Tag Archives: cocktail

A Very Cherry Cocktail

Matt, our resident cocktail connoisseur, will be starting with us next week! In honor of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, here’s his original recipe for a cocktail called La Squisita Ciliegia (“the exquisite cherry”). It’s easy, simple, refreshing and has a beautiful red color. Drop in next week from 4 – 7 pm for Spritz O Clock and try one for yourself!

La Squisita Ciliegia

Prosecco
1 oz Mezcal (I used Vida)
1/4oz True Grenadine
1 Luxardo cherry
We love Luxardo cherries! You can also find them in our delicious Manhattans.
We love Luxardo cherries! You can also find them in our delicious Manhattans.

Cin Cin! See you when the clock strikes Spritz.

 

In honor of DC's cherry blossom festival Read more

Matt, our resident cocktail connoisseur, will be starting with us next week! In honor of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, here's his ...

Cocktail Corner: Peach and Honey Spritz

Here at Via Umbria, you know we love a good Spritz, and this week we created another classic twist.  We got a little fruity with notes of peach nectar and clover honey, balanced out with a double dose of Martini Rosso. Scroll on down to see our recipe, and then we invite you to submit your own at elsa@viaumbria.com, for #spritzoclock!

 

Honey Aperol Spritz

 

 

Ingredients: 

1 part Aperol

2 parts Martini Rosso

1 part Prosecco

1 tablespoon Pisaroni Peach Nectar

1 tablespoon Sorelle Nurzia Wildflower Honey 

sorelle nursina honey

Take a tablespoon of wildflower honey and dip into your glass.

Pisaroni Peach Nectar

Add one tablespoon of peach nectar. 

#spritzoclock _DSC0311

Add two parts Martini Rosso and one part Aperol.

aperol spritz

Fill with ice, top with prosecco.

Rosemary cocktail Enjoy!

–Via Umbria

 

Here at Via Umbria, you know we love a good Spritz, and this week we created another classic twist.  We got a ...

Cocktail Corner – Classic Spritz

In the past, we have lauded the important of the ritual of aperitivo

This Sunday, we think you should slow down your evening with a classic Aperol Spritz.

Aperol Spritz

•3 parts prosecco

•2 parts Aperol

•1 part soda water

•Slice of orange

Aperol Spritz

Pour the prosecco into your tall glass, and pile on the prosecco. Add your soda water and garnish with a slice of orange. Cheers to the beginning of a relaxing night.

Aperol Spritz

Once you have mastered the classic, you can trying adding a little whisky. Cheers!

Send your favorite Spritz o Clock photos to elsa@viaumbria.com or @viaumbria on Instagram #spritzoclock for a chance to be featured!

–Via Umbria

In the past, we have lauded the important of the ritual of aperitivo.  This Sunday, we think you should slow down your evening ...

Spritz O’Clock

There comes a time around 5-7PM when a little break is needed from life.

Elsa Bruno Italy

The sun begins to make its journey down, the heat from the day lets up, the stores begin to think about closing, and the only thing I need is a Spritz.

Not exactly a before-dinner drink, instead more of a late-afternoon drink, the Spritz is perfect for the transition from a long day to a leisurely evening. A relatively new invention (for Italy), the Spritz took the whole boot by storm, and is now ubiquitous in piazzas all over Italy in the early evening.

Joe Pinsker Italy

Unlike some USA style happy hours, the idea of a Spritz is not to get you buzzed. Aperol is only 11% alcohol, and is an appetite stimulant. Though your body still tastes alcohol, this cocktail is undeniably light.

The bitter, zesty taste of a Spritz always signals to my taste buds that the work for the day is essentially over. With a glass full of orange liquid, you can nestle into your chair on the piazza, take a deep breath, and appreciate a mental pause in the day.

It’s Spritz o Clock in Italy.

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Ci Vediamo!

–Elsa at Via Umbria

Italian-style Happy Hour Read more

There comes a time around 5-7PM when a little break is needed from life. The sun begins to make its journey down, the ...

Sangria Saturday

This Saturday, we are sipping white Sangria. While we normally reach for white wine on these hot days, Saturday deserves a little something extra. We amp up the usual sangria with our fruit nectars, which are concentrated and not too sweet. Via Umbria Sangria

Trebbiano Spoletino Pardi

White Sangria

Sangria Georgetown

Ingredients
Half a bottle Trebbiano Spoletino

Half a bottle of your favorite prosecco

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1/4 cup triple sec

1/8 cup apricot nectar

1/8 cup peach nectar 

1 ripe grapefruit, three ripe nectarines, blackberries, one ripe peach
Directions
In a large pitchercombine the wine and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix well.
Place the pitcher in the refrigerator and let the sangria sit for at least 1 hour (and up to 4 hours). The sangria will sweeten with time, so the longer it sits, the better.
Freeze the center of your pitcher, and serve with ice.

The pitcher really pulls it all together. With an inside part that can be frozen to keep your drinks cool, not watery, and a built in stirrer, it is our choice for the summer. It comes in five colors and is only $13, and selling fast on Emporio.

 

We hope you enjoy some Sangria on this lovely Saturday!

 

Ci Vediamo!

 

Via Umbria

 

 

This Saturday, we are sipping white Sangria. While we normally reach for white wine on these hot days, Saturday deserves a little ...

Aperitivo Time – Whisky Spritz and Truffled Zucchini Bruschetta

Spritz Aperol

The classic Aperol spritz is one of our go-to drinks before dinner. In Italy, around 5 PM, the piazzas and patios fill up with beautiful orange colored glasses full of the refreshing and palate-exciting cocktail.

We decided to add a bit of whisky, rosemary from the garden, and wildflower honey syrup (which the taste-testers agreed was the key to binding all of the flavors together) for this smashing take on the classic.

Whiskey Aperol Rosemary Honey Prosecco

This updated version just might be our new go-to before dinner. As stimulating as the original Spritz, but with more depth of flavor, it is a drink we will reach for again soon.

But your perfect aperitivo drink needs some food, of course! The abundance of zucchini has us slicing some very thin pieces, then drizzling them with olive oil and and pinch of truffle salt. A three minute luxury well-deserved at the end of a long workday. We’re taking some olives and artichokes to nibble on as well, and heading outside to enjoy the long hours of summer.

Here’s how to recreate the Whisky Spritz and our Truffled Zucchini Bruschetta.

Aperol Spritz with Rosemary

Spritz:

Bourbon whiskey

Aperol

Prosecco

Wildflower honey

Rosemary and Grapefruit for garnish

Via Umbria Aperol Spritz IMG_1621 IMG_1631 IMG_1638

For the Drink:
Place 3 long sprigs of fresh rosemary, and ice, in a glass.

Pour one part whisky and two parts Aperol into the glass, stir.

Take 1 tablespoon of highly flavored wildflower honey, drizzle into a canning jar. Heat water until almost boiling, and pour a bit into the glass.  Mix well until you have a syrup.

Pour the honey syrup into the glass and stir.

Top with prosecco, garnish with a grapefruit slice. Enjoy!

 

For the Antipasto:

Zucchini Bruschetta IMG_1405

Slice your bread thinly, and your zucchini even more thinly. Drizzle high-quality olive oil over the zucchini (we used Mancino for its slightly spicy flavor) and top with a generous sprinkle of truffle salt.

Enjoy with marinated artichokes and olives.

Aperitivo Italian Style

Gather your ingredients for the perfect aperitivo from Emporio now, and elevate your evening.

Ci Vediamo!

—Via Umbria

 

 

 

 

 

The classic Aperol spritz is one of our go-to drinks before dinner. In Italy, around 5 PM, the piazzas and patios fill ...

Cocktail Corner – Sipping Spring

IMG_2897Lent is almost over. It’s ok to break out a little booze.

When this Easter Sunday rolls around, be sure you are prepared with the most floral of cocktails, to get you in the mood for spring, and to make Aunt Margaret slightly more tolerable.

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Violet scented Italian soda is the base of this cocktail, and gives it a truly floral tone, over which we layer rose syrup, peach nectar, and gin.

We love how spring-like this cocktail is, and we can sip it without risking any allergies!

The Italian soda smells like the first blossoms of spring but tastes surprisingly crisp. The Rose syrup adds another flower into the mix, and it is made from organically grown roses in a convent garden in western Liguria, making it an even more appropriate Easter selection.

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3 parts Violet Italian soda

A drizzle of rose syrup

1 part peach nectar

1 part gin

Layer and stir! Sip and enjoy!

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— Via Umbria

Lent is almost over. It’s ok to break out a little booze. When this Easter Sunday rolls around, be sure you are prepared ...

Cocktail Corner – Italian Soda Please!

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Ah, the classic gin and tonic. We begin our cocktail series slowly, with a recipe in which we are well versed and think we have mastered (if we do say so ourselves).

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When making our cocktails, we always turn to the Italian Sodas of J. Glasco. This company in Torino uses only natural ingredients, without the use of colors or preservatives.

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Hand carved olive wood corkscrew

Their quality Indian Tonic is the perfect size for one personal cocktail.

IMG_2794 IMG_2803

Sterling silver jigger available in store or online.

So this hump days lets shake it up with a little gin and tonic!

Add 3cl gin to a chilled glass with ice. Pour 6cl J.Gasco Premium Indian Tonic over the gin. Serve with a dash of lime.

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Nebbiolo glass. 

Cheers!  Perugia!

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–Via Umbria

Ah, the classic gin and tonic. We begin our cocktail series slowly, with a recipe in which we are well versed and ...