Campari Archives - The Bubbly GirlThe Bubbly Girl

Quo Vadis Apertivo Cocktail Recipe

I had never been a big fan of the Italian aperitif Campari until bartender Paul Mant made me this brilliant champagne cocktail at Quo Vadis Club in London. The clementine (tangerine) juice and the bubbles soften the Campari’s bitterness to a pleasant note. This cocktail is as delicious at 3 a.m. as it is at the end of long evening or served at brunch. Makes 1 cocktail 3/4 ounce clementine juice 1/2 ounce lemon juice 1 teaspoon simple syrup or agave nectar 3/4 ounce Campari 3 ounces champagne lemon twist, for garnish Add clementine juice, lemon juice, simple syrup or agave nectar if using and Campari to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until the mixture is well-chilled. Pour into a small stemless flute or a juice glass. Top off with the champagne. Garnish with a twist of lemon. Courtesy of Quo Vadis in Soho, London

January 31, 2011

A Bitter Swill: The Aperol Flip for MxMo

For years, I couldn’t stand most bitter foods: broccoli, radicchio, black coffee – no thanks. But I think the key to appreciating bitters is all about the balance. So that’s probably why my first adult cocktail was the gin & tonic; a perfect equilibrium between fragrant slightly bitter gin, bittersweet tonic and tangy lime. And though straight Campari still can set my teeth on edge, I appreciated it for the first time when I tasted the Quo Vadis Apertivo, a mix of Campari, tangerine juice, lemon and champagne that Paul Mant mixed up late one night (actually early one morning) at the venerable Soho bar. It was a different story — love that first night — when I discovered Aperol, Campari’s fruity orange cousin. I was still in it’s thrall when I visited Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco; so Joel Baker and I created this Aperol and champagne cocktail…

May 17, 2009