Francis Ford Coppola is best known as the director of classic films like The Godfather Trilogy and Apocalypse Now, and perhaps second-best known for his California wines. Yet the famed Italian-American with roots in Naples and elsewhere maintains his most direct connection to Italy at Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda, a remote town in southern Italy's Basilicata region that borders Calabria and Puglia. Located in the birthplace of his grandfather, Coppola bought the property in 2004 and transformed it into a luxury hotel with his private home, extensive gardens, and of course, incredible food and drink.
When he visits, a bartender will stir up this vodka-based cocktail featuring herbs grown in the garden: the Ciccio, meaning Francesco, the staff's tribute to their "boss." Coppola's daughter, director Sofia, is a big fan of the non-alcoholic version.
Ciccio Vodka Cocktail
Serves 1
Ingredients
1.5 fl ounces vodka
1.5 fl ounces tonic water
1 fl ounce lime juice
1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar
1 fl ounce citron juice (Cedrata)
4 basil leaves
rosemary
Method
Cut the lime and add it to the brown sugar in a tall glass (13.5 fluid ounces) and start pressing into the glass. Then add 4 basil leaves and press softly.
Cut some ice and add it to the mixture until the glass is full. Add vodka, tonic water, and citron juice and stir gently.
Decorate the glass with rosemary, basil, and a slice of lime.