Spritzzatura No. 1

This was a submission to the 2023 World Class US competition which had a spritz theme. It made it to the Top 100. The following is a adaptation of my essay: Through joking around with my brother and friends I settled on the name first: the Spritzzatura No. 1 because I fell in love with the Italian concept of sprezzatura defined as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” I try to embody this as a bartender as well as in other aspects of my life. Whether at my bar or in my home, I never want a guest to feel preoccupied with how intensive a drink is. I want them to be amazed by how much I can get done while appearing unflustered. And truly, this drink is designed for large scale preparation so as to make a batch that is pre-carbonated and easily served with little thought to any guest. I also numbered the drink because I think it’s a great category to build new drinks that embody the same ideals and intend to make more in the future.

This was a challenge for me because there were “no homemade ingredients allowed”. You can look at all the other cocktails. I like complicated. But spritzes, especially for the competition category I chose “Aperativo Hour” need to be uncomplicated. So I had to think about how to pack a ton of flavor in - you’ll notice there are no MOPs below.

Aperativos also fit perfectly into the low-ABV trend we’ve been seeing sweep the industry. On top of this, their ability to both awaken the palate and serve as a pairing with the very beginning of the meal gives me a lot of license to be creative even while observing the traditions of keeping things light, bitter, and acidic. When I looked at the stocklist I knew I was thinking scotch, pineapple, and cloves (the rule of 3) and the accompanying ingredients just sort of lit up when I saw them.

I love Spritzes specifically because of the bubbles. I drink soda water almost every day and love the effect of the bubbles and the additional carbonic acid in cocktails.

The Singleton 12 year was the best choice on the stocklist for me. The young whisky, matured in a combination of American and European oak casks, is easy to sip on its own. I chose it for the cereal, fruit, and grassy flavors that would blend well and unite the cilantro, pineapple, and cloves. Following this, I reached for Italicus as my bitter. Going into the fall/winter season here in Chicago, it’s fairly common to stud an orange with cloves to make good smells abundant in the home. I saw the bergamot as a great way to link this tradition to a cocktail whose flavors I hoped to help evoke both the holidays at home and our escapes to better weather. The Amontillado Sherry from Lustau helped to further highlight the dry and spiced flavors that help to get the drinker in the mood for food.

Recipe

1.25 oz The Singleton Glendullan 12 Year

0.75 oz Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto

0.75 oz Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado Sherry

0.75 oz Lime Juice

25 g Pineapple (flesh)

10 g Cilantro (chopped)

.5 g Cloves (whole)

.2 g sea salt

Drink Assembly

Chill Double Rocks glass by sticking it in freezer. With a scale (that displays .01 g increments), weigh out .5 g whole cloves and place in mixing glass, break up cloves with a muddler. On a cutting board, use a knife to chop a bunch of cilantro both stems and leaves. Mix to get an even amount of stems and leaves in your measurements. Weigh out 10 g of chopped cilantro and add to the same mixing glass. Again, muddle the herbs, mixing them with the broken up cloves. Rinse the cutting board and knife. With a knife, break down the pineapple, reserving the fronds/leaves from the top of the pineapple for garnish. Weigh out 25 g of pineapple flesh (be sure to not get any of the core) and add this to the same mixing glass. Muddle everything together. Add 1.25 oz of The Singleton Glendullan 12 year, .75 oz Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, and .75 oz of Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado Sherry to the mixing glass and muddle one last time. Pour entire mixture including mashed cilantro, cloves, and pineapple into isi Gourmet Whipper canister and seal. Charge twice with CO2 cartriges, shake hard for 30 seconds and let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add .75 oz fresh lime juice to the mixing glass. Release gas with isi canister pointed up so as to not spray any of the mixture out. Open canister and add entire mixture to mixing glass with the fresh lime juice. Rinse out canister (you will be using again). Top with a healthy scoop of ice and stir for 35 seconds (drink should be slightly under-diluted), double strain into canister and seal. Charge twice with CO2 cartriges, shake hard for 1 minute and set aside while preparing glass and garnish. Pull Double Rocks glass you put in the freezer and fill with pebble ice. Pull a pineapple frond from where you set them aside. Wash, dry, and trim it to fit neatly in the glass with only 1-2 inches of the tip showing when pushed all the way to the bottom of the glass. The ice should be holding the frond against the far edge of the glass. Degas canister slowly and facing straight up so as to avoid spraying your cocktail. Unscrew the top and very slowly pour over the pebble ice into the glass. The mixture will foam up a lot so be cautious. Serve to guest with pineapple frond at their 12 o’clock (your 6 o’clock).