I'm writing today you with a little bit headache, but it's not from the wine believe it or not...
As much as I wish I were international cool girl, unaffected by jet lag, and the like, I'm a little lady with a delicate constitution: After a big change in timezone and a vast change in diet, I am usually met with dull thumping headaches for a few days. And while I wait for it to pass, I usually seek out my favorite Italian soda, a Chinotto.
Bitter as an apéritif and sweet enough to satisfy my mild hypoglycemia, I have to imagine that Lurisa Chinotto fills a similar gap to a Michigan Vernors (ginger and vanilla) or a Carolina Cheerwine (a cherry soda). Have a tummy ache? A midwesterner will swear a Vernors cures settles your stomach and cures all ailes. Feeling homesick for the Carolinas? A Southerner will swear up and down that there's nothing like a Cheerwine. And for southern italian sthose who want to beat the heat, a cheeky, mouth puckering soda that reminds me of a mix between a lemonade and a ginger ale.
Their each tasty, but I'm convinced the joy is in the regional specificity and pride in where one came from; in recognizing the flavor and the beverage and in NOT NEEDING to explain what it's like.
Technically, technically, a Chinotto is a ping pong sized fruit. A quick search tells me that the fruit itself originated in China in the 15th or 16th century, and was brought to the Mediterranean where it was used in bitter aperitifs. But the protected flavor is not in the fruit, but in the more recent 1930s adaptation of the drink as a fizzy and refreshing soda, the beveragino synonymous with Sofia Lauren, and a flavor that was distinctly Italian.
And in Spain, where it's not unheard of to equal parts mix red wine and Coca Cola, I'm proposing something for those not afraid of being judged harshly, a cola/rosé mix as a jetlag cure...
- Dr Pepper & Provence Style
- Chinotto & Sangiovese Rosé
- Coca Cola & Manciá Rosé
- Cheerwine & Pinot Noir Rosé
Please let me know if you try this! This is what we call a vibes-based pairing, meaning I just have a hunch it will be a vibe.
Speaking of Dr Pepper — Try our 23 Flavors Challenge - LT X Dr Pepper
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