Fragoli Archives - The Bubbly GirlThe Bubbly Girl

Bubbly Girl Drink of the Week: La Mattina Appassionata

I just did a fun Saturday morning radio interview with Mario Martnoli and Amy Strong of the “Food & Dining” show on KLAA AM 830 and are they ever Italo-philes! We talked about buying hand-blown champagne flutes in Venice, sipping cocktails made with Aperol and the Lemon Ice, a delicious digestif cocktail from The Bubbly Bar made with prosecco, vodka, lemon sorbet and fresh mint. Our conversation got me thinking about all the lovely sparkling wines and liqueurs that come from Italy. When I’m mixing a cocktail, probably the first wine I think of is prosecco, the sparkling wine from the Veneto. Wines made from the prosecco grape have such a delicate quality with soft bubbles and hints of green apple, minerals and white flowers. I recently received a sample of a new one called Passionne di Fiore.It’s a likable little wine, with lots of fresh green apple and hints…

November 14, 2009

wild strawberry_passionfruit_ice_cream_Berthillon

Cocktail Recipes, Travel

Bubbly Girl Drink of the Week: Strawberry Fields at W San Diego

On my first visit to Venice in northern Italy, I discovered fragolini di bosco, the tiny, aromatic wild strawberries. They’re also prized in France, where they’re known as fraises des bois. Adored for their unique perfumed aroma and curious crunchy texture, these berries once grew wild in the woods. Now they’re carefully cultivated by discerning farmers, including the ones at Chino Farm in Rancho Santa Fe. Visiting Europe in late spring, I always try to get my wild strawberry fix. I got a taste in Paris when I walked over to the Ile Ste. Louis on an extraordinarily hot day for an an ice cream cone from the famous Berthillon. The passion fruit sorbet was exquisite, but the main event was the soft pink fraise de bois sorbet that had a fragrant almost nutty flavor, and was studded with frozen berries. But since it was an extraordinarily hot day, the…

July 10, 2009