Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/912565
48 / the tasting panel / december 2017 That hasn't stopped Johnston, an Italian herself, from boldly incorporat- ing Zucca Rabarbaro—the 170-year-old Italian apéritif amaro brand owned by Disaronno International that relaunched last year—into the new menu she plans to unveil early next year at the restaurant. One of her planned cocktails, the Caffè di Rose, is a visually-striking fusion of Eastern and European flavors that melds Knob Creek Rye and Zucca with chai tea– infused cold brew coffee, pomegranate concentrate, rosewater, and simple syrup. "Charity is an innovator in the mixology scene, so I love collaborating with her, especially because you never know what she will mix up," Zahn says. "Zucca, chai tea, and cold brew coffee—need I say more?" The bitter earthiness of Zucca embod- ies a flavor Johnston says she tries to incorporate into most of her creations, as just a touch can go a long way to "round out your cocktail." "I make a cocktail based on where your senses taste certain flavors, so if I'm trying to make the perfect cocktail, I'm trying to get your sweet, your salty, your tart, and your bitter," Johnston explains. "That's what amaro is perfect for—it's that taste that makes you want more." Johnston designed Caffè di Rose's garnish as an homage to the restaurant's charcoal-grilled robata cuisine, using a skewer and rose petals wrapped with a chai tea bag to emulate a "little row" on a Japanese fishing boat. "The whole point of robata is to keep all the natural flavors and juices inside the meats, so they're really flavorful even though you're not using a lot of spices," Johnston says. "The cool thing with this cocktail is you get that spice to balance these meats and fishes that don't have a lot of that." Abel Santillian is the General Manager/Beverage Director at Ago in West Hollywood, CA. The restaurant recently added an Italian Margarita with Disaronno to its menu. Paul Zahn, Director of Brand Ambassadors for Disaronno International, enjoys visiting Ago for "apertivo hour" because it transports him to a café in Milan, Italy. He says the Sparkling Disaronno Sour, pictured here, is "the perfect year-round spritz."