Final document expected in a week? This will be left to the last minute. A group project is on the horizon? The group chat hasn’t even been done yet. A test that counts for 30% of your final grade tomorrow? Cramming starts in an hour. The same goes for the mindset of a second-half senior. It seems senioritis has visited every Eagle who soon plans to leave campus and head into “the real world.” For the past few months, I have fallen prey to this unhappy state of mind. And it was exactly this mindset that prompted me to buy a return ticket to Rome, Italy, and take a week off…which I really should have been in.
In all honesty, however, I had planned the trip well in advance and taken steps to ensure that I was aware of my work and that my classmates sent me notes. So on April 6, I flew to Portugal, survived a layover in Lisbon, and landed in Rome to visit a friend studying abroad. In light of this trip, the column will look a little different this week. As I debated making a cocktail in my tiny Airbnb apartment, I decided instead to document a few of the drinks I had during my stay.
The Negroni
My first night in Rome, my two friends and I took a leisurely stroll through the streets and saw landmarks like the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. The beautiful thing about eating in Italy is that you have an endless number of restaurants to choose from, most of them offering low prices for authentic dishes. My heart sang while eating carbonara at eight euros and drinking house wine at six euros a litre. Before each meal we usually had an aperitif and I always accompanied the Negroni. I started that first meal with one that was better than anything I had had in the US.
Negronis are one of my favorite cocktails. Made from gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, every ingredient is alcohol, so this drink packs a punch. If you drink a few sips on an empty stomach while waiting for your small plates to come out, you’ll find yourself a little tipsy by the time a plate full of pasta arrives. I will always give a Negroni a 10 out of 10 – to me it’s the perfect cocktail. But maybe that’s just because I’m a huge gin lover. To verify this recipe if you are interested in making one. And remember, stir, don’t shake.
Natural Wine
The natural wine fan base has grown over the past two years and for good reason. It is lighter in taste and generally has a low alcohol content, making it a very pleasant drink to take on a picnic orr with an early dinner. My friend took us to a little natural wine bar near his dorm in Trastevere, Rome. We chatted with the owner for a bit and he told us about his aspirations to open a natural wine bar in SoHo, Manhattan. The wine bar certainly felt like it had been snatched from downtown New York, with its cool interior and mirror-lined bar. I’ve tried natural wine before and thought it tasted more like an intense cider than a glass of wine. The V of Canlibero for Vittorio from Campania, Italy, however, was a very different drink than I had had before. At 12.5%, it was just as alcoholic as a regular bottle of wine, but still had that light, fresh taste that natural wine has, distinguishing it from a normal bottle of wine. This wine was seven out of 10.
Limoncello
I won’t say much about this digestive. If you know, you know. Yes, limoncello tastes great and is a delicious way to end a meal, but sipping limoncello with a group of friends is half the fun. At the end of most of our meals, we ordered a round of limoncello shots. Larger than the average 1.5 ounce shot you might find at a bar, this after-dinner delight is meant to be sipped, as digestives aid digestion after a meal. I can’t offer much evidence on that front, but I can say that a shot of limoncello will still get a solid six out of 10 from me, in terms of taste and experience.
Baby Guinness Shot
Again, if you know, you know. The first time I tried a little shot of Guinness was in Ireland last summer. My cousins and I were having a few drinks at the hotel bar we were staying in and ended the evening with a round of Guiness baby shots. It’s a simple shot – 2 ounces of coffee liqueur with a half ounce of Irish Cream liqueur floating on top – but it’s one of the most delicious in the game. Although it doesn’t contain Guinness , the shot gets its name from the fact that it looks like the baby version of the popular Irish beer. I made friends with other students abroad at a popular bar at night over little shots of Guinness as we took turns buying each other. I give a 10 out of 10 for this adorable concoction. If you’re looking to do this for your housemates this weekend, check out this recipe.
Sparkling wine
I sipped a delicious Monsupello while enjoying cold meats and cheeses on the terrace of my apartment. This specific sparkling wine is made from Pinot Nero grapes, the same as Pinot Noir, a popular type of red wine. Therefore, this sparkling bottle has a slightly red hue and a deeper taste than a bottle of cava or prosecco. I love all sparkling wines and I’m always on the lookout for little things that set a certain bottle apart from others, like this bottle of Monsupello Metodo Classico. That’s a solid seven out of 10.
My trip to Rome was defined by visiting the world-famous ruins, eating more pasta than a human being should in a year, and indulging in delicious cocktails and wine. Is my bank account completely ruined? Yes. Would I start all over again in the blink of an eye? Absolutely. If you’re looking for a light taste of Italy, or Europe for that matter, give one of these drinks a shoot This weekend.
Photos courtesy of Maeve Reilly/Heights Senior Staff
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