It's true. The Spritz cocktail never gets old – but that doesn't mean mixologists, like Simone Molè, shy away from revamping it.
Molè's first foray into the food and beverage world was washing dishes at his uncle's bar in Modica, a town in southeast Sicily famous for its chocolate. He traveled the world and returned to Sicily to make his dream come true and opened Neo Mediterranean Vibes in October 2020 in Cefalù, a coastal city around 40 miles east of Palermo.
Effervescent and always smiling, Molè's latest achievements include the victory in the national final of the Diageo Reserve World Class 2021, one of the most prestigious international bartender competitions.
He tells me some of his drinks, such as this Neo Spritz, are ideal to make at home then discusses his passion for fruit. “With a syrup or fruit juice prepared without distorting the initial product, the cocktail is practically ready. You just have to add the most suitable spirit. I always choose the simplest method, but not to trivialize – far from it, in fact. Also with regard to the tools, all you need is a shaker, a strainer [the object that holds the ice in the shaker], a fine mesh strainer, a jigger [the hourglass-shaped measuring cup] a long teaspoon, and a good small knife. Nothing else.”
I ask him about having quality ice at home.
“Buying it is the best thing," he responds. "Not very poetic, but very sensible."
Molè believes a summer cocktail should be easy: mix, cool, and pour into the glass. Here's the recipe for his Neo Spritz cocktail followed by the lowdown on two of his suggested liqueurs.
Neo Spritz Cocktail
Photo Credit: Neo Mediterranean Vibes
Ingredients for 1 cocktail
3.5 cl. Biancosarti (a bitter, spiced aperitivo liqueur)
1.5 cl. of gin
5 ml. of peach liqueur
soda
ice
peach (or other fruit) slices to garnish
In a mixing glass or small jug, combine the Biancosarti, gin, and peach liqueur with ice. Mix and filter into a glass with new ice. Fill with cold soda and decorate as desired with peach or other fruit slices.
Suggested Liquers
Tanqueray No. 10
Intense and spicy with notes of juniper, angelica, orange, lime, fresh berries, coriander, chamomile, and licorice flowers. These are the main essences that make gin unique website
Sathenay's Crème de Pêche
The scent of vineyard peaches is unmistakable and those used in the liqueur come from Burgundy. An ideal liqueur for mixing but also excellent straight: serve it with ice and sip it dreaming of walking in the French countryside. website