New month means new MxMo event so here we are. The theme for this time was chosen by Joseph of Measure and Stir and I gotta say… it wasn’t easy but it was about time I worked on this aspect of my trade; I usually don’t have to venture too far from the odd flamed zest at work so this Mixology Monday gave me the chance to try some new garnishing methods. Also as the guidelines stated that I could choose an old classic, I decided to kill two birds with a stone and try out a Ramos Fizz. Believe it or not I’ve never tasted one in my life (to be fair, here in Verona people have never heard of it before) and after getting all the online documentation possible I decided to try out Darcy o’Neil‘s recipe.
I have to say.. I LOVED IT.. absolutely loved it. It’s like drinking a cup full of citrusy velvet…
Anyway, as the theme for the month was about garnish, my idea was to have a Ramos Fizz complemented by a raw scampo skewer(scampo is a Norwegian Lobster, similar to a crevette), dressed in a Campari reduction, a combination that has been introduced in cuisine by Italian masterchef Cracco.

the scampo, prepared before dressing it

The Campari reduction was relatively easy to make, the only thing is that you must control the bitterness of the end result, so a bit of salt before caramelizing it is recommended.

a little jar of Campari reduction

“From Ramos to Cracco” for MxMo LXVII
Ingredients:
2 oz. Bombay gin
3/4 oz. lemon juice
3/4 oz. lime juice
3/4 oz. pasteurized egg white
1 oz. cream
3/4 oz. Black pepper infused syrup*
1 oz. soda water

Garnish:
half raw scampo, cleaned of all his head juices, covered with two teaspoons of Campari reduction*

Prep:
Combine all the ingredients except the soda water in a shaker, and dry shake for about ten seconds; fill the shaker with cracked ice and shake vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. Double strain on soda water in a refrigerated glass. Place the scampo skewer on top of the drink and tell the customer to swirl it around the drink a little bit to let the reduction dissolve and give the drink a faint peachy hue.

* for the black pepper infused syrup just use a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar, fill a couple of teabags with black pepper, and let them sit in there for about 6 hours. Heat it up afterward to bring out the flavors.
* I only needed a little bit of reduction so I made a tiny batch but here’s the measure.. 3:1 Campari to sugar, half an Orange juice and the grated peel of a whole lemon for 6 ounces of Campari; 6/7 pinches of salt. Bring the whole thing to a boil and let it reduce until desired thickness is reached.

The drink was in my opinion one of the best I have ever made, but that’s not surprising given the quality classic i was starting with. The black pepper syrup works really well with Bombay but the Campari reduction does all the work in there, giving the drink a lingering bittersweet finish that fits perfectly with the cirtrusy/seafood aroma.A bite of the raw scampo will enhance that bittersweet flavor but the texture itself of the seafood pairs perfectly with the velvety conssitencyof the drink. Definitely an aperitif, of course ideal for seafood restaurant, but I can totally see myself serving this at next Saturday afternoon house party, I just need a whole lot more seafood.

Here are some more pics, courtesy of my friend Patrycja Jezierska

the beautiful place i work at

again, the cocktail

prepping