by Jen on May 6, 2011
The warm California weather arrived this week and with it came a desire for a Campari and Soda, one of my favorite hot weather drinks.
When Sarah arrived last night for our monthly girls’ night, I suggested a Campari and Soda. I had gone as far as pouring the Campari over ice when I realized we were out of soda water!!
We wandered through our brains for mixers that might work, and settled on some Italian Blood Orange Soda hiding in the fridge. Garnished with a slice of orange, it was the perfect combination of sweet and a bit of bitter. Delicious!
We named it the Practical Magic for the movie we were about to watch, and our luck in finding the perfect combination of flavors. Make sure that you enjoy the orange when you’re finished with the drink. It’s heaven.
The Practical Magic
Pour 1 1/2 ounces of Campari and 1 1/2 ounces of Blood Orange Soda over ice. Stir and garnish with a wedge of orange.
by Will on August 29, 2010
This drink is on the sweet side, which I think is what most people are looking for in a drink, especially those who are just getting started.
The Benicia Cocktail:
1 1/2 oz. London dry gin
1 oz. dry vermouth
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. Italian blood orange soda
1 dash grenadine
Combine the gin, vermouth, and soda in a mixing glass. Stir with ice. Add the dash of grenadine to the cocktail glass. Serve straight up with a cherry garnish.
Yes, cheapskates, Gallo vermouth and Rose’s grenadine will do just fine. Don’t you dare sub vodka for the gin.
This cocktail is my variation on the
Bronx cocktail, a classic cocktail created more than 100 years ago back east, and very popular in the day. The Bronx is a great drink that I often serve to people who say they don’t like gin and/or vermouth, because it tends to cure people of their irrational fear of both, in one fell swoop.
I tried to keep with the spirit of the original name by naming this drink after a peripheral city in the metropolitan region I live in. Benicia has no zoo, but boasts some very pretty sites and a community of interesting artists.
Fun Fact!: there was a time when Benicia was the capital of California.
