Riding a Bicycle was Never so Tasty

Years ago, in the days before children, I used to drink cocktails at the cocktail hour. I didn’t have to worry about supper for small girls or bath time or whether I should be drinking and nursing. All I had to worry about was what to wear with my new shoes.

Sometimes they were called sundowners. Sometimes they were called aperitifs. Sometimes they were drunk in a bar or a café overlooking a busy street or a beach. Sometimes they were drunk in a tiny, crowded and way too smoky, but back in the day I didn’t notice, hole in the wall bar. Sometimes they were drunk in the cockpit or on the bow of a boat. Sometimes they were drunk in the crew mess. 

The cocktails were occasionally margaritas or daquiris or martinis. More often, it was a beer or a glass of wine. Sometimes, depending on where the cocktail was being drunk, it was a delicious mix of Campari and something else.  A negroski or an americano or just a Campari and soda or grapefruit, any of them made the cocktail hour a little more satisfactory. You can even buy pre-mixed Campari Soda in little bottles in Italy, how civilized is that?

Someone once made me La Bicyclette. I had never had one and was sold as soon as I found out what was in it. Campari, white wine, club soda and lemon. I hadn’t even tasted it but I knew I would love it and I did. Refreshing and delicious and just a little bit fruity, not too bitter, not too sweet. The sweetness is easily adjusted by wine choice, the strength by soda quantity. I think that, strictly speaking, it should probably only have a splash of soda but these days I need one drink to last a long time or I’ll be asleep before bath time.

I know that Campari is not everyone’s favourite taste. Big Daughter saw my La Bicyclette this evening and her eyes lit up. She coyly asked for a sip expecting, I think, something tasting like toxic pink freezie. She was not at all impressed and informed me, ‘it is 32 yucky.’ I know that, on her scale of yuckiness, earwigs are a 34 yucky so I am guessing she has decided against Campari for the foreseeable future. Oh well, more for me.

I chose a wine that has some sweetness but not so much that we won’t drink it on its own. Valley Roads L’Acadie Muscat is not bone dry and has a bit of tropical fruit and citrus which always taste good with Campari. I also like to think it Nova Scotiafies this little tipple. 

La Bicyclette (makes one tasty cocktail)

2 ounces* Campari

2 ounces white wine (chose a sweeter wine, if you prefer sweeter drinks)

4 ounces club soda (it should probably only have about 1 ounce, a splash)

A slice or two of lemon

Ice cubes

Mix the Campari and wine together** and pour over ice and lemon in a wine glass. Top with club soda. Drink.

*or just use 1/4 cup if you, like me, don't seem to have a shot glass.

**if you want to get all fancy, you could use a shaker but I think a spoon and glass are just fine here.