Aperitivo Americano

[TexasCocktailGeek]

If anyone hears anything about availability in Texas, please post...

[bmdaniel]

If anyone hears anything about availability in Texas, please post...

TCG -

Drinkupny.com typically carries Alpenz products and ships to TX (despite their website's pronouncement to the contrary). It's not on the website now but I would keep an eye out if you can't find it locally (I wouldn't be surprised if Spec's Smith Street gets it either).

[eas]

Hi folks - its only a matter of weeks until the Cocchi Americano reaches the aforementioned markets. Feel free to send me a message or email on specifics.

If you pick up a bottle, I'd suggest first trying it on ice with a splash of soda, orange twist. This is the traditional service (as its not normally taken straight) and you'll get a quick sense of how it opens up in a drink. Its easy to polish off a bottle this way before bothering to make corpse revivers and vespers.

[TexasCocktailGeek]

Drinkupny.com typically carries Alpenz products and ships to TX (despite their website's pronouncement to the contrary).

Thanks, bmdaniel. I admit that I'm a bit leary of running afoul of the TABC's rules against shipping liquor to Texas, but you're probably right that it would work out fine. I think I'll just keep up my vigil at Smith Street till it gets here. It sounds like from eas' post that it won't be much longer.

[thirtyoneknots]

Drinkupny.com typically carries Alpenz products and ships to TX (despite their website's pronouncement to the contrary).

Thanks, bmdaniel. I admit that I'm a bit leary of running afoul of the TABC's rules against shipping liquor to Texas, but you're probably right that it would work out fine. I think I'll just keep up my vigil at Smith Street till it gets here. It sounds like from eas' post that it won't be much longer.

Just so you know, the worst thing that can happen to you is you don't get your stuff. Shipping is what is (stupidly, but I won't get into that here) banned--not ordering.

[TexasCocktailGeek]

Great to know! Then I won't be afraid to ship whatever I can't fit in my suitcase from Anchor & St. George (we'll be visiting San Francisco next month).

[vice]

It's arrived at DrinkUpNY.

[Chris Amirault]

It's here in RI. We are using it at Cook & Brown Public House in our Vesperasti:

1 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano

1 1/2 oz Bluecoat gin

scant dash lemon juice

scant dash Angostura

Stir; strain; coupe. We have some wild angelica that we're using as a garnish; a small lemon twist would also work. ("Scant dash" = ten drops, if you're obsessive.)

I'm so thrilled to have this to play with!

[Mike S.]

I cannot wait until this stuff comes in stock someplace near me. Any sightings yet in Northern California??

[MikeInSacto]

I believe that Corti Brothers in Sacramento has carried it for quite some time now. I'll doublecheck next time I'm there.

[Mike S.]

Mike, as it happens I was at Corti Bros. yesterday (Sunday) and specifically looked for it. Didn't find it, but also didn't ask -- which was probably stupid! Let me know if you find it there, because I would absolutely drive up for a couple of bottles.

[db_campbell]

In North Carolina (Chapel Hill) at Southern Season, as of today. Enjoyed as Eric suggested, over ice w/ splash of soda & orange twist as an aperitif. Pretty epic.

[MikeInSacto]

Mike, as it happens I was at Corti Bros. yesterday (Sunday) and specifically looked for it. Didn't find it, but also didn't ask -- which was probably stupid! Let me know if you find it there, because I would absolutely drive up for a couple of bottles.

Man, I could swear I've seen it there several times (and considered buying it myself). I'll make it a point to check in there next weekend and find out for sure.

(BTW, great store, isn't it?)

[Mike S.]

Corti Bros. is the definition of a great store. Literally "worth the drive from anywhere." Love that place!

[eas]

Darrell Corti of Corti Brothers was instrumental in helping us bring back the Cocchi Americano. The man and his store are extraordinary.

[jmfangio]

Woo hoo! KL Wines in Hollywood has it back in stock.

[Mike S.]

I now have an ample supply in-house. Let the experiments begin!

[Mike S.]

Um...yeah, the Cocchi is absolutely brilliant. I love it any which way. Drinking a Vesper now (3 parts Beefeater, 1 part Stoli Blue Label, 1/2 part Cocchi, shaken, big lemon twist) and it's probably the best "Martini" I've ever had. CR#2 last night was a revelation. Wonderful on the rocks with a splash of soda and a lemon slice. Even my wife likes it. Can't wait to cook with it. Steamed mussels with leeks, tarragon and butter? Buy this stuff by the case!

Thank you, thank you to Eric (and apparently Darrell Corti!) for bringing this stuff back to us. I'll never be without it from now on.

[TexasCocktailGeek]

Picked up my first bottle from Spec's on Smith Street last night, and made an absolutely awesome Corpse Reviver #2 with it! I laughed out loud when I got to the shelf at the store - someone had taped a note there reading "Egulleteers: your long wait is over!"

[campus five]

Here's hoping I actually get around to using some of it in cocktail before I polish off the bottle by drinking it on the rocks with an orange twist. So delicious.

[MikeInSacto]

For the record, here's a portion of the Corti Brother Summer Newsletter:

Back After an Absence: Cocchi Americano Aperitif

For summer drinking–or anytime drinking for that matter–Cocchi Americano. Corti Brothers was the first to offer this Piemontese aperitif several years ago, and after some “discussions” with Washington, D.C., Cocchi Americano is back in the States. Art work on the label was the problem, now resolved.

Cocchi Americano has been produced in Asti, Italy, since 1891. The name “americano” does not mean what it looks like, but is a linguistic distortion of “amaricante” or bittering. This class of drink was very popular at the end of the 19th century and the Cocchi version is the only one that was a light color. Normally they were more or less brownish red.

Cocchi Americano is wonderful for the warm days of summer. Just pour it into a glass, add some ice cubes, a slice of fresh orange and a splash of soda water for a wonderfully refreshing drink that can be made as tall or short as you like.

When you don’t want a glass of wine, and stronger spirits are not appealing, Cocchi Americano with its slightly bitter and pungent flavor and its 16.5% alcohol diluted even further with water can prove to be exactly the right choice. In fact, you might forget about the other choices all together.

Cocchi Americano Aperitif 16.5% 750ml $22.99 (#2559) Case of 6 $ 124.00 (#2559C)

[Chris Amirault]

Got a new bottle just now. Any additional thoughts? In particular, if there are classic Kina Lillet drinks that work well with the Cocchi, please share.

[Kent Wang]

I could drink this straight on ice all day long.

[jparrott]

Got a new bottle just now. Any additional thoughts? In particular, if there are classic Kina Lillet drinks that work well with the Cocchi, please share.

Twentieth Century works great. We had a customer hounding us (and Eric) for Cocchi (and stockpiling Marie Brizard white cacao when its availability was dicey) just to put a Twentieth Century on the menu.

[Chris Amirault]

Huh. Perhaps it's finally time for me to get a bottle of creme de cacao, which I've been avoiding for complex, irrational reasons.