the mixer
Italians like the simple life. They're not known for mixing cocktails, preferring straight drinks: beer, wine, liqueurs and grappa. The closest they come is a fondness for aperitifs, such as Aperol and Campari, which are light liqueurs flavoured with herbs and fruits, and served chilled with a mixer such as soda water or orange juice.
Nowadays aperitifs are commonly drunk after work before people go home to change their clothes and head out again for dinner, explains Alessandro Argento, manager of Italian restaurant and bar Baci in Lan Kwai Fong.
The Sicilian, who worked in New York before moving to Hong Kong four years ago, says Aperol is ideal for long mixed drinks and light, refreshing summer cocktails.
First made in 1919, Aperol is distilled from a wide range of ingredients including rhubarb, cinchona (a type of bark) and Italian herbs such as genziana. The result is a bittersweet, orangey liqueur with hints of herbs. It's similar to Campari but lighter, not so bitter and with half the alcohol content (11 per cent).
Aperol was traditionally popular in northern Italy but its appeal has spread south. Argento recommends mixing it with soda water or fruit juice. For a fancier cocktail, try Aperol with prosecco, Italy's answer to champagne. Argento also uses another popular Italian liqueur, Galliano, in a cocktail he calls Dolce Memoria (Sweet Memory), a variation on the Harvey Wallbanger.
Galliano - a sweet banana yellow liqueur infused with a wide array of herbs, flowers and spices, including anise, licorice and vanilla - was named after an Italian military hero, but only became popular overseas after being used in the Harvey Wallbanger.
That cocktail originated in California and became so popular there were 'vote Harvey Wallbanger' badges circulating during a United States presidential election campaign (unfortunately he didn't win). Some say it was created by Newport Beach barman Bill Doner, but the more romantic version is that a surfer named Harvey liked his screwdrivers topped with Galliano, but after losing a competition he had one too many and walked into a wall.
Try Argento's cocktails at Baci, 2/F, 1 Lan Kwai Fong, Central, tel: 2801 5885. The Aperol is $45 and the Dolce Memoria is $50, plus 10 per cent.
Baci's Aperol aperitif
80ml Aperol
160ml very cold orange juice (or soda water)
Pour the Aperol into a 250ml glass, then add the juice, creating a sunset-coloured cocktail with a reddish base fading into orange. The mixer should be well-chilled so there is no need to add ice.
Dolce Memoria (below)
1 shot Galliano
1 shot vodka
2 shots orange juice
