(photo: Scordoni awaits grapefruit juice and a quick stir)
I didn't always like Campari; in fact, I thought the liquor was bitter, fowl, and just unappetizing. I remember ordering a Negroni (made with gin, sweet/red vermouth, Campari, and bitters) at a fancy New York restaurant and thinking this drink is strong, but it's really not doing much for me on the flavor / experience side of things.
Fast forward a couple of years to present day and I love most Italian amari and/or digestivos. The "loving" part came about slowly and I still prefer to mix a liquor like Campari with other ingredients to create the perfect cocktail. One recent cocktail experiment yielded what I believe is the definitive pre-dinner drink or apéritif; namely, the "Scordoni"
(photo: Scordoni ingredient from left to right: red vermouth, Campari, St. Germain, and unsweetened white grapefruit juice)
Here's what you'll need to create the Scordoni:
- 1 tumbler glass filled with 5-6 ice cubes (or about half way up the glass)
- 1 ounce of Campari
- 1 ounce of red vermouth (Martini and Rossi is fine)
- 1 ounce of St. Germaine (a French liquor made from elderflower blossoms)
- 2-3 counces of unsweetened white grapefruit juice
(photo: the ingredients and tumbler glass chilling)
(photo: mixed Scordoni)
Add the ingredients to your glass and stir well; you can add a twist of lemon, if you'd like. I like to serve the Scordoni as an apéritif (you can whip up a pitcher and serve it before a large dinner party; I guarantee it will stimulate everyone's appetite!). The cocktail is also very refreshing and especially tasty during the summer months.
(photo: mixed Scordoni)
(photo: mixed Scordoni in tumbler glass)
Italian
