Aperol Spritzmenot

The recent New York Times article on the Aperol Spritz has driven a wedge through our household. One of us likes the drink, the other one is sensible. While the Spritz is not good (guess which one of us is writing this article), there are many excellent cocktails in the spritz family. I generally like drinks with a bit of sparkling wine. They’re refreshing, and nice and boozy. Also bubbles.

We recently started tinkering with infusing banana in Cognac, and we’ve been happy with the results. Like strawberry brandy, it’s not actually that sweet, but any taste of tropical fruit will trick your tastebuds to associate the flavors with sweetness. It’s also really easy to make: slice a banana into little slices, drop the bits into a mason glass filled with cognac, and shake it whenever you walk by. We strained out the banana at Day 3.

Ingredients

• 1 oz Banana infused Cognac (we used Merlet VSOP)
• .5 oz Cynar 70
• ~2 oz sparkling white wine (Lamarca prosecco)
• 2 dashes of earl grey bitters

Glass

Nick and Nora Glass

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a shaker.
• Shake and strain.

To make Banana Infused Cognac

• Cut a banana into small pieces, put in a mason jar. Add a quarter bottle or so of Cognac.
• Shake whenever you walk by the mason jar for 3 days.
• Double strain.