Mozza cocktail: Sculaccione

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For the longest time, my go-to cocktail has been a classic Negroni, but recently, I’ve been enjoying a Sculaccione from ‘The Mozza Cookbook’ by Nancy Silverton, Matt Molina and Carolynn Carreno. I’ll admit, a cocktail with an Italian name made with white tequila seems a bit odd, but this blend of tequila, lime and grapefruit juice, Campari and bitters is a big hit in our household.

So many cocktails I try are just too sweet. The other night, I made, tasted and promptly poured out one made with rye, clementine juice, ginger syrup and a dash of bitters.

It was at that point that I discovered we were out of white tequila, so I couldn’t make a Sculaccione. Back to the ever-reliable Negroni until I could re-supply the liquor cabinet.

At Silverlake Wine the next day, I discovered a tequila blanco called Bracero at the alluring price of $15. Fantastic! It came highly recommended. Having tried it, I can attest that it makes a fine Sculaccione.

The recipe from ‘The Mozza Cookbook’ after the jump:

Sculaccione

For each cocktail:

2 ounces Blanco tequila

1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh grapefruit juice

1 tablespoon Campari

Dash of Angostura bitters

1 tablespoon simple syrup

Lime wheel, for garnish

To make each cocktail, combine the tequila, lime juice, grapefruit juice, Campari, bitters and simple syrup in a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice, strain the cocktail into the glass, and garnish with a lime wheel.

Note: My variation is to add some blood orange juice too. It’s great with Mexican food.

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-- S. Irene Virbila
Twitter.com/sirenevirbila