Pasta with pesto is “one of the most-cooked dishes you make as a young guy living alone,” says Donvito. Here, he translates the key components of the Italian classic—tomatoes, basil, pine nuts—into aperitivo form.
Zitalicus Al Pesto
Francesco Donvito | New York City
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces ITALICUS Rosolio di Bergamotto liqueur
- 1 ounce London dry gin
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
- 3/4 ounce orgeat-basil syrup (see Editor’s Note)
- tomato soda, to top (see Editor’s Note)
Garnish: basil leaf
Directions
- Shake first four ingredients with ice.
- Strain into a Collins glass over a long ice stick.
- Top up with the tomato soda.
- Garnish with a basil leaf.
Editor's Note
Orgeat-Basil Syrup
Bake ½ cup pine nuts and ¼ cup almonds on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until toasted, stirring once halfway through. In a blender, blend one small bunch of basil leaves with 2 ½ cups of water and the toasted pine nuts and almonds. Strain and mix with 5 cups of sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Tomato Soda
Chop ripe tomatoes and set them over a colander lined with cheesecloth to strain, collecting the tomato water in a container. Add a pinch of sugar to the liquid, then use a soda-maker machine to carbonate the tomato water.