Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1004126
46 / the tasting panel / july 2018 APÉRITIFS The Great Zucca Takeover In fact, Zucca has already become a menu staple at many of the top cocktail bars in the U.S. At the iconic Seattle bar Canon, owner Jamie Boudreau mixes Zucca into a house cocktail called the Swagger, a refreshing blend of gin, Dubonnet, and grapefruit juice (Boudreau also featured the drink in his recipe compilation The Canon Cocktail Book). At San Francisco's Trick Dog, Zucca has also been served with gin, bitter lemon soda, and blood orange syrup in a drink named Grandma's Sweater, and in New York, you can find Zucca in cocktails both at the NoMad and Saxon + Parole. "That's how you know your brand is great: Guys like these are going out of their way to work with it themselves," Powell says. Master mixologists and leaders in the craft cocktail community are certainly helping lead Zucca's resurgence: The bottle features promi- nently on the cover of spirits expert Brad Thomas Parsons' 2016 book Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas, making it seem even more "of the moment." "Being in the industry, Zucca is something that's got a little underground 'cool factor' to it as well," Room says. "It's not your mainstream beverage." That doesn't mean Zucca can't easily translate into some of the most well-established drinks in the business. In fact, Room says bartenders are frequently doing "variations on classic cocktails with trending spirits" like Zucca, which works particularly well with mezcal, twists on the afore- mentioned Negroni, and spritzers. "That's just the innovative bartending world we have today that's really bringing some of these classic products into modern life," he adds. At The Flatiron Room in Manhattan, for example, Beverage Director Young Kim's propensity for mixing Zucca with the bar's vast whiskey collection has been well-received by guests. "It's the changing palates of the consumer in the U.S.," Room says. "People are going from sweet and heavy and drinking soda to something that's more bitter and light." During the summer months, bitter cocktails tend to cede their presence on bar menus, but Zucca's versatility bolsters its staying power. "If I'm hosting a brunch or going out on the weekend, what I'll do is have it served with a sparkling wine or Prosecco with a little grapefruit soda and poured into a wine glass on ice, maybe with a grapefruit twist," Room says. "That's something you can enjoy all day long in the sun." Once you've tried Zucca in a traditional cocktail you already know and love, explore further by trying it on the rocks with an orange twist (a go-to for Room's wife) or opting for what he calls the "bartender's handshake": a chilled Zucca shot. After all, it's only taken Americans 175 years to come around to what the Italians knew all along: Rhubarb rootstock is where it's at. Zucca Spritz ◗ 1 part Zucca ◗ 4 parts Prosecco ◗ 1 part soda water Pour Prosecco in a wine glass filled with ice. Add Zucca and top with soda water. Garnish with an orange peel. Zu-groni de Oaxaca ◗ 1 part Zucca ◗ 1 part mezcal ◗ 1 part sweet vermouth ◗ 3 drops Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange peel.