Sunday's Random Bits

On Friday we had dinner at the Slanted Door with some friends, one of whom ordered a Campari and soda. This reminded me that we've been talking about making the Venetian cocktail that I remember being called, phonetically, "spritza bitta", but that actually seems to be called "spriss". Whatever, yesterday we picked up the makings and got all Venetian. :-)

The proportions I used for each drink were: 1 oz. Campari, 4 oz prosecco, 4 oz sparkling water, 1 olive. The smell and taste of this drink remind me powerfully of Venice, which is certainly not a bad thing.

To go with the second round of appertifs, I made a variant on the "Sweet Cheese Medley" recipe from JPFF, with feta, pecorino romano, cheddar, and mozzarella cheeses, pine nuts (instead of pumpkin seeds), chopped prunes (instead of raisins), lime juice, honey, black pepper, and sweet paprika. We ate this on sliced baguette with great gusto. :-)