From Witches to Walnuts…
Beyond its gnarly and undisputed glandular appearance within Christmas nut displays in supermarkets, the unassuming walnut has long been prized – the Romans were especially taken with them, calling…
How to make an Aperol Spritz - the traditional Italian cocktail.
Imagine sipping an Aperol Spritz… as the Italian sun starts to slip away to set over muted-miles-away-mountains several hazy horizons away, the air saturated with warmth, scented with jasmine…
How to make a beautiful looking & tasting Bellini cocktail.
Beautiful Bellini cocktails are a treat for the eye as well as the palate. The rich pinkish orange hue filling a tall elegant champagne flute, mottled with the chill…
A brief look at Prosecco, the perky Italian aperitif.
Prosecco is Italy’s answer to sparkling wine. It is well-made but at a reasonable price, and like a beautiful view from your own home, it’s nice, but familiar and…
General of Italian Cocktails.
Not to be confused with the biscuit, this Italian cocktail is also named after Garibaldi, the famous Italian military general. It’s a bitter sweet complex concoction, yet easily ‘built’…
Irrepressably Italian coffee.
‘Pressing’ flavour from the coffee at high speed is thought to be the meaning behind the word ‘espresso’, ‘expres’ and ‘express’ in Italian, France and English respectively. Espresso is…
A beginners guide to the ancient art of decanting with carafes.
A wine carafe upon a table conjures up the notion that wine-drinking is taken seriously, and may even be seen to be a little pretentious or old-fashioned by some….
Courting the celebrity of Champagne…
Both Virgil & Pliny the Elder mentioned wines from the Franciacorta region in ancient times, so the area north west of Brescia up to the Southern shore of Lake…
Coffee drinking the Italian way.
In Italy, coffee or ‘caffè’ drinking is taken very seriously. Coffee is not just a drink but a way of life. Ever since the coffee bean arrived in Italy…
‘Shaken and not stirred’
The Vodka Martini, the classic cocktail made from vodka and vermouth, a variation of martini traditionally made with gin, is an iconic mixed drink immortalised by James Bond’s predilection…
