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Archive for September, 2010

Elixir di San Bernardo

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

On a somber note, today’s digestivo was discovered during the wake of la ragazza’a grandmother.  As the family mourned her passing, we gathered in her house for stories about her life, accompanied by delicious servings of pasta.  Since the family is Italian, a few choice digestivi were served with the coffee and cake, one of which was a fantastic “amaro-tonico-digestivo” called “Elixir di S. Bernardo”.  To me, this simply tasted like a classic amaro, a blend of bitter herbs and roots.  What makes it notable is the fact that is still dutifully distilled by the Cistercensi friars in the Abbey of Piona on Lake Como. It also has quite a lovely label. Hopefully next time this little known gem will be enjoyed under less unfortunate circumstances.

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

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Mastika

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on September 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Alas, the end of summer has fallen upon us and to celebrate, il finanziatore (a dear friend) ever so graciously invited us to fly private for one last lash in Mykonos.  While many spirits were indeed imbibed over endless games of the Shut the Box (and old Malaysian pirate game) that was constructed for this journey alone, it was not until we reached land that we indulged in Mastika, a digestivo originating from the Greek island of Chios, but more popular today in the Balkans and Bulgaria.  Throughout the weekend countless nips of this sweet drink, distilled from the resin of the mastic tree, were consumed, often in great haste.  The anise-like flavors that my palette were unable to detect due to the lack of careful consideration for each sip of my mastika, eventually were burned into the back of my throat by the night’s end.  All in all, mastika definitely exists as a digestivo better enjoyed in the raucous company of friends rather than the contemplative calm of one’s study.

 

 

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

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Vana Tallinn

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on September 27, 2010| 3 Comments »

This past weekend il digestivatore travelled east to the former Soviet bloc state of Estonia. Although life might have been rough in Tallinn during the Cold War, at least the people had Vana Tallinn to keep them warm after a long dinner (wow, tight joke).

Anyway, after my dinner at the medieval themed “Hansa” Restaurant in the old town of Tallinn, my waiter (dressed in peasant clothing dating from circa 1355) suggested I try the Vana Tallin, a traditional rum based liquor tasting faintly of vanilla and cinnamon. While not terrible, this digestivo was fairly run of the mill and had no remarkable qualities except for the fact that it is the only digestivo I had a chance to sample whilst I was visiting my brother, l’Artista (a reluctant fan of the old digestivi), who was putting on art shows for an art collective situated in a converted Soviet toy factory. Not your typical weekend, but a new digestivo has been discovered! And that’s pretty much all that matters.

Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆

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Ouzo (from Samos)

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on September 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Although this brand of Ouzo is not terribly notable, I still felt it necessary to include it here as a memento of a fantastic trip to the sleepy Greek island of Patmos.  Ouzo, the licorice flavored delight, distilled from the ubiquitous anise seed, remains the most famous Greek alcoholic drink (although retsina is a strong contender), with each island, region or town boasting the “best” variety out there. I must admit though, my palette for ouzo remains quite adolescent and while I will always enjoy a cloudy glass of this aperitvo as the sun sets behind yet another outcropping of rock on the horizon, I can not discern the subtle differences between the variety from Samos or the concoctions from Plomari. It’s all just Ouzo to me.

Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆

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Mandarine Napoléon

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

In the late 18th Century, Antoine-Francois de Fourcroy, physician to Napoleon Bonaparte, distilled and combined mandarins from China, local herbs and spices, and aged cognacs to create the alleged “favorite liquor” of the Emperor. Today, however, the mandarins are sourced a bit closer to home in Sicily and Valencia and Manarine Napoleon sells all over the world. And of course, like any respectable digestivo, the recipe remains a closely guarded secret.

Interestingly enough, it was during dinner at the annoyingly inventive (but outstandingly situated) Akelare restaurant outside of San Sebastian, and not in Biarritz, where I ended up trying Mandarine for the first time. As opposed to the Italian version which can be flat, the addition of cognac to this digestivo gives it a bit more body and texture, blending nicely with the macerated fruit. I don’t think I could drink glass after glass of the stuff, but Mandarine definitely does the trick after a long meal.

I must also note the spectacular way in which this digestivo was served.  By placing the snifter in a bowl of ice, the liquid remains pleasurably cold without getting diluted by the melting ice water. This was the first time il digestivatore has ever seen a digestivo served in such a manner. Absolutely brilliant!

Famous Drinker: Napoleon


Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

 

Update! check out the old bottle I just found during a recent visit to a fantanstic digestivi collection in London; I definitely like it better.

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