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Today’s LAST CALL dispatch is free to all readers thanks to the generous support of Doladira.
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The Art of the Americano
Doladira, a modern aperitivo created by Meredith Erickson and Richard Betts, instantly evokes the crisp sensation of the Alps with its refreshing and herbaceous profile composed of rhubarb, gentian, rosemary, elderflower, plum, and pine, with an all-natural hue courtesy of black carrot and rhubarb. At 22% alcohol by volume, and 60% less sugar than most other aperitivo bitters, it’s your go-to, low-ABV option all summer long—from enjoying on the rocks, in a spritz, or countless cocktails such as a classic Negroni.
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With the Fourth of July Holiday coming up, it feels like a Doladira Americano is in order. And it’s hard to write about this classic Italian aperitivo without thinking of the late Anthony Minghella’s stylish 1999 film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel,, The Talented Mr. Ripley. In particular, the scene set in San Remo where Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) and Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), hop up on the stage of a hot and smoky, neon-lit jazz club to join their friend Fausto in a singalong to “Tu Vuo Fà L'Americano,” the 1956 Neapolitan song by Renato Carosone mocking the southern Italian men trying to hard to act like Americans.
But we’re here for the Americano drink, the simple, effervescent, and oh-so sessionable highball composed of your favorite red bitter, sweet vermouth, and ice cold soda water. A direct descendant of the Milano-Torino and a predecessor to the Negroni, the Americano has firm roots in the twisty bittersweet branches of the Negroni Family Tree. Its name means "in the American way" and was likely coined for the Prohibition-era American expats in northern Italy who took to the drink in the 1920s and 1930s.
“For me, an Americano is a secret handshake for those people who know their stuff and love aperitivo,” says Doladira founder Erickson. “A Doladira & Soda is my go-to for a refreshing afternoon cocktail. Easy, breezy. But an Americano is when I’m getting serious about my evening.” If you’re looking for a New York City bar with what Erickson calls “an Italian lean” where the bartender would gladly stir up a great Doladira Americano, consider Pasquale Jones, Bar Primi, Il Buco, Torrisi, or Cipriani (all locations).
While delicious as is, you can give your Americano a summer makeover with a few fairly easy modifications. It can be as simple as swapping out the soda water with a quality flavored soda, something like Baladin Ginger from Italy which, despite its name, actually has a mild orange and cream soda vibe.
One of my favorite moves is bringing summer strawberries into the equation, especially since they have a visual and sensory affinity with a red bitter like Doladira. Simply combine a quart of washed and quartered fresh strawberries with a bottle of Doladira in a nonreactive container and allow them to infuse for 3-4 days. Then strain out the solids pour back into the empty bottle.
I also like switching up the more spice-forward sweet vermouth with a lighter bianco vermouth, whose floral, apple, and stone fruit flavor notes complement the crisp salinity of Doladira.
A more advanced method for making your own fruit-infused vermouth comes from my friend Miles Macquarrie, the Beverage Director and Partner of the acclaimed Kimball House in Decatur, Georgia. He’s been making two popular infusions he considers “essential pantry staples” every summer since they first opened their doors in 2013—a strawberry-infused Cocchi Americano and a peach-infused bianco vermouth. He goes deep into the sous vide technique he uses, and even shares the recipes, on a recent episode of VinePair’s “Cocktail College” podcast (hosted by my terrific editor and good friend, Tim McKirdy).
What are your summer Americano hacks?
Doladira Americano
Makes 1 Drink
2 ounces Doladira
1-1/2 ounces sweet vermouth
Soda water (chilled)
Garnish: orange half-wheel or orange zest
Combine the Doladira and sweet vermouth in a highball or rocks glass filled with ice. Top off with soda water. Stir and garnish the orange half-wheel or orange zest.
Find Doladira near you, and use promo code DRINKDOLADIRA to receive free shipping when you when you order from Reservebar.
Drinking
Spaghettibaldi (Caffe Dante)
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Earlier this week, Italian bartender Benjamin Fabio Cavagna from Milan’s 1930 Cocktail Bar and a creator of Bitter Fusetti popped up at Caffe Dante for a one-day-only International Guest Shift sponsored by Amaretto ADRIATICO. I had met Benji back in 2017 at the 1930 Cocktail Bar (we both recalled me being seated in their posh barroom on a comically small padded foot stool) and it was a joy to reconnect with him here in New York (his first time in the Big City!) for an incredibly entertaining afternoon posted up at my usual corner seat. The room was packed with a mix of Italians, off-duty bartenders, and industry/spirits reps, who stopped by to try the trio of Benji’s featured cocktails.
