by Tilar J. Mazzeo | photos by Janis Jean Photography –
The Hugo Spritz
Conceived at the San Zeno Bar in the northern Italy in 2005, this is a low- or no-alcohol sparkler that won’t leave you conked out on your pool lounger and sorry tomorrow. It’s fresh mint leaves – and if you’re an Old Fashioned aficionado you’ll know what I mean when I say they really should be muddled – crushed ice, a little splash of elderflower cordial, and another splash of sparkling water for the temperance version. For the low-alcohol original version, use half sparkling water and half sparkling wine. Italian Prosecco is classic, but Portuguese Vinho Verde generally has lower alcohol content and is often more affordable (mi dispiace!).
Panama, Old School
I’ve been reading travel narratives across Panama at the end of the Gold Rush. Steamers Hercule Poirot could love. Cigars. Panama hats and palm trees. This is a champagne cocktail, straight from Colon, circa 1855, with a dash of bitters to keep you free from that nasty malaria. From Panama in 1855: “A bottle of prime, sparkling Mumm, a refreshing plateful of shaved crystal ice, and a medicinal looking bottle upon which is written Bitters.” Personally, I don’t think you can go wrong with the classic Angostura bitters, from the 1824 recipe, for the real old-school experience, but you do you. I can’t bring myself to spoil real Champagne, even with “crystal” ice shavings, so feel free to swap out for a good, dry prosecco. Served the consistency of winter slush. Panama hat optional.
The Stinger
This is pure nostalgia –
half-remembered, half-invented.
I grew up in one of those Kennedy-type yachting towns in coastal Maine, where the Red Sox played quietly on the radio (Go Sox!) while you napped in a hammock. My mother and her friends all drank something called a Stinger. The basic idea was spirits, with a splash of white creme de menthe and a splash of sharp ginger ale, over ice. Made with bourbon in the 1890s, when it was invented, in the 1970s reel of my memory it was vodka. Ginger kombucha could substitute for ginger ale, which isn’t as sharp these days as I remember
it back in Technicolor.
