The flowering of locally-made red aperitifs are bound to add taste and color to your Mother’s Day brunches (and beyond).
It’s nearly Mother’s Day as I write this, and I can picture mom’s day brunch planners mulling over what to make as an appropriate late-morning, early-afternoon drink for her. At first glance at local liquor stores, shelves sadly seem too monochrome for a beautiful brunch drink.. Then the eye is transfixed by a handful of lustrously red-shaded liquids — visually, at least, perfect.
And perfect in taste, too. You’ve probably come across some red aperitifs from Italian names like legendary Campari and super-chic Aperol. Don’t pass over newer ones made right here in the Pacific Northwest — glowing liquid gems from distillers like Brovo, Esquimalt, Highside, Roots and Wings, and Straightaway. But what the heck is a red aperitif? Or a red bitter? Or red amaro, as some call this rosy branch of Italian-inspired herbal liqueurs? (Read more on Pacific Northwest amari here.)
Whatever name you use (I find arguing about such issues takes away from the fun of drinking), we’re going red aperitif, they all share characteristics, while being individualistic. First, even if not tasting alike, they owe a little debt to Italian Gaspare Campari, who in 1860 released Campari, known worldwide for its bittery-ness, red color and cocktail mixability. As Brovo founder and distiller Mhairi Voelsgen told us, she “often talks about how we would not have a business if it were not for his innovation in the bittersweet liqueur category.” While his influence pervades, as Voelsgen says, she “never wanted to make something in competition with him.” Inspiration is the key, not imitation, when it comes to local red aperitifs.
That coloring leads to our second defining point: these sippers all shade prettily somewhere on the red-orange color spectrum, ranging from subtle tangerine to shiny garnet. How they get their lovely coloring varies. Some use “cochineal, a natural dye that’s long been used in traditional liqueur production,” as Straightaways Production Manager Chris Navarro told us about their Crimson Snap (cochineal comes from insects). Highside Distillery’s Amaro Rosina also uses cochineal, whereas Rebekah Crowley, owner and distiller at Roots and Wings distillery, gives ingredients in their Olitais a “quick wash in hibiscus flowers to give it a brighter pink hue.” Voelsgen uses a blend of “grown-in-the-ground” herbs and spices to color Brovo’s American Aperitivo.
Wherever the sunshine coloring comes from, they incline towards vibrant flavors, too; hints of herb and spice and root blends with varying amounts of citrus fruit surfacing, flavors entertaining on the tongue, lingering long. Rebekah Crowley, talking about Olitais, says it’s “bright and refreshing and an easy sipper,” a definition ideal for the category, even with flavors differing.
Though it’s good to remember that these red aperitifs also have a bitter component — how much depends on the bottle. Some shade towards global phenom Aperol, with its easy-going bitterness, and some nearer heartier amaro cousins. Take Straightaways’ Crimson Snap. Its “bold citrus profile and distinctive bitter finish,” is “something that would bring a familiar ‘snap’ to cocktails like the Negroni,” Navarro told us. Even the most bitter are only at 30% to 35% ABV (alcohol by volume), as opposed to, for example, gin, which tends to start at 40% and go up. All to say, they won’t weigh mom down all day after brunching with them.
Speaking of brunch and red aperitifs, my all-time favorite brunchtime drink is the Garibaldi, a simple mix of Campari and orange juice. Named after the general who unified Italy and his “red-shirt” army, it’s bursting with flavor, matching lively spring mornings dreamily. Lately, I’ve been trying it with our burgeoning army of Pacific Northwest red aperitifs to absolutely tasty effect. It’s a drink that lets these red aperitifs socialize with the orange juice while allowing distinct personalities to shine. Those flavor personalities are sure to make any brunch for mom special — as well as dinners and late night dates. It’s time to turn every Mother’s Day into a red-letter, or red aperitif, day.
Mother’s Day Brunch Drinks with Local Red Aperitifs
Whether calling them red aperitifs, red amari, red bitters, or just “reds” (though that may confuse wine pals), you and mom will find these locally made sippers enchanting, versatile and yummy. We’ve broken out four to start you on the red road, with a suggested Mother’s Day brunch cocktail idea for each.
