An American in Beringen

The end of summer is near, autumn is just around the corner, but we still try to catch those last rays of sunlight and combine them with delicious highball cocktails. Slightly lower in ABV and very refreshing. 

This recipe is a variation on one of Italy’s most famous bitter aperitifs, the Americano, with a base of Pinguino vermouth. This is a local product made in Paal-Beringen (Belgium) by Chef Wim Schoofs. 

For this recipe I’ve experimented with several measurements. For my personal taste this 30/30 mix had the best result. As said before in another blogpost, Pinguino is a premium vermouth, made with herbs and spices from all around the world. It’s just perfect in a highball with tonic. But when you use it as an ingredient for a real cocktail, in my opinion it develops deeper flavours more like an amaro. What I concluded from my experiments for this drink is that if you use maximum 30 ml you will keep the leash on it and it adds everything you expect from a super-premium vermouth. When you add more than 30 ml the ‘amaro-style’ horsepower starts to break loose which is a totally different experience. In this drink I really wanted the best possible vermouth-flavors I could get from this bottle. Compared to the original Americano, it just needed a little extra punch, which I added by swapping the soda water for Pink Pepper tonic. 

An American in Beringen

Ingredients
30 ml Pinguino vermouth
30 ml Campari
Schweppes Premium Mixer – Pink pepper tonic

Method
You can serve this drink in many styles. Negroni-style in an old Fashioned glass, aperitivo-style in a highball or … why the hell not, Spritz-wise in a big Coppa-glass with lots of ice. 

Add both Campari and vermouth to your glass with lots of ice. Give it a few stirs to mix. Add tonic and give it just a few more very gentle stirs. You don’t want to remove the bubbly. Garnish with a wedge of orange. Enjoy !!!

P.S. Next month, for a limited time, this drink will be on the suggestions menu at Paal 26 Grand Café in Beringen. 

Disclaimer : All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. This blogpost is a paid partnership with Paal 26 Grand Café.