Category Archives: Recipes

Cioppino

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Cioppino Soup

There are a variety of fishermen soups out there. I think every country has one. But I gotta tell you that I love Cioppino the best. I think that there is something good and humble about it, and yet it’s so full of flavor that you really only some good bread to eat it with.

Historically, this is made with the left over fish from the say after the fishermen sold their products and had some stuff left. It wasn’t made with the pretty fish and seafood we use today. But I bet it was still packed with flavor and briny goodness. I’m a little bougie. If you can’t tell, there are some king crab legs in my soup. Not because I’m showing off, but because that was the crab I had in my freezer.

Every year, my dad sends me king crab legs on my birthday. It’s been a tradition for a while. He hasn’t been able to get into town for the last couple of years due to health. So I haven’t been able to eat any king crab unless I make the trek up to Alaska. Looking at this soup, it is well worth it.

CIOPPINO

  • 2 tablespoons good olive oil
  • Shrimp and shells from 1 pound large shrimp
  • 2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
  • 2 fennel heads, keep some fronds for garnish
  • 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 can San Marzano tomatoes
  • 4 cups seafood stock, recipe below or buy from store
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Diamond Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds center-cut cod fillets, skin removed, 2-inch diced
  • 1 pound sea scallops, halved crosswise
  • 24 mussels, scrubbed
  • 1 pound crab
  • 1 tablespoon Anise flavored liquor
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Seafood Stock:

  • 2 tablespoons good olive oil
  • Shells from 1 pound large shrimp
  • 2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
  • 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garlic Toasts:

  • 1 baguette
  • 1/4 cup good olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, halved lengthwise

Instructions:

  1. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 10 minutes, until tender. Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, stock, wine, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. The stock will be highly seasoned.
  2. Add the seafood in the following order: first the cod, then the shrimp, scallops, and finally the mussels. Do not stir! Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the seafood is cooked and the mussels are open. Stir in the liquor, cover and set aside for several minutes for the flavors to blend. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Ladle into large shallow bowls, sprinkle with parsley and fennel fronds. Serve hot with toasted garlic bread.

Seafood Stock:

  1. Warm the oil in a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and the shrimp shells have turned completely pink. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add 1 1/2 quarts water, the wine, tomato paste, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for one hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing on the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. If not, add enough water or white wine to make 1 quart.
  2. Cool completely, transfer to containers, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Garlic Toasts:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Slice the baguette diagonally in 1/4-inch-thick slices.
  3. Lay the slices in one layer on a sheet pan, brush each with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned and crisp. As soon as they’re cool enough to handle, rub the top of the toasts with a cut side of the garlic. Serve at room temperature.

Chickpea, Fennel, and Leek Soup

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Every once in a while you come across a recipe that seems so simple, how could it be delicious? We’ve all had chickpeas before. We’ve all had fennel before. We’ve all had leeks before. But I don’t think we’ve ever had them together. Not like this. This soup is so good, I keep some in my freezer all the time.

I discovered this soup several years back when I was cooking from Normal Russell’s Polpo and ran across this dish. It was a week night. And had chickpeas in a can, and surprisingly fennel and leek in the fridge. I made this thinking it would be nothing. I mean, the ingredients are super simple and it takes no time at all. And it’s BEIGE, for chrissakes.

I was shocked at the transformation that these simple ingredients make into something soul-warming and yummy. It’s quick. and you can make it as fancy–I added olive oil and fried jalapeños to this one–or as plain as you like. It will taste good no matter what.

Chickpea, Leek, & Fennel Soup

  • 800g can of chickpeas, well-rinsed
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • Pinch of diced chilli
  • Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 finely diced shallots
  • 2 leeks cut into 1cm pieces
  • 2 small fennel bulbs cut into 1cm piece
  • Sea salt
  1. Add olive oil to the pan. Add pinch of the chili, more to taste. Add the shallots, leeks and fennel and saute until they are soft. Season as you go.
  2. Add the chickpeas and chicken stock. Cook for about 20 minutes or so until everything has a chance to cook together. Remove about half and blend until smooth. Or use an immersion blender and blitz part of the soup.
  3. Add back the pureed part in the soup if you did it this way and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some crust bread

All Beef Chili with Cumin Cream

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There is something about Chili that is just so good. And it’s one of the soups that I think originated in America from a mass-up of a whole lot of cuisines.

