Whenever people mention “Under the Tuscan Sun”, I always think about summer here which can be extreme. This summer is no different, if anything it’s hotter and drier.
I grew up in the Bay Area outside of San Francisco. Our summers were also extreme and we didn’t have air conditioning.
Now, I am becoming a wimp in the heat. There is a drought as well and recently we have had two fires near our area.
The farmers are distressed. All the plants are suffering and although
Concentrating on nice things about living in the countryside rather than downtown Florence, there is less humidity. These lovely sunflowers are already wilted in the heat, but so joyful to see fields and fields in the area.
Also this is the kind of traffic jams I have now.
The Dolce Vita… luckily, I can take things slower, stop to smell the flowers, and enjoy a traffic jam when the sheep are being moved to a new pasture.
The heat, though, feels like we are melting. I am finding relief in iced drinks—Caffe Shakerato, Italian Ice Coffee, Sicilian Granitas, and watermelon!
We have fallen in love with starting a meal with a sort of non-alcoholic Spritz. On the far left is a red wine Maraschino, sweetened with sugar and infused with red cherries and just a touch of alcohol. In the center, is the Elderflower syrup I made. It is sweeter. The blue bottle is Seltzer Water.
Fill your glass with Ice
Put about half a glass of wine or limoncello or any flavored syrup.
Finish the glass with the Selzer water.
The normal Spritz you find in bars here is typically made with Aperol or Campari and served with prosecco and soda added.
If you are coming to a bar in Italy, this year, a lovely light aperitivo is the HUGO, made with elderflower syrup called Sambuco. Not Sambuca which is a anice flavor. In the states you can buy St Germain.
Add Prosecco and Selz, served with mint and a slice of lime. It is very refreshing.
It’s a personal favorite.
Recently, friends with a distillery created a “light” limoncello with a white wine base for a spritz. For those who want it with more of a kick, they add a shot of their Tuscan Gin, made with local herbs, and then top with prosecco.
I also have an Italian “agresto” made from unripe grapes.
Do you have a regional base for drinks? Let me know.
Cin Cin
Don’t drink and drive in the countryside. The roads are dark and often wild boar or deer jump in front of you.
When we moved to Milan in 1986 my father offered the landlord of our brand new flat to pay for the cost of adding air conditioning. Though he is Italian, my father lives in an AC world (car, office, etc). The landlord said No! Peccato. We would try to be at the seaside in those humid, hot days of August. The Hugo spritz sounds great and I will ask around and see who is serving it in the Bay Area and Wine Country! I like your N/A spritz as well – shrubs (with vinegar) are also nice with seltzer or sparkling water.
I, like you, wilt in the heat and we have been nowhere near as hot as things are where you live! Anything around 30C…yikes and no a/c either. I feel cooled down just reading about the drinks you’ve been making. I’ve gotten as far as lots of Pelligrino and a bit of white wine. We have our fingers crossed that you will get rain!