Dive Bar Jukebox: Aperitivo Moves
"We're living like in the dolce vita."
Welcome to Dive Bar Jukebox, a LAST CALL paid subscriber exclusive where bartenders, writers, chefs, musicians, and a cast of cool characters answer the question: If we were hanging out together at a bar and I put ten credits on the jukebox, what songs would you punch in and why? Their responses reveal thoughts on their favorite dive bars along with a hand-picked, annotated playlist for your weekend listening pleasure.
To help keep the tunes spinning on DBJ, please consider becoming a Paid Subscriber to LAST CALL to receive all dispatches, exclusives like Dive Bar Jukebox, City Guides, and The Lowdown, access to two-plus years’ worth of archived content, and my eternal gratitude for your support.
Monthly: $6.00
Annual: $50.00
Courtside Seats: $150.00 (Annual subscription plus a signed copy of one of my books—Bitters, Amaro, Distillery Cats, or Last Call)
We're Living Like In the Dolce Vita
Ciao! It’s BTP and I’m back on the aux for another installment of Dive Bar Jukebox. I had hoped to send this out earlier in the day but by the time you receive this dispatch and its accompanying playlist it will be timed perfectly for Friday aperitivo.
In the new book on Italian drinking culture I’ve been working on I have a section on Spuntini (Italian snacks) with tips on stocking your own Italian pantry for on-the-fly aperitivo occasions at home. Italians have mastered the art of the occasion of casual end-of-day gatherings to mark the transition from workday to evening, and it’s always best with a low-ABV bitteresweet drink and an assortment of simple snacks (the saltier and crispier the better)
Living in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a number of excellent, old-school, family-run Italian American bakeries and alimentari makes it convenient for me to always have Italian-born provisions on hand, from lard bread and grissini to taralli and potato chips to pistachios and olives. Not to mention fresh burrata, mozzarella, and shards of Parmigianino along with mortadella, soppressata, and prosciutto.
When friends stop by for aperitivo at Casa BTP it’s usually for a bit of pre-gaming before heading elsewhere for dinner. For drinks, I typically serve a Negroni Sbagliato (served in the signature, oversized goblets made famous at Milan’s Bar Basso, or an ice-cold Campari Seltz made with Campari straight from the freezer poured into a frozen glass and topped with seltzer. And I keep a stash of non-alcoholic options next to the bottles of vermouth resting on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator door, including St. Agrestis’ Phony Negroni, Casamara Club’s Superclasico, and OG Sanbitter.
And there’s always music, which brings us to today’s playlist. At home I have an ever-expanding playlist I put on for such occasions called BTP Aperitivo Moves, but for today I wanted to offer a more curated selection of about an hour’s worth of music, the perfect amount of time to have a drink (or two) and some snacks before heading out.
As for the tunes, there’s a time and a place for the Pottery Barn Does Aperitivo style CD compilation of “Volare” or Rat Pack classics like “Ain’t That a Kick in a Head,” but my Aperitivo Moves are built around mostly Italian or Italian-influenced artists and songs ranging from Italo Disco, easy listening jams, unexpected cover songs, and deep-cut instrumental picks from Italian genre film soundtracks (especially thrillers, crime dramas, and the occasional adult film).
I hope you dig it. Grab a Negroni, hit play, and have a great weekend.
Salute!
—BTP
Dive Bar Jukebox: Aperitivo Moves
“Funky Fanfare” by Keith Mansfield
British composer and arranger Keith Mansfield created a number of TV themes for programs in the UK, but his most sampled tune just might be “Funky Fanfare,” the snappy instrumental that played before “Our Feature Presentation” in ’70s-era grindhouse films. Americans may also recognize this from its frequent use by NFL Films back in the day, as well as a favorite homage of Quentin Tarantino, who included it in his films Kill Bill, Death Proof, and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Mansfield’s works have also found a new home sampled by the likes of Danger Doom, Fatboy Slim, and Gnarls Barkley.