Gold, amber, bronze: deluxe cocktails tell the colours of Christmas
The saffron of a noble gin, the red of an intense rum with a coffee aroma. And blends with warm notes of strong tea and almond. Even the nuances of a drink describe an atmosphere.
3' min read
3' min read
How influential is colour when choosing a drink? There are blends - and therefore shades - that are reminiscent of summer, the freshness of a cocktail with mint, for example: ingredients with transparent bases, perhaps crushed, where ice cubes can be glimpsed, perfect and without even white veins. Warm colours are often associated with the cold season, like an amber drink to be sipped slowly. Colour is a powerful medium in mixology: tinctures, essences, extracts, purees and syrups are imagined and made with the final colour in mind.
But how do you turn a colour into a cocktail? A book just published by Hoepli, written by Italian barlady Terry Monroe, aims precisely to explore preparation techniques, studies and experiments that make colour the real protagonist. Between anecdotes and recipes, "Cromococktail" (€44.90) investigates the chemistry of colour in contemporary mixing, from Persian red to Legnano green to air force blue, 99 cocktail shades in a photographic volume that collects stories and recipes.
Loading...
In this setting, what colour are Christmas drinks? For Nio Cocktails, the ready-to-drink cocktail brand, the reassuring tones of a nectar of ambrosia: three novelties designed in collaboration with mixologist Patrick Pistolesi for the festive season. Clementea is a reinterpretation of a classic Vodka Sour, sweet and spicy with citrus tips, balanced by the warm notes of cognac, tea and mandarin. Amaretti Sours right from its name recalls the reassuring aroma of the Disaronno almond which, in harmony with the Frangelicosi hazelnut, creates a creamy, enveloping base. A citrus component has been introduced to balance it. Finally Coco Noel, which looks like a candle to the eye: here, the luxurious taste of Baileys Irish Cream is enhanced by notes of caramel, coconut and cocoa for a creamy result.
The nuances of the most characteristic colour of Christmas can also be discovered in a distillate that tells them right from its name: Gin oro, a saffron gin that is an aromatic journey along the Silk Road, from the Mediterranean coast to the East. Award-winning, it was conceived by Baldo Baldinini, master blender and researcher of precious and rare botanicals from all over the world, as well as founder of the Dibaldo brand. To be enjoyed alone or mixed in classic recipes, it can also be the basis for sophisticated bartender experiments, bringing the aroma of saffron, and its precious golden yellow, to embellish drinks.
Another formula for enjoying a drink is prebatched: bottles that contain the cocktail already prepared and mixed, ready to pour. Bronze and gold versions characterise the Cask Negroni, the Boulevardier and the Margarita sold at Camparino in the Galleria, Milan. Three small bottles that are a tribute to the great classics. The Margarita, in particular, mixes Espolòn tequila, Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge and agave syrup, ideal to be savoured in a tumbler filled with ice with a squeeze of lime, with the mind drawn to exotic destinations.
Loading...
