergano earlier this year. The former chemist turned his sights on wine and chinato and the world of fine beverages is most definitely better for it! What is chinato (kee-naht-oh)? Well, it’s a wine that is fortified and infused with herbs and quinine bark (china in italian). Throw some sugar and spices in there and let’s just go ahead and call it a magical potion of deliciousness.

Most chinato you see is Barolo chinato, made from nebbiolo grapes. But Vergano plays around with grignolino grapes for his Americano and moscato for his also amazing and not to be missed concoction called Luli.

The Americano is kind of like if sweet vermouth and Campari had a baby, which is why i think Vergano named this Americano; after the cocktail with those two main ingredients.* When tasting with Mauro, he preferred to have us enjoy the Americano on ice with sparkling water and an orange twist. I’ve already expressed my obsession with the spritz here on the blog many times ever since my first real encounter back in 2009. So you know any excuse I have to drink a spritz, I am DOWN.

My sparkling water was flavored with a hint of orange  (my favorite way to sneak in a bit more flavor) and I didn’t have any oranges around so I grabbed a grapefruit from my neighbor’s overflowing tree. I have to say the grapefruit aromas were pretty dope all up in this mix.

A bottle of Americano too can be yours for the sum of $40. Available at Domaine LA.

* this just in from Lou via Twitter….”Note: Americano not named after a cocktail but indicates a category of Italian apéritif wine (e.g., Cocchi, Gancia).” Grazie Lou!

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Sunday Sip: Spritz-ing in Venezia

by whit on December 20, 2009



While in Italy, my favorite time of day is around 5 or 6 pm. Not only because I am that much closer to some sort of utterly fantastic dinner feast, but because these are the hours of aperitivo. Much like an American happy hour, it is a time to gather with friends, have a snack and a drink and open the stomach and palate for the dinner experience. Other than the region of Emilia-Romagna (with it’s lambrusco and culatello), Venice is my favorite place for aperitivo. I was there in chilly November and the piazzas were still full of people sitting around drinking ice cold glasses of spritz, munching on potato chips and discussing the day’s events. You can get a spritz anywhere in Italy, but it is most popular in the North.

photo by M. Quintanilla

photo by M. Quintanilla

What is a spritz, you ask? Classically, it is Campari (an Italian bitter liqueur), white wine and a splash of sparkling water over ice with an olive garnish. But, there are variations on this theme. As my friend Marisa and I stood at an incredibly crowded bar waiting to order, we watched as the bartender expertly created what seemed like dozens of spritz per minute for us thirsty patrons. Sometimes he would use white wine and sometimes he would use…..prosecco! Also an option, it seemed, was Aperol instead of Campari.  That was it, I had chosen my version of spritz. Aperol and prosecco on ice with a slice of orange. Delicious and refreshing.

Spritz. It’s what’s for aperitivo.

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