The origins of chili are unclear. Lots of vague stories about it being invented here or there or somewhere in the southwest. No matter what the origins, though, it was invented because it was what people had on hand and what was in the region. Chilis and chili powder aren’t all from the American Southwest, but the ones in chili are. And the floor of that terroir permeates the liquid concoction.

Chili is more a stew than a soup. Still, people eat it with saltine crackers. Me? I like mine with cornbread. A while back, I used to be able to get a smoked ground corn. It made the BEST smoked cornbread. Alas, I can’t find them anymore. So, I still to normal cornbread. But I still put cheese and onions on top to give it some kick and bite. As if it didn’t have enough with heat with the spices already in there.

All Beef Chili

  1. 7 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
  2. 4 pounds bottom round beef, cut into 1/2 -inch cubes
  3. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  4. 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  5. One 12-ounce bottle dark beer, Mexican if you can find it
  6. 1 large red onion, finely diced
  7. 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  8. 1 teaspoon seeded and chopped habanero
  9. 1 Thai bird chile, seeded and chopped
  10. 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  11. 1/2 poblano, seeded and chopped
  12. 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
  13. 1 tablespoon cascabel chile powder
  14. 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
  15. 1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
  16. 1 teaspoon New Mexican chile powder
  17. One 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and pureed
  18. 5 cups chicken broth
  19. 2 tablespoons finely chopped semisweet chocolate2 tablespoons maple syrup, or more as needed
  20. 2 tablespoon Maple syrup

Toasted Cumin Crema:

  1. 1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds, freshly toasted and cooled
  2. 1/2 cup Mexican crema
  3. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch-style oven over high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper and add one-third of the meat to the pan and saute until browned on all sides. Repeat with the oil and meat, draining any excess liquid from the pan between the batches. Keep the oil in reserve for later. Return the meat to the pan, sprinkle with the cumin and stir well. Deglaze the pan with the beer and bring to a boil. Be careful because beer can foam when added to a hot pot. Cook until the beer is almost completely reduced. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the same pan on medium heat and then add the onions and garlic and cook until onions soften. Add the habanero, Thai bird, jalapeno and poblano peppers and cook about 5 minutes. Add the ancho chile pepper, cascabel chile powder, chipotle pepper puree, pasilla chile powder and New Mexican chile powde. Cook 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Puree with an immersion blender. Add the beef back to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the chili is thick and the beef is tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. If the chili has too much liquid, continue to cook uncovered to thicken, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add in the chocolate and maple syrup and stir until the chocolate is melted and combined and adjust seasonings.
  • Place the cumin in a small saute pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in a small bowl. Let it cool completely. Stir in the crema and season with salt and pepper. Place in a squeeze bottle for serving.
  • Serve Chili with toasted cumin, cheddar cheese, onions, and anything else that hits your fancy. I add more heat with hot sauce. And cool it down with cornbread.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo w/ Cilantro Rice

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There’s something about gumbo that is just fabulous. It’s like gumbos are America’s soups. You can’t find gumbos of any sort in other parts of the world. Not like these. With roux or filé powder made from the sassafras root or okra. Sometimes, you can find all three in one. Like a whole trifecta.

There are gumbos made from chicken and sausage like this one. And then there are seafood gumbos made with delicious fruits of the sea, like crab or shrimp or some fishes, even. No matter what the gumbo is made with, they are all served with some sort of rice. Now, you can serve gumbo with plain rice, but why? This is a great opportunity to kick it up a notch. Those boys and girls down in Louisiana are not shy about their spices. They like their heat. A lot.

Cajun and Creole cooks CAN hit you over the head with some heat and things, but they can also be masters of the nuance. Not all gumbos are hot spicy. Some of the are just well-spiced and so yummy that you can’t stop eating. Invariably, you run out of gumbo or rice. Depending on which, well, you might be making more rice or freezing up some gumbo for later. Either way, it’s a delicious dilemma.