His Spaghettibaldi was among the most popular of the offered drinks, and was served with a bit of a cheeky wink due to the Garibaldi’s affiliation with Dante. In Italy, the Garibaldi historically has been a simple mix of fresh orange juice and Campari, often traveling under the name “Campari & Orange.” Inspired by this tradition, Dante transformed the Garibaldi into their signature drink with its now famous “fluffy” orange juice and also serving the sunset-hued juice glass resting in a small saucer with a fat orange wedge bridging the top of the glass. Tributes (and out and out copies) of the Dante Garibaldi can be found on bar menus around the world. Benji’s Spaghettibaldi—made with Adriatico Bianco, Bitter Fusetti, Martini Ambrato, butter syrup, orange juice, and lemon juice—may have looked familiar to Dante regulars, but was an entirely different experience.
Nissen (KABIN)
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Last Friday evening at a friends and family preview, I tried three drinks from the extensive lineup of cocktails designed by Pamela Wiznitzer and Eloy Pacheco for KABIN, the stylish new Nordic-inspired cocktail bar that opened this week from Alex Tangen and chef Johnny Spero. It was a hot and sticky night and I regretted not wearing shorts like all the other dudes sitting next to me along the bar. But when I finally tried the Nissen, a twist on a classic white port & tonic—upgraded with the addition of gin, aquavit, olive juice, and citrus—I felt the temperature drop with each sip.
Late-Night Jeroboam of Amaro dell’Etna (The Long Island Bar)
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By now, frequent readers of LAST CALL are familiar with Steak & Shrimp Night (SSN) at The Long Island Bar, a semi-regular, spontaneously announced gathering hosted by Toby Cecchini. Lately this previously somewhat intimate affair has expanded to double-digits, and on a recent occasion 20 friends and associates gathered around an extended stretch of outdoor tables lining the sidewalk on Henry Street. This seemed like a good occasion to actually put one of the many 3-liter-sized “big boy” bottles of amaro from my collection to use as more than a trophy in my collection, so I grabbed the Jeroboam of Amaro dell’Etna. I must have poured at least two-thirds of the volume of the bottle making my way up and down the impromptu banquet table, and I was happy to see people reaching for the oversized bottle to pour themselves a refill and linger late into the night—in my book, exactly what amaro is meant for.
Eating
Dolci! Book Party (Ciao, Gloria)
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If you read my recent interview with Ciao, Gloria owner Renato Poliafito, you know that his new cookbook Dolci! came out this week, and I was among the many invited to help celebrate the launch with a food-filled book party held at Ciao, Gloria. Faccia Brutto Spirits were in the house, stirring up a special menu of drinks inspired by the book. And nearly every table and available counter space was packed with trays of Italian American-inspired cookies and confections and a red-sauce fever dream of endless trays filled with pasta, meatballs, eggplant parm, and on and on. And don’t even think I left without wrapping a few Tricolore Cookies in a napkin to take home. My grandmother would have been proud of me.
Hot Ham Sandwich (Hamburger America)
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I still haven’t had the time to actually sit at the grill-side counter at George Motz’s much buzzed-about Hamburger America, but I’ve stopped in a few times to grab a couple to-go smash-style cheeseburgers as it’s on my way from Caffe Dante. But since day one I’ve been wanted to try the Hot Ham Sandwich and finally had the chance this week. I was curious to try it as back home in Central New York, the Original “Hot Ham” Sandwich (grilled, spicy capicola ham on a seeded roll) at Eddie’s has been a beloved institution for generations, and Pete Wells sung its praises in The New York Times’ recent “57 Sandwiches That Define New York City” feature. I thought about ordering two of them along with my Arnold Palmer, but I’m glad I didn’t as there was plenty of grilled slices of ham and melted Swiss cheese stacked inside the small hamburger bun. Like Eddie’s, the Hot Ham Sandwich at Hamburger America arrives without any additional condiments. I grabbed a couple packets of French’s mustard to squeeze out on the paper wrapper and though I dipped a couple bites into the yellow mustard, it was perfectly fine without it.
Ham Sandwich (Dellapietras)
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More ham? I know, I know… I’m lucky to live within walking distance (well, a long walk, but quick B61 bus ride) of the Red Hook institution Defontes’s Sandwich Shop, but I’ve missed having a go-to Italian sub/hoagie option conveniently close since the closure of G. Esposito & Sons Pork Store. While talking about sandwiches with a friend recently he suggested the Ham & Swiss sandwich made by Dellapietras, just a couple blocks up Atlantic Avenue from where I live.
