I came up with this at a friend’s house in Amalfi in the south-west of Italy, when I was asked to whip up a quick pre-dinner drink. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the cupboard bar a bottle of vodka and some liquore di limone, but thankfully there were lemons and herbs in the garden, too, and so this drink was born. Liquore di limone is essentially the rock star of limoncello and very high-grade, though, weirdly, it tends to be produced in France. In the same spirit of spontaneity with which this drink came about, feel free to use limoncello instead, so long as it’s one made with real Amalfi lemons – Villa Massa and Pallini are two of my favourites.
Amalfi dream
Serves 1
50ml vodka
20ml liquore di limone, or limoncello (see introduction)
20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (from Amalfi lemons, ideally, when in season)
3-4 mint leaves, plus 1 sprig extra to garnish
1 lemon slice, to garnish
This couldn’t be easier, or more refreshing: simply put all the liquids and the mint leaves in a shaker, fill with ice and shake hard to bruise and break up the mint. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with fresh ice, garnish and serve.
Salvatore Calabrese, The Donovan Bar, Brown’s Hotel, London W1
