Like many others who came before him, our guest today fell in love with Venice at first site. Unlike many others, he brought Venice home with him..in a big way.
I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.
We’re not talking a t-shirt or gondola-shaped ashtray, Russell Norman brought us Polpo - the restaurant that introduced Cicchetti and, for our purposes here, the Aperol Spritz to London and the UK.
I met up with Russell in the original Polpo on Beak Street, to hear how his first date with Venice developed into a long, long lasting relationship!
I apologise now for all the background noise you’ll hear…this is London during the day on a busy street. Just pretend every honk is made by a vaporetto on the Grand Canal.
You could fight me and say that the Aperol Spritz is not a classic cocktail and I promised it would be all classic cocktails this season.
Well, I’m fighting back to say that yes it is. Aperol was invented in 1919 by the Barbieri brothers and the spritz is ages old.
During the time when the Austrians owned Venice in the 1800s. The Austrian soldiers found the wines a little too alcoholic and added in a bit of water. Thus the spritz was born.
Fast forward to the 1950’s when the Italians added Aperol to their spritz and, now, it’s everywhere and so easy to make.
Of course, our Cocktail of the Week is the Aperol Spritz.
Ingredients:
- 3 oz Prosecco
- 2 oz Aperol
- 1 oz Soda
- Olive
Method:
Add all the ingredients to a wine glass with ice, stir. Garnish with an olive if you want it really Venetian.
I would be remiss if I didn’t share the recipe for the Cynar Gin Fizz that Russell and I enjoyed during our chat, and you can find that recipe, the Aperol Spritz and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop.
Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2oDUXf5
Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!
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Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸
