Potent Potables

Curious about wine, beer, cocktails? The perfect accompaniment for food and fellowship? Look no further than our accessible posts on luscious libations.

Tommaso Collins Recipe

We’re celebrating Suzy’s birthday with one of her favorite drinks to sip on—the Tom Collins. In the Italian spirit, we’ve renamed ours Tommaso and used our favorite Italian sparkling water. Here’s why we love it: it’s a simple (and quick!) blend of gin, lemon juice, seltzer and simple syrup which, when combined, is a citrus-y sour cocktail thats deliciously refreshing. Perfect for the sweltering heat of late August!

TOMMASO COLLINS
INGREDIENTS

Ice

Juice of ½ a lemon

½ oz. simple syrup

Seltzer

Lemon wedge, for garnish.

     DIRECTIONS

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in gin, lemon juice and simple syrup.

Top with seltzer water. Taste and adjust as needed.

Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Our take on a Tom Collins Read more

We're celebrating Suzy's birthday with one of her favorite drinks to sip on—the Tom Collins. In the Italian spirit, we've renamed ours ...

Gin(ger) Mule

Think of this Mint Gin(ger) Mule as a delicious liquid stress ball. Ginger beer’s subtle kick tickles the back of your throat while the fresh mint dulls gin’s bite. It’s simple enough to whip up after a long day at work, but we think it tastes best when slowly savored on a warm and lazy weekend afternoon.

Mint Gin(ger) Mule
INGREDIENTS

Ice

1.5 oz Gin

1 oz lime

.5 oz simple syrup

7-8 leaves mint

Ginger beer

     DIRECTIONS

-Pour gin over ice into your glass. Add lime, simple syrup and a few mint leaves.

-Top off with ginger beer. Garnish with more mint leaves.

best when slowly savored Read more

Think of this Mint Gin(ger) Mule as a delicious liquid stress ball. Ginger beer’s subtle kick tickles the back of your throat ...

From Campari to Camparti

At Via Umbria there are no secrets when it comes to sharing our love of cocktails. Our Mixologist Matt Demma is the “professional”, but our cafe staff has lots of experience and can seriously whip up a mean drink. While I like to think of myself as a pseudo-professional, I’m more of a self-proclaimed alcohol aficionado.

In our nation’s capital, the first week of June is dedicated to the Negroni. Another great reason to live in DC.  To celebrate Negroni Week we are throwing a storewide event where Campari meets Party: Camparti.

Who/What is Campari?_DSC0301

Gruppo Campari is a company based in Milan that makes awesome spirits.  Most notably

Campari and Aperol.  Campari is a beautiful red, bitter liqueur and probably the world’s best known apéritivo (side note: an apéritivo is a liqueur meant to be drunk before the meal to aid in digestion). Since 1860, for over 150 years the Campari recipe has been untouched, unchanged.  Aperol is Campari’s younger, flirtier sister.  With a rich orange color, less bitter it is changing the Apéritivo scene across Italy and here in the States.

What is a Negroni?

A little background for those who do not know: the Negroni is a classic Italian Cocktail made with gin, sweet vermouth and Campari or Aperol garnished with an orange peel. As an avid gin drinker and Italophile, the Negroni is everything I ask for in a drink: strong and bitter.

Dating as far back as the beginning of the 20th century, the Negroni has been a staple cocktail across Italy. Many variations of this drink have been crafted, however the truest Negroni you’ll ever get is made with gin, sweet vermouth, and most importantly Campari (without Campari the Negroni would never have been conceived).

What is this deliciousness called a Spritz?

Around the same time the Negroni surfaced in Italy, another lesser-known (equally-as-good-if-not-better) apéritivo was concocted: Aperol. In 1919, the Italians swooned over this orange liqueur and by the 1950s Aperol had made its mark with the “3,2,1 Spritz”  recipe. As any bottle of Aperol could tell you. Magic, this drink is pure magic I tell you: very refreshing, good for any occasion…Brunch, Lunch, Happy Hour, Dinner, beyond. Love for Aperol and the Spritz spread like wildfire across Italy. Yet for 150 years Campari has owned the apéritivo market, so much so that Gruppo Campari acquired the rights and recipe to Aperol in 2003. Now, this unstoppable duo inspires a variety cocktails essential to the core of Italian lifestyle.

Negroni Week – Who Knew?

IMG_1612As the unofficial ambassadors of Umbria to Georgetown, Negroni Week is the perfect opportunity for us to share our love of cocktails combined with our appreciation and understanding of the Italian lifestyle. Although we do celebrate these apéritivos on a regular basis with our Spritz O’Clock menu in the cafe, Camparti is our way of celebrating all of our favorite Negroni and Spritz secrets. When I realized our latest catch phrase became “It’s Always Spritz O’Clock!” I just knew we were the right venue to host Camparti. From the Negroni to Aperol Cotton Candy, this Campari Party will have it all! We’ll have different stations featuring variations on the Negroni and a full Negroni/Spritz bar with drinks made to order.

How Can I Join in on the Fun

Camparti is on Thursday June 8 at 7pm, for tickets and more information please visit: //viaumbria.com/june-8-camparti.html

A Spritz O’Clock Celebration Read more

At Via Umbria there are no secrets when it comes to sharing our love of cocktails. Our Mixologist Matt Demma is the ...

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 ...

Aperitivo Time – Whiskey 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

 

 

 

 

 

Whisky Spritz and Truffled Zucchini Bruschetta Read more

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