05/03/2023
For me, aperitivo should be a simple and easy to make cocktail. That was my guiding thought but my inspiration was the most famous architecture in my city, St. James Cathedral.
It is a significant architectural achievement of the 15th and 16th centuries in Croatia, and due to its exceptional values, the cathedral was included in UNESCO's list of world cultural heritage in 2000.
Along with Italicus, I use Travarica, a traditional herb flavored grapa from my town and homemade syrup made from the local Debit white wine and rosemary. Debit is an autochthonous wine sort that was first mentioned in 1857, and today's name refers to the Italian origin of the variety (ital. debito-debt).
At the end for additional flavor and complexity, I add orange bitters and fresh rosemary for garnish.
Since Šibenik was a poor fishing town, I serve the cocktail in a small, very simple glass(a lot of our seniors used that glass for grapa but also for wine too), and since the theme is architecture, I use stone cubes for cooling instead of ice.
This cocktail will be perfect pair with white fish dishes, tuna tartar and octopus salad.
Every true Dalmatian like to drink Travarica especially seniors, but also, one of most important builders of our cathedral was Juraj Dalmatinac (Georgius Mathei Dalmaticus). This is my dedication to them, to our tradition and our heritage.
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DALMATIAN
Italicus
Travarica
Homemade white wine&rosemary syrup
Orange bitter
Put everything in mixing glass and stir it for 40 sec, pour it over chilled stone rocks in glass and garnish it with rosemary.
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