The Importance of a Flavorful Cocktail

Yikes, it's been a week since I last wrote, and I apologize for that. There were leftovers to be used up, after-work plans, and just some plain old relaxation this past week, so I got a little lazy. But, I got down to it yesterday, posted a new menu for the coming week, and did the food shopping! We're back on track!

You may have noticed I've started including a "Cocktail of the Week" on my menus. You may also have thought, that's not food, and there's no cooking involved in drinking, but I don't see it that way. I love a flavorful cocktail, something that pulls together interesting flavors, and pairs nicely with a meal. In a way, it's still cooking, or concocting. You have to get the right flavors, and pair them correctly, in order to have a successful cocktail, and that skill is intricately entwined with all things cooking. So there...it's cooking...sort of!

I always find myself printing off, or cutting out, recipes for cocktails and have gathered quite the collection...all drinks I've never tried. So, in an attempt to minimize the pile of paper sitting in my kitchen, and continuing in my endeavor to digitize my recipes, I've been trying to make a new cocktail each week. This project has expanded my bar collection, and my taste buds!

For this week's cocktail, I chose The Limonsecco, one that had been published in a magazine awhile back, from a restaurant, I believe in NYC. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so it was a perfect choice since we had pleasantly-unexpected house guests on Saturday night! The drink consists of an ounce of Limoncello (which I LOVE), 2 dashes of orange bitters, a splash of rose water and Prosecco. It was so easy to make because there was no shaking involved - just pour the first three ingredients into a glass, and top with Prosecco...could it be any easier? And tasty too! It was a great way to finish off an evening, but would be an equally good way to start off an evening. It's refreshing, and fancy enough to make for a nice cocktail at the beginning of a dinner party, light enough to move on to wine at dinner. The rose water adds a very interesting tinge to the taste of the concoction, and you all know how I love trying an ingredient in a new way! Cheers!