Cocchi Americano

As an aromatized wine, Cocchi Americano is the closest thing you will get to the original Kina Lillet. Lillet blanc, the one that you find nowadays, is a different recipe from the classic, which means for any drink from back in the day that called for Kina Lillet, Cocchi Americano Bianco is your best bet. On it's own, it's actually pretty tasty and has a nice bite to it, which Lillet Blanc is missing. The nose is a bit tame, with pear and elderflower. The palate has that slight bitterness, along with some sweetness and citrus notes. The finish isn't that long, with no heat and a bit of pine. I wouldn't say this blew me away neat, but it makes for a fine aperitif over ice with a lemon peel. I probably would score this a bit lower, but it's very useful in cocktails and can replace dry vermouth or a white vermouth in any cocktail recipe. The fact that you can get it for under $20 also makes it a solid value.

I have been on a vintage drink adventure and the Vesper Martini was on the list of those drinks. Cocchi Americano Bianco Aperitif is the closest thing to the original Kina Lillet on the market today. This wine is very good to amazing all by itself. I like it after a meal as a digestive. It is sweet and has a mildly bitter finish but it works so well together. In making a Martini this is very different from all of my other Vermouths in that it is sweet and not dry. With Plymouth Gin in a 1 to 1 Martini is out of this world. With Roku or Sutlers, Gin I use a 3 to 1 ratio and it is excellent. I even put a few ounces in a chicken dish and it was great. I love this stuff. Also, Cocchi is very stable as a bottle usually lasts about 4 weeks after opening it in the fridge. I am looking forward to trying some of the other offerings from Cocchi and I can't recommend this highly enough. Enjoy.

I’m gonna open with - I really like this. Sweet, viscous, grapefruit pith. That’s right. Grapefruit pith. The rest is built around it. Ruby red grapefruit, apricot, honey, chamomile, eucalyptus, and a dash of bitter pith. Mixed 1:1 with club soda this is decadent - and interesting. Sweet and bitter. I threw in frozen lemon and peach slices. I can only imagine how this plays with juniper and gin. I’d say @Cornmuse has it right - this could (and should, time to time) replace Lillett Blanc, which is much more straightforward Pinot Grigio notes but boring. I’m thinking Vesper martinis and Corpse reviver #2 are several he’s recommended. Hell, it could be a solid (albeit syrupy) digestif on its own.

A vermouth crafted with Moscato wine infused with botanicals such as: Quinine, Rhubarb, Artemisia, Elderflower, Star Anise, Achillea, Rose Petals, Juniper, Gentian, Cocoa, Bitter Orange, Camphor, Rosemary, Sandal, Musk, Myrrh, Nutmeg, Quassia & Mace before being bottled at 16.5% ABV. Drink within a month & keep chilled! It has an aromatic birth with notes of fruits, woods, herbs & spices; while a complex life led to a long & spicy death. May - June 2017

Bitter and gentian on the nose, lightly floral. Sweet Muscat wine with a dry bitter gentian and floral orange peel finish. Medium-light body and clean clear flavors. This has a soft bitter edge, more interesting than Lillet Blanc, and is an essential for classic cocktails like the Corpse Reviver #2 or modern like the Vesper.

Jaime beaucoup ce vermouth bianco. La gentiane transparait des le nez et l'équilibre doux-amer est très réussi. En bouche, des notes d'agrumes, orange ainsi que l'aromatique expressive du cépage Muscat se perçoit égalementa avec cette amertume marquée (quinquine) et un aspect herbacé.