Bere Italiano
"We're living like in the dolce vita."
The Italian Job
As many of you know I've been working on a new book about the culture and traditions of Italian drinkways. There will be amaro, of course, but also caffè, birra, vermut, vino, liquori, grappa, Italian-born spirits, and classic and modern cocktail recipes.
A lot of you also follow my friend, the beloved baker and bestselling author David Lebovitz, whose most recent book, Drinking French, was also photographed by our mutual friend Ed Anderson. While our books will be very different—and David gave me his blessing—he did ask that I don’t call it Drinking Italian. I’ve been calling the book Italian Drinks as a placeholder, but as David recently shared, his original title was French Drinks and it was our mutual publisher who suggested Drinking French. I’ve recently started thinking of it as Bere Italiano, which sort of skirts around the issue. All of my books so far have had simple, direct titles (Bitters, Amaro, Distillery Cats, Last Call) that never changed throughout the publishing process, from proposal to finished copy. But we shall see.
And if all goes as planned, this time tomorrow I’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day squeezed into an American Airlines aisle seat on my way to Italy with my frequent traveling companion and creative partner, photographer Ed Anderson. We have an ambitious and overwhelming two-week adventure ahead of us visiting producers, bartenders, bars, cafes, and other spirited detours. Last November we spent a week photographing coverage shots for the book here in New York and Pennsylvania at a number of Italian-inspired bars and restaurants. With Ed’s permission I’m sharing a couple of exclusive first-looks at his amazing work in today’s dispatch. I hope you dig them as much as I do.
I know I’ll get no sympathy writing about how stressful it’s been planning a research trip like this all by myself. I love traveling with Ed but it always takes a toll on both of us. Long days, late nights, early morning wake-up calls, little sleep, hours on the road. The end result is always worth all of this effort, but as I’ve grown older more aches and pains have become chronic reminders of a lifetime of poor decisions.
My dear friend Mike gifted me with an exercise mat and composed a 20-page custom packet of stretching and calisthenics for me to practice each morning. He also surprised me with a stationary bike. (Mike is truly one of the best friends a guy could have, right?) I haven’t been perfect adopting these into my daily routine but gearing up for Italy I have been better and ride the bike every morning as I watch my stories. And Ed has enforced encouraged me to take a daily 30-minute afternoon walk that doesn’t end up at a bakery. And he insists that for every Diet Coke I consume, I must match it with a 20-ounce glass of water. Baby steps. Ed did say if something does befall me when I’m abroad that he’s going straight to the Viking Funeral option.
On a brighter note: Buon San Valentino! My heart-shaped gift to you is my go-to BTP Aperitvo Moves playlist. Just hit “shuffle” and give it a spin. Perfect for a romantic dinner, dancing by yourself at home, preparing to go out on the town, or listening to in your rental car as you drive through Italy making pit stops at every Autogrill. Ciao ciao!