Fried Chicken & Sausage Gumbo w/ Cilantro Rice

  •  1.25 cups plus 2 tbsp. canola oil
  •  1 (3 1/2–4 lb.) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  •  2.5 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  •  Kosher salt, to taste
  •  2 cups flour
  •  1.5 tsp. dark chile powder
  •  1.5 tsp file powder
  •  1 tsp. cayenne
  •  1 tsp. ground white pepper
  •  1 tsp. paprika
  •  3 cloves garlic, minced
  •  3 stalks celery, minced
  •  1 green bell pepper, minced
  •  1 jalapeño, minced
  •  1 poblano pepper, minced
  •  1 yellow onion, minced
  •  12 cups chicken stock
  •  1 lb andouille sausage, halved and sliced
  •  12 oz. okra, trimmed and sliced 1/2″ thick
  •  Sliced scallions and cilantro, for garnish
  •  Cooked white rice with cilantro, for serving
  1. Heat 1.25 cups oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. Season chicken with 1 tsp. black pepper and salt; toss with 1⁄2 cup flour. Working in batches, fry chicken until golden; transfer to paper towels to drain.
  2. Add remaining flour to Dutch oven; whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, whisking, until color of roux is dark chocolate, 1–1.5 hours. Add remaining black pepper, the chile and filé powders, cayenne, white pepper, paprika, garlic, celery, bell pepper, jalapeño, poblano, and onion; cook until soft, 10–12 minutes. Add stock; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally and skimming fat as needed, until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Add reserved chicken; cook until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Add andouille; cook until chicken is falling off the bone, about 1 hour.
  3. Using tongs, transfer chicken to a cutting board and let cool slightly; shred, discarding skin and bones, and return to pot. Heat remaining oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high. Cook okra until golden brown and slightly crisp, 8–10 minutes, then stir into gumbo; cook 15 minutes.
  4. Add cilantro to cooked long grain rice. Do not add cilantro to the rice before cooking. Stop to combine and to let the cilantro release its scent and flavor. Scoop into a low bowl. Ladle gumbo around the rice. Garnish with scallions or more cilantro. Sprinkle with cajun spice.

Clam Chowder, New England Style

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There are some clam chowders that are so delicious it makes you sad when you get to the bottom of the bowl. Then there are other clam chowders who you wish had never been made much less served up to you.

A good clam chowder is sublime. There is a play on the potatoes and the clams and the little pieces of corn. And the best clam chowders aren’t always the most expensive. What they are is made with fresh ingredients, seasoned well, and served with bread. I feel like it’s almost a mortal sin not to serve a good chowder without a hunk of break and delicious butter. You slather the butter on and then you dip the whole thing into the warm chowder which is thick and clings to the bread so you have to lean down to eat it without dripping it all over yourself. THAT’s the kinda chowder I’m talking about. And if you can make it look pretty… so that my eyes have a visual feast to gnaw upon? Shoooo.

Best Damn Chowder

  • 2 slices of thick cut bacon, diced
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 6 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 ear of corn, kernels removed.
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ⅓ cup all purpose flour
  • 4 bottles clam juice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 large sprig thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 lbs red skinned potatoes, diced
  • 1 ½ cups finely chopped clams from 6lbs cherrystone clams, reserve a few clams
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • fresh chives and/or parsley minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • crusty bread for serving
  1. Start the bacon with just a touch of bacon fat in the bottom of dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. When it’s start crackling, you can decide to keep cooking it and then removing it and using it as a garnish or just adding in the onions.
  2. Once the onions have gotten coated with bacon fat and started on their way to cooking, add in the celery and the carrots. Give it a good stir. After a couple of minutes, add in the garlic and the flour. Stir again.
  3. Once everything is again coated with bacon grease or flour, add in the clam juice and water. Scrap up any bits that have gotten lodged. Then add in the thyme, bay leaves, corn, and potatoes. Add in a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper. Bring this to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender. In the last 5 or so minutes plop in the reserved clams and then pull them out as soon as they’ve opened. Set aside with the bacon if bacon has been reserved.
  4. Remove from the heat, and take out the bay leaf and thyme sprig. Add in the cream, fresh chives and/or parsley. Stir. Taste and correct the seasoning.
  5. Ladle into bowls. Top with some cooked clams. If using reserved bacon bits, top the bowls with them here as well. If not, sprinkle with more herbs and serve.

Tomato Basil Soup with Blue Cheese Crumbles

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a creamy tomato soup
Photo by Sacha Moreau on Pexels.com

Soups soothe the soul and they make you feel good. Even when it’s hot, soups seem to be the thing sometimes. Especially, if the soup isn’t too hot. Or maybe served cold. Or just above room temperature. Soups are so versatile. they can be exotic or like a well-loved friend.

