Gran Caffe L’Aquila: Campari Tasting! Viva Italia!
Buongiorno my friends! I realize this post is ridiculously early in terms of United States time, but in Italy, it is already the afternoon, soon to be aperitivo time! Earlier this week, we got to experience a very unique, and informative tasting at Gran Caffe L’Aquila in center city, courtesy of USBG President, Dan Hamm, and USBG Secretary, Nina Cueva-Castillo. Thank you so much to our presenter Olivia, and to Regional Director Wendy, for a spectacular event.
Now, on to our tasting! Olivia took us on a journey in history and tasting of several vermouths, followed by Campari, Aperol, and several old and new amari digestifs. Some quick footnotes. Vermouth is actually a fortified wine that had been infused with herbs, spices, flowers, and so forth. There are many vermouths on the market, and each has its own distinct taste and flavor. Traditionally, you drink it before a meal. It’s supposed to stimulate your appetite. We were treated to four different vermouths, and each one was had its own characteristics.
Next, we tried a spectrum of aperitivos and digestifs. Aperitivos, like vermouths, are meant to awaken your stomach and appetite. Digestifs are meant to be drunk after a meal to help aid in digestion. We sampled Campari, Aperol, Amaro Averna, two types of Cynar, Frangelico, and Braulio. Most of these were familiar to me, a couple were not. Over the last few years, I’ve grown to like bitter spirits, such as Campari, Cynar, and many amaros.
Not only did we get to taste these, but also learned a little bit of history behind them. For example, Aperol was started in 1919 at a fair and soon became one of the most popular liquors in Italy. Campari was created in Italy in 1860 based on a secret recipe that is still used today. Cynar was also created in Italy in 1952, and is made from artichoke leaves. It was a wonderful presentation and learning experience.
Now, I realize that I may have bored you with all the information that we learned during the tasting, but Olivia was extremely knowledgeable. This wasn’t like a wine tasting where you learn a little bit about the vino your trying, then moving on to the next sample. Following our tasting, everyone was treated to light bites of bruschetta and a charcuterie board to pair with the happy hour specials. And let me tell you, those happy hour specials were spectacular! I had a wonderfully prepared Aperol Spritz with a little kick. They added in fresh blueberries, rosemary, and Calabrian chili oil! I may have had 2 or 3 over the tasting, happy hour, and dinner. They were very good. The hubby, went traditional and had regular Aperol Spritz.
We decided to stay for dinner and had a delightful meal. We decided to skip the appetizers since we had the charcuterie board and bruschetta. We both wound up ordering from the weekly special’s option that Gran Caffe L’Aquila always has. I ordered the busiate al pesto trapanese, comprised of long flour and water spiral pasta tossed in the classic pesto of Trapani, Sicily. It included tomato, garlic, almond, fresh basil, and Trapani DOP extra virgin olive oil. It was delectable! Perfectly light, fragrant, and reminded me of the pasta’s that we had in Sicily.
Eric ordered the U Pisci Spata, a fire grilled and Sicilian herb marinated swordfish, accompanied by rosemary roasted potatoes, and a tomato and cucumber salad. That was equally fantastic! It tasted of the sea, was extremely light, and perfectly cooked!
For dessert, this is a special treat that I order every time we’re here. It is light, sweet, and the perfect end to a spectacular meal, the strawberry zabaglione. Pair this with the Amaro Importante, and you’ll feel like you’re in Italian and Sicilian heaven. You’ll be hard pressed to find this particular dessert in any other Italian restaurant in the city of Philadelphia. The strawberry zabaglione is comprised of perfectly sliced fresh strawberries, aged sweet balsamic glaze, and gran gala cream. That’s it. This is the only dessert I order anytime we go. The only other place that you’ll find this is in Italy.
Once again, I want to thank Dan, Nina, Wendy, Olivia, and our two bartenders, Guiseppe, and Katie for a yet another memorable experience at Gran Caffe L’Aquila! Ciao!