When Stanley Tucci explored the gastronomic wonders of Italy for his CNN docuseries Searching For Italy, he made a stop in Milan, the Italian capital of the aperitivo.
The details:
- Location: Tencitt
- Bartender: Morris Mau
- Topic: "Aperitivo: From tradition to innovation"
Stanley Tucci & Morris Mau
"When CNN informed me of the episode theme," says Morris Mau, “I looked for a historic and evocative location that could be directly linked to the most important symbol of this city: the Duomo. I discovered the existence of via Laghetto's ghetto, where the lowest social classes were confined, devoted to the Madonna dei Tencitt for having protected them from the plague. Today we can say that this was possible thanks to the antiseptic properties of coal, which were unknown at that time.” The idea for the Black Saffron Martini that impressed Tucci comes from this history.
"During the construction of the Duomo," continues Morris Mau, “the streets of Vecchia Milano, were a crossroads of trade and transport of goods, including Candoglia marble from Lake Maggiore, coal, wood, and spices from Venice and the Savoy territories. So I imagined an evening that included – in addition to the three 'Twists on classic' plus a mocktail (inspired by Gin Highball, Negroni, Fizz) – an exclusive tailor-made, Martini, designed just for Stanley Tucci, a passionate admirer of the cocktail.” So Mau chose his ingredients carefully.
Gin
River Mentana Venetian Dry Gin. "River is a term for diamonds from rivers," says Mau, "they are the most precious diamonds, with perfect clarity, like our gin. Mentana is an ancient wheat variety that was used in the fermentation for the alcohol base. A fragrant, creamy wheat with a distinct salinity, grown close to the Venice lagoon."
Vermouth
"I chose Mulassano Extra Dry Vermouth. A true concentrate of history. It's produced by Caffè Mulassano in Turin, an institution, a point of reference for the entire city. Amilcare Mulassano opened his bottle shop in the mid-19th century and in 1907 moved to Piazza Castello in the heart of the city, founding Caffè Mulassano, a meeting place for artists, politicians, and writers in Turin at the time. Together with Cavalier Pietro Bordiga (founder of the homonymous distillery in Cuneo) he created Vermouth Mulassano. Since then the ingredients are always the same, only the proportions of the infusions have been calibrated in order to make this vermouth suited to the times."
Morris Mau
Vegetable carbon
"Valuable for our ancestors as an antibacterial (and its healing functions are still very relevant), today it has also known a glam turn thanks to gourmet cooking and mixing to create spectacular color games."
Saffron
Of Persian origin, saffron is the most world's most expensive piece and a timeless symbol of the city of Milan, as evidenced by its yellow risotto.
Cardamom
An expensive spice with stimulating and digestive properties which arrives today, as then, from the East and Africa.
Here's Morris Mau's drink recipe to try at home:
Black Saffron Martini by Morris Mau
6 cl Dry Gin infused with vegetal coal
1 cl Extra Dry Vermouth infused whit saffron
1 vaporization of cardamom essential oil
ice
Steps
Pour the gin and the vermouth into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled.
Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
Garnish with small vaporization of Cardamon essential oil.
We're waiting to cross the threshold of Tencitt, the charming speakeasy immersed in the "dungeons" of the restaurant Cantina Piemontese so we can sip the Black Saffron Martini ala Stanley Tucci mixed by the hands of Morris Mau.