Tomato Basil Soup is perfect when summer’s bounty furnishes lots of beautiful red fruit. And basil seems to be the perfect complement to the acidic flavors of those ruby globes. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t like my tomato soup scorching hot, but slightly less. And I will chunks of blue cheese to add a salty umami-ness that I think this soup perfectly supports. When it gets too hot, tomato basil soup with blue cheese crumbles are about all I want to eat. I can’t stomach too much when I am sweating. I want something to take the edge off my hunger, but not make me uncomfortably full. The heat is already making me uncomfortable enough. I don’t need my food adding to the discomfort. What I need IS comfort.

Tomato Basil Soup

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  •  2 tablespoons butter
  •  1 medium onion (chopped)
  •  1 clove garlic (minced)
  •  1 dash Italian seasoning
  •  2 (28 fluid ounce) cans whole San Marzano tomatoes (with juices)
  •  1.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  •  1/2 cup heavy cream (or to taste)
  •  fresh basil (torn)
  • blue cheese crumbles
  •  Salt & pepper (to taste)

Instructions 

  1. Over medium heat, add the oil to the pot first and then add butter. When the butter is melting, add onions. Sauté the onion for 5-7 minutes or until it’s lightly browned.
  2. Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook for one minute. Then add in the tomatoes and chicken broth. 
  3. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once it’s rapidly boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, covered, with the lid slightly ajar. 
  4. Let the soup cool. Blend the soup until it’s smooth. Do it in batches if using a standard blender. Or you can do it right in the pot with an immersion blender.
  5. Stir in the cream and basil and season with salt & pepper as needed. 
  6. Add blue cheese crumbles on top.

It’s Hot so Pisco Sours are Up!

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Pisco Sour

Many wonderful things come from Peru. Potatoes, lomo saltado, music, colorful clothing, and so much more. But the thing I might love the best is the national liquor of Peru, called Pisco.

It’s a brandy is our Pisco. Which might make it seem too refined for mixing in a cocktail. I mean, after all, aren’t we used to brandy being in snifters and snobby people drinking it after pretentiously swirling it around a large glass which has been warmed over little candles. But not Peru’s brandy. Oh, no, my friends. Pisco is for all of us.

The best way to have Pisco is in a sour. Now, I didn’t invent the Pisco Sour, but I think I have a pretty damn good recipe for said Pisco Sour, if I say so myself. And I do. I like these with or without food. I think they are an excellent mid-afternoon cocktail as you think about evening plans.

Some tips before we go into how to make them. You can use fresh egg whites. I have. But I actually prefer store bought egg whites which have been pasteurized. Also, I hunted down the Amargo Chuncho bitters which are made with Peruvian ingredients. You do not need to be so particular. It is perfectly okay to substitute bitters readily found in most markets. Peychauds would be good. Peychauds aged bitters might be better. Aromatic bitters would be perfectly acceptable. Barrel-aged aromatic bitters might be better. Obviously, the Amargo is the best and preferred. But if you can’t get your hands on it, it’s cool.

Pisco Sour

  • 3 oz pisco
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • .5-.75 oz simple syrup
  • 1 egg white or the carton equivalent
  • 2 dashes amargo bitter and more for garnish

Put all the ingredients into a shaker with one or two ice cubes. Shake until frothy and the ice has melted. Add more ice and shake properly. Many people dry shake without the ice cube or two, but I have found the foam better with it. Pour over fresh ice. Garnish with 3 drops of bitters on top. Enjoy!

I Can’t Tell You How Great Smoke on the Water Is

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Smoke in the Water

I think the first time I had a Smoke on the Water I was eating tacos by the dozen. Sadly or luckily or whatever, I wasn’t drinking Smoke on the Waters by the dozen. But I did start having a hankering for them while eating tacos on a hot summer day.

Once you love tequila, it’s not that far to acquiring a mezcal fetish as well. Then when you stumble upon a cocktail at a joint that is particularly good and the name of the cocktail is particularly clever, well, you hunt down that recipe. Tout suite. To drink. Even when you aren’t eating tacos. And the weather isn’t particularly nice outside. Because the memory of that drink is on your mind and making it recreates those feelings that were present the first time you had it. At least, that’s the way it is for me.

The recipe calls for fresh-squeezed watermelon. Which I think is cool if it’s summer. If it’s not, there are perfectly acceptable alternatives. Also, some juiceries have fresh-squeezed watermelon juice available. I think shortcuts are the spice of life. If you find one that works cool. Also, this recipe calls for hibiscus syrup. You have to make this in advance and cool it before making the drink. Not all the way, but it can’t be boiling. And ideally, it should be down to room temperature or too much ice will melt in the mixing. And the balance between the ingredients of a cocktail and water are super important.

