I love that cocktails are so popular now. I love experimenting with new and different ones when I go out. I think bartenders being creative with ingredients like cilantro, beet juice, St. Germain, cynar, and cachaça is exciting.
I’ve thrown out the sticky bottle of Angustura bitters in the back of my kitchen cabinet now that freshly flavorful versions – rhubarb, orange, and such – are being made.
That’s all good. What isn’t is having to stock up on dozens of different ingredients to make those new drinks at home. And using most of the ingredients only once or twice.
So this season, I’m sticking to one aperitif. One that calls for just two ingredients – Prosecco and Campari. Yes, it’s like a Campari and soda, but tastier and more fun. Called a bicicletta, it looks cheery and holiday-ish. It’s red. It’s bubbly. Its taste edges
toward bitter without going over the line. It’s perfect.
You can make a bicicletta with a dry, still white wine – I like Vermentino but you can use Pinot Grigio, too. You can add a splash of club soda. You can serve it on the rocks. But straight up with Prosecco gives the drink a holiday sparkle.
I was introduced to the drink when I was in Sardinia, where pretty much every meal except breakfast started off with a bicicletta.
Where did it get its name? The story goes that old men used to gather at the bar/cafe and drink biciclette in the late afternoon. When it was time for supper, they got on their bicycles and rode tipsily home, weaving from one side of the road to the other. (Happily, there was no traffic in these small villages.) So the drink took its name from the tipsy bicycle rides.
Whether or not the story is true, serving biciclette kicks off holiday get-togethers in style. Just don’t let your guests ride their bicycles right afterward.
Of course, you can make biciclette in any kind of glass. But since it’s the holiday season, why not use festive champagne flutes. Just pour a shot of Campari into the glass and fill with Prosecco. Add a twist of lemon peel as a garnish, if you like.
Happy holidays!