BOOK/A TABLE - The Casi-no Royale Cocktail

My birthday twin and I celebrated our special day with lunch at Alain Ducasse’s French bistro Benoit. There among the wines and cocktails were booze-free alternatives, such as the Wannabe a Spritz, composed of a pre-made Phony Negroni with sparkling Earl Grey tea.

Our waiter was indifferent to the drink, so I didn’t order it. But...I was intrigued, thinking I should try to make a version at home.

First of all, the Wannabe a Spritz uses the Phony Negroni to get the flavors of Campari and sweet vermouth found in a traditional Negroni, although the use of sparkling water really makes it more of an Americano. However, since the Negroni and Americano both feature Campari and sweet vermouth, I used non-alcoholic substitutes for those aperitifs that I already had on hand as I toiled over my shaker.

It’s an Americano that the British James Bond orders in Casino Royale (the first of Ian Fleming’s books to feature the secret agent), so it did make sense that I should flavor my mock Negroni/Americano with British Earl Grey tea, as they do at Benoit. I just created a homemade Earl Grey tea-infused syrup instead. 

Along with the syrup, a drop of lemon and a splash of sparkling water, it all ended up being a most satisfying no-alcohol concoction—the Casi-no Royale!

“Bond ordered an Americano and examined the sprinkling of overdressed customers, mostly from Paris he guessed, who sat talking with focus and vivacity, creating that theatrically clubbable atmosphere of l’heure de l’apéritif.”

Just say “yes” to the Casi-no Royale (or perhaps the Doctor No-Groni). A recipe for a no-alcohol Americano, the America-no, is also below.

Casi-no Royale

Ingredients
1 oz Ritual Aperitif Alternative
1 oz Lyre’s Apéritif Rosso
1 oz Earl Grey simple syrup

A few dashes of non-alcoholic bitters, such as All the Bitter

Lemon wedge
Club soda

Method
To make simple syrup: Steep an Earl Grey tea bag for five minutes in 1 cup boiled water. Stir in half cup sugar to blend. Refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for at least 20 minutes and give it a good shake before use.

To make the cocktail: Shake the first four ingredients into an ice-filled shaker and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Squeeze lemon wedge over your cocktail and then drop it in. Top with club soda to taste.

America-no

Ingredients
1 oz Ritual Aperitif Alternative
1 oz Lyre’s Apéritif Rosso

Club soda or sparkling water

Orange slice or lemon twist

Method
Pour Aperitif Alternative and Apéritif Rosso over ice in an old fashioned glass and stir. Add a splash of the club soda or water, to taste. Garnish with the orange slice or lemon and serve!

P.S. Give the wheel a spin: If you prefer to hit the hard stuff, click here for a traditional Americano or try an Earl Grey Negroni from tablemagazine.com, made with Earl Grey-infused gin and lemon bitters.

                                             

BOOK/A TABLE - The Classic Negroni

I happened to be reading Patricia Highsmith's nail-biter The Talented Mr. Ripley when I saw Netflix had adapted it into an eight-part series entitled Ripley. Starring the extraordinary Andrew Scott, this new version is a glorious, moody vision of Italy shot in stark black and white. 

There's a lot of mystery surrounding our psychopathic, murderous protagonist Tom Ripley, but the real mystery to me is why, as the characters traipse across Italy drinking gin martinis, there is nary a mention of the classic Italian Negroni! Lord knows I drank little else when I was running around Italy myself.

Originally served to Count Camillo Negroni in 1919, the bitter cocktail composed of pure liquor is a ripping refresher that some prefer in the cooler months, but I remember escaping the heat of June with a number of Negronis while lingering in the various osterie of Florence, Venice, Rome... 

Classic Negroni

Adapted from Saveur magazine

Ingredients

1 oz. Campari
1 oz. gin
1 oz. sweet vermouth
Orange slice, for garnish

Method
In a tumbler filled with ice, stir together the Campari, gin, and vermouth. Garnish with the orange slice.

The White Negroni has making an appearance in restaurant bars around town recently too, should you wish to try at home! 

White Negroni

Adapted from liquor.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce Lillet blanc
1/2 ounce Suze gentian liqueur
Garnish: lemon twist

Method
Add the gin, Lillet blanc and Suze into a mixing glass with ice and stir for 15 to 20 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Ritual Non-Alcoholic Spirits (a leader in the N/A market) has also come up with what I feel is a highly commendable version of the Negroni, as well as other fantastic booze-free concoctions found here. 

Ritual Non-Alcoholic Negroni

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz. Ritual Gin Alternative
1 1/2 oz. Ritual Aperitif Alternative
Garnish: orange

Method
Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add 1.5oz of Ritual Gin and Aperitif Alternative. Stir the ingredients in the mixing glass for 20-30 seconds until well combined. Strain the mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange peel.

"Tom showered and then Dickie showered, and came out and poured himself a drink, just like the first time, but the atmosphere now was totally changed."

The Talented Mr. Ripley, Patricia Highsmith