With the cool, wet blanket of December settling in over the East Coast, it's finally time to settle in for the winter.
Now, you say, shouldn't we be ready for hot toddies, for steel-cut oatmeal and thick, woolen socks? Of course we should -- but when the random 60 degree day slips through the cracks, when you still cross the street to feel the sun on your face, when there are still wonderful, beguiling elixirs like Campari to drink...well, you look for any reason to ignore the oncoming chill of the next few months.
I was intoxicated (both literally and figuratively) by Campari the very first time I tried it; the idiosyncratic flavor, bitter and sweet, made my imagination run wild. It's hard to think of a better aperitif; apart from the flavor, which wonderfully stimulates the appetite (particularly for salty foods), the eye-catching red color will liven up any dinner party. Unfortunately for those of us who live in cool climes, after Labor Day, Campari drinking often goes the way of white clothing -- for many of us that have acquired the taste for it, its identification as a summer-only tipple is a sad and unnecessary restriction.
Indeed, in my opinion, Campari can have several fall and winter uses; a splash adds a smart twist to Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, and, when added to mulled wine, Christmas cheer abounds. But, perhaps, more than anything else, what Campari lacks is a signature cocktail for the cooler months -- a more respectable, buttoned down counterpoint to August's parade of Americanos and Negronis. To that end, then, we have today's recipe.
