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In Vino, Veritas
The Season of Wocktails! By Sassy Pellizzari
M
y favorite summer cocktail is without a doubt a margarita. I make my margarita with top-shelf tequila (Patron, Casamigos, Herradura or other small, quality producer), a boatload of fresh-squeezed lime juice, a dash of Grand Marnier or Cointreau, and a dash of orange juice. I jokingly refer to it as an “elixir” since it is jampacked with vitamin C (insert eyeroll emoji here). The problem with these is that they are too good, and therefore, the next day, I feel no good. So what do you do when you want a fun, festive cocktail, without crying through your son’s sports match early the next morning? A liquor-free wine cocktail! Wine cocktails without liquor are making a comeback and, personally, I wonder if this is a consequence of COVID-19, like everything else. During quarantine, many folks began drinking wine daily, when previously they would have saved it for the weekend or a special occasion. Enter the wine cocktail: a festive, low-alcohol, refreshing, healthier version of a liquor cocktail. These are my favorites for the summer. The Hugo The Europeans, especially the Germans, Austrians and Northern Italians, consider the Hugo a spring staple. I learned about this from my dear friend who is German and suggested it for a virtual zoom event we were hosting during the peak
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of COVID quarantine. The Hugo is made using elderflower cordial, and I couldn’t help feeling like it was the absolute perfect drink for 2020, since I was chugging elderberry products daily, hoping it would help fight off any viruses. The Hugo is light in alcohol since it is just sparkling wine, and it is simple to make. Hugo Recipe 3 parts sparkling wine (I suggest Dignitat Cava) 1 part elderflower cordial (approximately 3 tablespoons) 1 dash of soda Serve on ice with fresh mint and a lime. Aperol Spritz The Aperol spritz is an Italian cocktail aperitif, and undoubtedly the most popular drink of summer there. Once the weather starts turning warm and sunny in Italy, you cannot enter a bar or restaurant at any hour of the day without seeing this lively, bright orange cocktail. This simple wine-based cocktail is made with prosecco, Aperol bitter and a splash of soda water. Like the Hugo, it has a relatively low alcohol content (11%), so it’s perfect for long parties, day drinking or lazy afternoons. Its taste is bubbly, pleasantly citrusy and slightly bitter, owing its flavors and aromas to sweet and bitter oranges, rhubarb, and gentian root.
