While I could wax rhapsodic about many of the wines I tasted that evening, the drink that stood out to me most was the refreshing—and seemingly simple—welcome cocktail, which I remembered as a sort of carbonated (and alcoholic) anise lemonade.
So nearly one year later, I reached out to Franny herself, to try and recreate the original drink. Simple to prepare, it’s an excellent palate opener and especially wonderful for any seafood-centric feast. If you’re Italian—or celebrating like one—give it a try this Christmas Eve!
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Christmas Eve Aperitivo
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
Description
Kick off your Feast of the Seven Fishes with this light and refreshing cocktail, featuring notes of tangerine, citron and anise.
Ingredients
- 1 oz (30 ml) Kettle Citroen (or other citron-flavored vodka)
- 1/2 oz (15 ml) Meletti Anisette
- 1 tangerine (or 1 1/4 oz / 35 ml tangerine juice)
- 1/2 oz (15 ml) simple syrup
- club soda
Instructions
- Fill a Collins glass with ice. Set aside
- Juice one tangerine over a strainer (to catch seeds). Set liquid aside.
- Combine tangerine juice with vodka, anisette and simple syrup over ice. Stir until well mixed.
- Refresh collins glass with two new ice cubes. Pour tangerine, vodka, anisette mixture into the glass. Top with cold club soda.
Notes
- While Franny likes to serve this cocktail in a Collins glass, I also enjoy it without ice in a small Picardie tumbler.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Cocktails
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 160
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Meletti Anisette and where does the anise flavor fit in this cocktail?
Meletti Anisette is an Italian anise-flavored liqueur. The article describes the original welcome cocktail as a “carbonated anise lemonade” — the ½ oz of anisette combined with citron vodka, tangerine juice, and club soda recreates that flavor, making it especially well suited as an aperitivo before a seafood-centered Christmas Eve feast.
Can I serve this without ice?
The notes mention that the author also enjoys this cocktail without ice in a small Picardie tumbler as an alternative to the ice-filled Collins glass presentation.
