It’s been hot here. And not just the usual “No problem; it’s a dry heat” hot, but that your eyes are hot; you can cook your brain kind of hot. And it’s June. Looks like it could be a long one, so best make certain we have a sufficient cache of summer recipes. To that end, I turned once again to B’s anniverary gift, Baiocchi and Parisea’s book Spritz. I was looking for something involving lemons and came across Bitter Intentions, a creation of Bobby Heugel, proprietor of Anvil Bar and Refuge in Houston. This little tipple uses a couple of tricks including some layering to make great drink even more interesting. I also loved the name
Bitter Intentions
- 1 1/2 oz. seltzer
- 2 oz. Campari
- 3/4 oz. lemon juice
- 3/4 oz. simple syrup
- 1 oz. sweet vermouth
Put the seltzer in a Collins glass. Add crushed ice to the glass. Shake the Campari, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice. Strain into the Collins glass. Add more crushed ice and top off with the vermouth. Garnish with an orange slice.
We really like this drink on a warm summer afternoon. The original recipe suggests Carpana Antica as the vermouth. I’m sure that would be good. We also used a twist of lemon as the garnish as I was fresh out of oranges and was juicing lemons for the drink anyway.
Today’s potation is a great option on a hot summer afternoon and will definitely be part of our regular rotation.
Cheers.
