Strega

[brinza]

Ott's Special

1 1/2 oz dry gin (Broker's)

3/4 oz Strega

3/4 oz dry vermouth (M&R)

dash Regan's orange bitters

dash Fee's orange bitters

Stir; strain; orange (lemon here) twist.

I wish I knew who Ott was, because he is, indeed, special. This is a fantastic drink.

I'm drinking this right now; you're right, this is a fantastic drink. Kind of a Saffron Martini, but there's a sense of mint that seems to come from nowhere. (I used Beefeater and Dolin and the same OB combo).

One of my favorite drinks is the Alaska which is simply gin, Yellow Chartreuse and orange bitters (many books don't mention the orange bitters, but I feel that they are essential), and I intend to try using Strega to see how that works. This drink is similar, but with vermouth added, which adds a whole new dimension to the Alaska formula.

Edited May 7, 2011 by brinza (log)

[ForSix]

Read through this post very interesting, I never heard of Sterga before and now am very interested. Though problem is now I want to get a bottle which one is the best, or who makes the best? Thanks.

[Chris Amirault]

There's only one!

[EvergreenDan]

There's only one!

Good gawd. That website's drifting graphics make me queasy. Literally.

Bump for new recipe ideas. Anyone?

[ForSix]

I had no idea I just assumed like most everything else there would be a plethora of others on the market. Well thanks for the clear up Chris.

These are from the Strega site:

The Cocktails

In the warm and welcoming atmosphere of New Orleans, Michael Manganaro at Valentine’s Restaurant serve’s it like this:

Strega Salute

1/3 parts of crème de menthe

1/3 parts Strega liqueur

1/3 parts Grenadine

In a three part glass pour in first the crème de menthe then the other ingredients.

Simple, quick, but guaranteed to be delicious.

In the coldest city of the West Coast, San Francisco, Fred del la Merva of the Scala restaurant mixes this Strega cocktail

Strega La Scala

½ parts of Strega Liqueur

½ parts Brandy

4 parts of cream

1 whole egg

Mix the ingredients in a blender with some crushed ice, serve in a champagne flute, or you can try the Russian version:

Gorbaciov

6 parts of Vodka

3 parts of Strega

1 part blood orange juice

They also have a cook book and a whole cocktail recipie book in pdf form.

[vice]

Strega Salutes all around tonight! Yikes, all three betray an almost complete lack of understanding of how to put their product to good use. Time to get a brand ambassador.

[Chris Amirault]

Those really are astonishingly bad looking drinks.

[Sparafucile]

Those really are astonishingly bad looking drinks.

I'll concur. Growing up in NYC post-WW2 with parents from Italy, I'm used to seeing it on the table, along with anisette, served with espresso (to be sipped).

[EvergreenDan]

As luck would have it, Gaz Regan e-mailed out this interesting Strega cocktail today. Sounds worth trying, although I'll have to sub for Creole bitters:

Tessmanian Devil

by Tess Posthumus, Door 74, Amsterdam, Netherlands

3/4 oz Gin, Beefeater

3/4 oz Strega

3/4 oz Lillet Blanc

3/4 oz Lemon juice

1 ds Pepper sauce, Tabasco

1 ds Cayenne pepper

1 ds Bitters, Bitter Truth Creole Bitters

1 sli Chili pepper (red, as garnish)

Shake, double-strain, straight up, chilled cocktail glass, garnish.

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