Zucca Rabarbaro

Until recently Zucca Rabarbaro was unknown to me. But I love rhubarb and when I spotted it whilst browsing Masters of Malt (as you do) I couldn’t resist adding a botle to my cart. If that is out of stock they also have plenty of other Zuccas available.

According to Wikipedia,  Zucca is an Italian aperitif with a base of rhubarb often mixed with ice and water.

On its own the drink is slightly bitter with a strong burnt sugar taste. It tastes ‘dark’ and the sweetness is cut through with a mild bitterness and a treacy/ burnt sugar taste which is very pleasant. The smell and taste are like a much milder Campari but with less herbs and bitters. A nice dirnk which I would imagine would appeal to more palates than Campari does.

I wanted a longer drink with a bit of fizz and fortunately had some Prosecco in the fridge so combined the two so see what I got and was really pleased. The Prosecco easy overpowered the Zucca though so it needed a lot more than you would think. Combined they made a refreshing and unusual drink.

Courvoisier Punch

One of the joys of Christmas is the availability of giftsets, glasses etc which if you’re a drinker and collector like me is the perfect chance to fulfill both loves.

One thing I picked up this year were some Courvoisier glasses which looked like they’d be nice to drink from and this evening seemed the perfect time to try them out.

The recipe I chose to dive in with is a Courvoisier Punch and the single serving proportions are:

• 50ml Courvoisier
• 150ml Lemonade
• 5 dashes of Angostura Bitters

You could also add in fruit such as orange or lemon slices or tarten the drink with more lemon or sweeten with some muddled sugar or even a splash of Maraschino.

The drink was a warming, lenghtened version of Courvoisier but with more interest and flavours. You could ‘water’ it down with more lemonade if you wanted a longer drink with less of a kick or serve it warm if you wanted added warmth which the drink seems perfect for.