Vendredi soir. Five o'clock, the week set down where you can't see it, the good glasses out. This one begins with a bottle — Italicus, a rosolio of bergamot from Calabria, and quite possibly the most beautiful thing on any bar cart. Floral, citrusy, faintly herbal. You know it when you see it. No explanation needed.
The Italicus Spritz
Bergamot, Prosecco, three green olives — the quiet showstopper.
Ingredients
- 1 part Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
- 2 parts Prosecco
- 3 green olives, to garnish
- Ice
Method
- Fill a large wine glass with ice.
- Pour in the Italicus.
- Top with Prosecco.
- Garnish with three green olives on a pick.
- Serve immediately — ideally somewhere the light is doing something lovely.
A note: the olives are not decoration. Salty against the bergamot, they are the whole conversation. And keep the bottle where you can see it — it earns its place on the shelf like a book you love.
Paloma Marinated Olives
Tequila, grapefruit, lime — olives that taste like a cocktail of their own. Olives in the drink and on the side; we know what we're doing.
Ingredients
- 1 jar (300g) Nocellara or Castelvetrano olives
- ½ tablespoon tequila blanco
- ½ tablespoon grapefruit juice
- ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
- The vesicles of 1–2 grapefruit segments — peel, then shred gently with a fork
- A big pinch of flaky sea salt
Method
- Combine everything in a bowl.
- Stir well to coat the olives.
- Let them marinate a few hours before serving — or up to three days in the refrigerator, where they only get better.
What to Wear
The Hana Dress in Bluebell — a soft cotton maxi in almost exactly the pale blue of the Italicus bottle, trimmed in cream lace. Barefoot is correct.
À vendredi prochain. Crafted slowly, worn often.