Brovo American Aperitivo
Designed to pair good-naturedly with tequila, this singular charmer unveils more and more with each sip. Made with an intriguing botanical array of hibiscus, bilberry, Schisandra berry (called the five-flavor-fruit, due to a multifaceted nature), grapefruit, lemon, orange and gentian root — American Aperitivo is swell swirled solo, with perhaps a single ice cube, as well as when duo-ing with tequila in drinks like the Sprezzatura (Brovo distiller Mhairi Voelsgen’s favorite).
Sprezzatura
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
Ice cubes
1 ounce Brovo American Aperitivo
1-1/2 ounces blanco tequila
Chilled grapefruit soda (to taste, I like about 3½ ounces)
Splash fresh grapefruit juice
Garnish
Grapefruit slice
Directions
Fill a highball or comparable glass three-quarters full with ice cubes. Add the American Aperitivo and tequila. Give a brief stir. Add the soda, and stir again to combine. Add the grapefruit juice on top, garnish with the slice.
Highside Amaro Rosina
Uniquely built like many of Highside’s liquid joys on a spirit base of 100% Washington-grown apples, Amaro Rosina uses six botanicals (fresh grapefruit peel, ginger, bitter orange, bay leaf, gentian root, cascade hops) to convey citrus fruit and pastries on the tongue under a hop and floral nose with a nice dry finish. When the sun is shining over your Mother’s Day, serve the distillery’s refreshing recipe, Italian Iced Tea.
Italian Iced Tea
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
1 ounce Amaro Rosina
2 ounces iced tea
1/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 ounce Demerara simple syrup (or more, if feeling sweet)
Fresh mint leaves
Ice cubes
Garnish
Mint Sprig
Directions
Place the mint leaves (about a half cup is good), lemon and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Using a muddler or wooden spoon, muddle well. Add the Amaro Rosina, iced tea and a handful of ice cubes. Shake well. Pour it all into a rocks or comparable glass — a chilled glass, if possible. Garnish with the mint sprig, giving it a smack first to unleash aromas.
Roots and Wings Olitais
With, as distiller Rebekah Crowley says, “a lighter flavor profile, and not as syrupy thickness to it,” plus a marvelous aroma slipping into an enduring taste of rhubarb, clove, and other spice and floral highlights, Olitais hits brunch and evening heights. If the latter, try it with bourbon and sweet vermouth in a Boulevardier — Roots and Wings does a pre-bottled version worth tracking down. But for brunching with mom, have it in a fabulous classic Spritz.
Spritz
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
Ice cubes
1-1/2 ounces Olitais
Chilled prosecco (I tend to like 3 ounces, others like more or less – you be you)
Splash of chilled soda water
Garnish
Orange slice
Directions
Place a few ice cubes in a flute or wine glass (if your prosecco is super well-chilled, you could skip the ice). Add the Olitais and then the prosecco. Stir, but gently. Top with the soda water, giving one more brief stir. Garnish with an orange slice.
Straightaway Accompani Crimson Snap
On the bottle it says this is a “walking drumroll,” which is entirely accurate. The botanicals include a triple shot of herbal bittering via cinchona bark, gentian root and centuary, while strong Seville orange, rosemary and clove round things out into a complex enchantment that stands tall in a legendary Negroni. For morning palates, lighten the mood by letting it shine in that drink’s belle-of-the-brunch cousin, the Sbagliato.
Sbagliato
Makes 1 cocktail
Ingredients
Cracked ice
1-1/2 ounce Crimson Snap
1-1/2 ounces sweet vermouth
Chilled prosecco (I usually go four ounces)
Garnish
Orange twist
Driections
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with cracked ice. Add the Crimson Snap and the vermouth. Stir well. Strain the mixture into a flute glass. Top with the prosecco. Stir, but gently, from the bottom up, to combine.
Photos by Natalie Fuller
