When the humidity is so thick and oppressive you could cut it with a knife, the best way to cool down is with a batch of Aperol Spritz - like jumping straight into the cold waters of a fountain on a piazza. With its bright, gentle, bitter-sweet taste of orange and rhubarb, the classic and lively Italian aperitif with the secret recipe is a favorite all across Italy on hot summer afternoons and at garden parties, a cherished ritual of mixing with prosecco and soda and Aperol in the biggest balloon of a wine glass you can find. Modern bartenders have taken to serving Aperol year-round, too, by mixing it into winter cocktails like Hot Toddies or spiced aged-rum ciders or mixing it into spring refreshers like Pimm's Cups and champagne or gin punches.
As bright red and oozing with sex appeal as the pout of a bombshell actress, Campari is the most iconically Italian cocktail on the market for more than 150 years. Developed in 1860 in Italy's Piedmont region, known for its bold red wines and fizzy whites, this bittersweet orange liqueur is a secret recipe so popular worldwide that it remains unchanged today. The Art Deco era and Campari cocktails are inseparable, and for good reason - it's a futuristic taste blending fashion, design, and aromatic herbs. Blend up a pitcher of Negronis, Campari and Sodas, or Jasmines and put on a Fellini marathon.
You've mastered the art of entertaining, and your fetes are always seamless and unassuming. An absolute bartending essential for more than 100 years, Cointreau - also called L'esprit d'orange - is a staple in your soiree-hosting arsenal, a gentle, sweet and balanced French orange liqueur called for in nearly every year-round cocktail standard: Margaritas, Kir Royales, Mimosas, Autumn Harvests, Mulled Ciders, Sidecars, Cosmopolitans, Seelbachs, Rickeys and more.
When you're feeling a bit emo and brooding, the best remedy is an amaro cocktail. Deep in the Black Forest bordering Switzerland and Germany, a melody of 13 moody plants is gathered to create this famously herbaceous, artichoke-flavored bitter liqueur and cousin to Fernet Branca - which are both also powerful digestives. Sip on Cynar and soda, or mix up a batch of classics: the Black Betty, the Adriatique, the Dell'Erborista Spritz, the Cafe Corretto, or Cynar Juleps.
As pretty as your best vintage barware and just as delicate, the iconic label of Maison Dolin has graced nearly every cocktail bar since 1821. Dry Vermouth is your Gibson girl, the standard liqueur without which we wouldn't have classics like the Martini, the Brooklyn, or the French Kiss. Stocking a bottle of this superb quality vermouth is Bar Basics 101 and an affordable badge of honor any bar cart can proudly wear.
As pretty as your best vintage barware and just as delicate, the iconic label of Maison Dolin has graced nearly every cocktail bar since 1821. Sweet Vermouth is your Old Pal, the standard liqueur without which we wouldn't have classics like the Manhattan, Americano, or Negroni. Stocking a bottle of this superb quality vermouth is Bar Basics 101 and an affordable badge of honor any bar cart can proudly wear.
The royal duchess of European orange liqueurs, Grand Marnier is a sweet, fruit-forward liqueur made from Cognac brandy blended with distilled essence d'orange and sugar. A favorite of bartenders and bakers alike for more than 150 years, Grand Marnier is a must-have in your home bar for classics like Manhattans, Margaritas, Old Fashioneds, Sidecars and Mimosas. No doubt, you'll also find yourself borrowing it in the kitchen for decadent brunch and holiday dishes, like duck l'orange or roast chicken with orange glaze, or desserts like cakes, candies, chocolate mousses and infused creams.
The ingenue of the liqueur world, St. Germain may only be less than a decade old but that didn't stop its dramatic, sweeping impact on craft cocktail recipes in such a short time. Gentle and sweet with the flavor of wild, hand-picked French elderflowers, St. Germain is a perfectly elegant and subtle complement to the Champagne toasts and lightly hued cocktails of spring soirees, like French 75s, daiquiris, margaritas, mojitos, vodka sodas, and white sangrias.