So yesterday on my way home after a doctor’s appointment, I popped into Dellapietras for the first time in a while. I’ve always loved their mom-and-pop style and spent around five full minutes discussing the Ham & Swiss before committing to it (mostly because of my countless queries). They use the same unseeded loaf of Italian-style bread for all their sandwiches. The 2-3 inch stack of super-thin ham is sliced from a quarter of their in-house baked ham and can be partnered with Swiss, Provolone, or Mozzarella along with the addition of either coleslaw or broccoli rabe and hit it with balsamic glaze. I’m usually just a meat, cheese, and condiments guy when it comes to sandwiches but went with a little lettuce and tomato, skipping his kind offer for roasted peppers and opting to apply my own mustard and mayo back home. “Should I get it heated up,” I asked, wondering if that was the move. The butcher looked out the window at the high-noon, sunbaked sidewalk. “Come on, it’s almost 90 degrees. You don’t need this warmed up.”
I had half for lunch yesterday and after I hit “Send” on today’s LAST CALL dispatch will reward myself with the other half which has been “curing” on my kitchen counter for the past hour. Next time I stop by I’m going to ask about possibly getting the house ham sliced thicker to evoke the kind of leftover Christmas ham sandwich you’d make for yourself for lunch.
Sausage, Egg & Cheese (Daily Provisions)
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I can wholly vouch for the June-only Strawberry Lemonade Cruller of the month at my local Daily Provisions (which reminds me, I only have two days left to order one more), but every once in a while I crave their Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwich with a few dashes of their Wake-Up Sauce. Yet no matter how much I prep to avoid it, after the first bite I inevitably wind up with a splash of bright yellow runny egg yolk on my shirt. Highly recommend the fresh Strawberry Lemonade!
Panisse (The Long Island Bar)
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On a recent particularly hot June evening I was across the street at Long Island Bar and was feeling peckish and thought about grabbing takeout from nearby Lillo Cucina Italiana when a new set-up from chef Kevin Walker Garrett on LIB’s evergreen Panisse caught my eye. The dish consists of a trio of crispy chickpea fritters simply dressed with an almond pesto rosso, a thin slice of Tomme de Savoie cheese (which I wish there had been a bit more of), finished with a drizzle of oil and bright burst of lemon juice. It was filling without weighing me down and a perfect dish for hot summer night. And now I’m already thinking about having it once again for dinner tonight.
Swedish Meatballs (KABIN)
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Right now the food at KABIN is focused on cocktail-friendly snacks like East Coast Oysters and Pickled Mackerel. I tried, and have been thinking about for a week now, their Swedish Meatballs, a small but filling serving of a trio of spice-flecked meatballs in a rich peppercorn cream with a blood-red swath of bright and acidic lingonberry jam. I’ll never look at the Swedish Meatballs at IKEA the same way…
Terrell’s Potato Chips (My Corner Bodega)
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It’s likely due to a mix-up on the delivery truck, but every once in a blue moon I’ll stumble across a selection of Terrell’s Potato Chips—my favorite hometown chips hailing from Syracuse, New York—staring back at me among the usual Lay’s and Utz offerings on the shelf at one of the bodegas or grocery stores on Atlantic Avenue. And I buy as many bags as I can carry to take back to my apartment as I’ve learned the hard way, once they’re gone, they’re gone. Well, until they come back randomly months later, as they recently did at my local bodega just as I had returned from a trip back home with several bags of Terrell’s in tow. If you see them, buy them. Or better yet, don’t. Because I want to buy them all.
Coconut Cream Bombolini (Ciao, Gloria)
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It takes me two bus rides to get from my apartment in Brooklyn Height to Ciao, Gloria in Prospect Heights, but it’s worth it and I try to stop by on a regular basis for an Italian breakfast of cappuccino and a sweet pastry. On Saturdays they feature two different Bombolini and they sell out within hours. Last weekend they offered a classic Raspberry Jam Bombolini (my usual favorite), but one of the servers behind the bakery case steered me toward the special Coconut Cream Bombolini, reasoning, “You can always get the Raspberry Bombolini). She was right. The sweet coconut cream came oozing out after my first bite and with the rich, coconut flake-flecked frosting, I had to opt to eat it with a fork and knife, like George Costanza would eat a Snickers bar.
Our thanks to Doladira for underwriting today’s LAST CALL dispatch.
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Caputo’s and Pasainos both make a good sandwich as well. Hard to beat the fried eggplant (add to any sandwich!) at Defonte’s though.