Maybe it was just another night in Milan’s Navigli, maybe I wanted to go home early but maybe my feet were bound for something new.
I was crossing the bridge to get to the other side of the bank when a merry sensation captured the attention of my smell sense.
A light aroma of orange, the one which recalls an almond scent and a cherry macerating on the bottom of a glass, everything in that flavour made me think about a proper Manhattan.
Step by step, closer and closer to that aroma, tremendously thirsty and with a hartwarming joy, I was ready to taste the cocktail’s sweetness.
The bartender I addressed to with curiosity answered me “Via Bigli” is the new cocktail blended with GRA’IT, that is a new grappa of Veneto origin and released tonight in cocktails”.
I asked myself if I had been deceived by the ingredients and what the sensation perceived out of the bar could have been.
It smelled like a Manhattan, it looked like a Manhattan, there was Vermouth in it and the orange aftertaste was undeniable. Obviously grappa stood in for whisky, as the base of the drink.
A decision came to my lips, then: “a Manhattan, please! Or almost”, pointing with my finger at the small blackboard hanging in the corner of the wall in front of me which was shouting “VIA BIGLI”.
Drawing conclusions about that night: I was exhausted, but I was longing for something new. I had smelled a “Manhattan” but I ordered a “Via Bigli”.
“VIA BIGLI”
Ingredients: (without doses)
GRA’IT grappa
Red Vermouth
Almond
Orange bitters
Tellicherry pepper infused Vermouth Dry
Preparation:
Shake all ingredients vigorously
Pour the mix in a Manhattan glass
Garnish with orange zest to taste
By Luca Banfi
