Good Morning Darlings!

After all the imbibing I did at the Ritz-Carlton last week, I needed a bit of a break this week.

The recently launched I Spirit Vodka is an elegant, quality Italian spirit made from grapes and grain from the Friuli DOC zones and water from the Dolomites. Distilled five times, this clean, smooth vodka is the perfect base in the summertime drink, Mr. C.

I liked this so much, I ordered another bottle for a friend's birthday!

Mr. C is the signature cocktail at the newly opened Mr. C Beverly Hills Hotel and Restaurant in Los Angeles, owned by the Cipriani family. You don’t have to go to the hotel and restaurant to have the refreshing cocktail; make it home and enjoy (recipe below). Mr. C is a delightful mix of I Spirit Vodka, mandarin juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and Prosecco. Fresh juice, bubbles, vodka and sugar–it’s summertime in a cocktail glass. Isn’t it pretty? And bubbly!

Now, that looks like summertime!

Based on legend, in the 1930s Giuseppe Cipriani, the owner of the famed Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy, served the local libation to his good friend Ernest Hemmingway. Hemmingway proclaimed the vodka’s creator should be praised, and he and Cipriani downed their glasses. Now, Italian tastemakers Lapo Elkann of Fiat, the Cipriani family, Venetian entrepreneur Francesco Cosulich and Friulian distiller Marco Fantinel have recreated the vodka based on the story of Cipriani and Hemmingway. Like its predecessor, I Spirit is receiving praise. The premium vodka scored an impressive 91 points in its first official beverage competition, the Ultimate Spirits Competition in New York. I Spirit is also championed by Brand Manager Cesare Martini (great-grandson of Martini & Rossi founder).

I Spirit is available for purchase in New York, New Jersey and online at www.ItalianWineMerchants.com, which, I assure you, is well worth the wait.

Mr. C

1 oz. I Spirit
3 oz. Fresh mandarin juice
Splash of Simple Syrup
Splash of Lemon juice
Top with CIPRIANI Prosecco
Shake and serve in small tumbler with three cubes of ice.

Drink down and made another – quickly. It’s hot out there!

xoxo, Patti

Today blogging to Gretchen Wilson – I’m Here For the Party