Enter Luxardo Bitter. A mere $15 a bottle. I had been eyeing this stuff for a while. Luxardo is an old Italian company that produces a wide range of cordials and liqueurs. They're best known for their Maraschino liqueur and real Maraschino cherries, both of which will elevate your next Manhattan to a new level, if you can find them. All the other classics are in the line up as well: limoncello, sambuca, and even fernet. So I figured they must know what they're doing.If there's any difference between the taste of Luxardo Bitter and Campari, it's pretty slight. In fact, I think I might even like this better. Price aside, this stuff is a littler lighter, more delicate in texture than Campari. Served over ice with Polar lime seltzer and a couple of Clementine wedges, it really hit the spot. It also makes a fine Negroni, a drink you'd better watch out for, since it also contains gin and does not include any non-alcoholic ingredients. Tough stuff.
The only other people I've ever known who dig this stuff are my mother and my grandmother. So if you're an old Italian lady, or just nuts like one the way I am, track this stuff down and give it a try, preferably while grilling a Bistecca alla Fiorentina, or something.
Bitter and Soda:
in a tumbler with ice, mix
1/3 Luxardo Bitter with
2/3 club soda
garnish with orange slice
(lime seltzer and Clementines make
a particularly nice touch)
Negroni
in a tumbler with ice, mix
1/3 gin
1/3 sweet vermouth
1/3 Luxardo Bitter
garnish with orange slice
(steer clear of anybody else if you foolishly decide
to have two or three of these.
This poison is strong, boy.)
Bonus: Manhattan
in a tumbler with ice, mix
Old Overholt rye whiskey
splash of sweet vermouth
splash of Luxardro Maraschino liqueur
garnish with a real Maraschino cherry
(to hell with martini glasses and Bourbon,
a real Manhattan is made with rye and lives
on the rocks in a tumbler. Trust me, it's better this way.)