Smoke on the Water

  • 2. oz mezcal
  • 1 oz Cointreau
  • 1.25 oz watermelon juice, freshly squeezed if possible
  • .75 oz hibiscus syrup, recipe below
  • .75 oz lime juice
  • dried lavender or soaked hibiscus or a pickled watermelon rind or a tiny watermelon wedge

Add big ice to a rocks glass. Then add all the other ingredients to a shake with ice, and shake for 40-60 seconds. Double strain over the big ice. Garnish.

Hibiscus Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • .5 cup hibiscus flower or 4 bags of hibiscus tea

Combine water with sugar in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Take off the heat. Add the hibiscus. Steep for 10 minutes then strain into a glass jar or jug. Keep in fridge for about a month.

Gooseberry Margaritas Are New For May

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Gooseberry Margarita

Margaritas are really up there for being a favorite Spring and Summer drink. I love them with more than Mexican food. I think they blend well with LOTS of different types of cuisines. And of course, they are spectacular on their own or with salty, deep-fat fried foods.

Over the course of some years, I have found my favorite margarita recipe. And I have experimented with lots of different variations. I’ve made blood-orange margaritas, skinny margaritas, spicy margaritas, and so many more. Then I stumbled upon the gooseberry margarita. Mostly because I was living in Kuwait and most of my produce was coming from Europe and Africa. My go-tos for produce when I was in the Americas weren’t readily obtained. So, I discovered the cape gooseberry

Cape gooseberries are these cute little berries which are in a paper cover and are this vibrant, orange color. They are not like those sour green ones. Perfect for cocktail making, imo. Well, they both are but for different reasons. As soon as you find them in the supermarket, run out a grab some.

Cape Gooseberry Recipe

  • 2 oz tequila
  • 1oz lime juice
  • .75 oz Cointreau
  • .5 oz agave syrup
  • 6 cape gooseberries
  • lime wedges

Muddle 3-4 cape gooseberries in a shaker with the agave syrup. Let it sit a minute or two for the flavors to incorporate. Then add the rest of the liquid ingredients. Shake, Shake, Shake. Double Strain into a rocks glass that has fresh ice and few cut up cape gooseberries. Taste. Squeeze a lime cheek into the glass, if needed. Otherwise, just add a few lime wheels for garnish. I wouldn’t add salt because this is a sweeter margarita. But if you’d like, add the salt to the rim of the glass before the ice and pouring.

Warm Weather means Cool Spritzes

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Warmer weather always ushers in the season of the Spritz. It’s just goes hand in hand with the higher degrees outside. For me, it also brings up memories of Italy and good times. But it’s not just me. I was out for a girls’ night the other evening and I saw two ladies enjoying a spritz or two. They were having them in the normal big bulbous gin glasses and not the one I used for mine in this picture. The glass is less important than the ingredients.

The one pictured is a Campari Spritz. Which I love. But I have been known to enjoy other spritzes as well. The Spritz is great using Aperol instead of the Campari making it an Aperol Spritz. You can used St. Germain and make an elderflower spritz. Bonus points if you make it in their carafe with the proportions written on the outside. There is a new kid on the block, a bergamot- savory orange- forward liqueur called Italicus, which makes a pretty good spritz as well. I prefer the Italicus Spritz with gin to tame the sweetness. And lastly, my cocktail club–Shaker & Spoon–have a spritz called the Myrtle Spritz made with spiced blueberry syrup. No matter which spritz you chose, it is sure to be refreshing.

Campari Spritz

  • 1.5 oz Campari
  • 2 oz Prosecco/Sparkling White Wine
  • Splash of Sparkling water/Soda water/Fizzy water
  • garnish with a slice of orange and a green olive

Add the Campari and the Prosecco to a gin glass. Add green olive and stir. Top with ice cubes. Add splash of Sparkling water. Put orange slice along the side of the glass. Add a straw. Give it a small stir. Enjoy!

You can substitute Aperol,/St. Germain/ Italicus+Gin for the Campari in the recipe above. I would start with the same proportions and then add or subtract depending on your palate and whether you like it sweeter, more bitter forward, etc. With the St. Germain and Italicus+Gin, I would leave off the olive as a garnish. And maybe play around with some cool bitters. A peach one or a juicy orange one. Lots of new ones on the market out there. There is no end to the experimentation possible. And a whole Spring, Summer, and Fall in which to try things out.