In the Pink - The Jasmine Cocktail

A terrific summer cocktail created in the 1990's by master bartender Paul Harrington for Matt Jasmine, a regular customer of Emeryville, California's Townhouse Bar and Grill.  The drink was inspired by the classic Prohibition cocktail, the Pegu, the signature drink of Burma's Pegu Club.  Like the Pegu, Harrington used gin as the base spirit, but substituted lemon for the lime and Campari for the bitters.  Manly pink in color.  The lemon and Cointreau counter the bitterness of the Campari and balance the drink nicely.  The recipe for a Jasmine is as follows:  combine 1.5 oz. gin (I prefer Plymouth), .25 oz. Cointreau, .25 oz. Campari, and .75 oz. lemon juice.  Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. Enjoy with abandon.

Giacomo Mori Chianti (2009) Tuscany

A absolutely delicious Chianti from Giacomo Mori, a small (10 hectares producing 40,000 bottles annually) family-owned owned estate that was established in 1790. The "Azienda Agricola Mori" was one of the first estates that started marketing wine in Europe and in the United States. After the second World War, Mori's wines were sold in bulk until 1998 when Giacomo Mori restructured the cellars and replanted the vineyards to produce the fine wines that are offered today.  Integrated/sustainable viticulture.  Fermented in stainless, the wine is matured for 10-12 months in large Slavonian and Allier casks, tonneaux and third use barriques.  The wine is then blended and finished en botti for another 3-6 months.  95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo.  Beautiful purple color.  Black cherry nose.  Medium body; smooth, long, elegant finish.  Typographically stunning label.  Even the foil on the bottle looks great.