Red alert, cocktail aficionados: Freshly launched Spritz: Italy’s Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail authors Talia Baiocchi (editor in chief of Punch and the author of the James Beard Award-nominated Sherry) and Leslie Pariseau, contributing Punch editor, will be in Houston tomorrow, Wednesday, April 27. In fact, the fortified wine femmes will be at two different libation locations in order to meet (and drink) with the public and hospitality industry alike.
1) First, from 6 to 8 pm, Public Services is hosting a welcome reception for the authors featuring a “proper apertivo hour.” Tickets to the event are $25 per person. Per Public Services’ event posting, “Tickets include a copy of Spritz, light bites provided by Oxheart Restaurant and, of course, many actual spritzes. Don’t miss the chance to guzzle bubbles and get weird at your favorite wine & whisky bar. Cocktails are kindly sponsored by Aperol and a portion of proceeds benefit Water for People, a non-profit that makes clean water and sanitation accessible to people around the world.” Buy your tickets for the first event of the evening here.
2) Then, from 9 pm to midnight, Anvil will host the authors with their “Apertivo After Dark” reception. Guests are invited to drink standards from Anvil’s Little Black Book cocktail menu, and the bar will also feature cocktails from Spritz, including Bobby’s Bitter Intentions. Guests can purchase books at Anvil during the event and have them signed by the authors. This event is also sponsored by Aperol and will raise funds for Water for People.
Does Spritz sound like it belongs on your coffee table? Get to know the authors behind the apertivo.
How do you spend an average work day?
For both of us, an average work day is a tough thing to nail down. Because we both run our own businesses (Talia as editor in chief of Punch and Leslie as a freelance writer and reporter), every day is wildly different. Some days are spent doing the mundane admin things or painstakingly writing copy, while others could be full of travel, testing cocktails or tasting wine. It’s why we both love what we do.
Which Punch stories/articles have you enjoyed working on the most over the past years?
Leslie: Some of my favorite stories have been the quieter ones. I have a soft spot for Zachary Sussman and Jen Fiedler’s writing. They both talk about wine very cogently for the everyman, and because my background is not in wine, they always teach me something. Personally, I love writing profiles like one I did on Don Lee and Ari Shapiro, as well as producing photo shoots for cocktail packages. There’s nothing better than getting out of the office early and making a mess in someone else’s bar.
Talia: Part of the vision for Punch was that the site wouldn’t just be about drinks, but how drinks can facilitate a discussion of culture, gender, sustainability, tradition and more. So, stories like Besha Rodell’s rumination on the 40 ounce, Courtney Balestier’s satirical profile of the “whiskey woman” (which discusses gendered marketing head-on), Zach Sussman’s profile of a wine region lost to time and what it can teach us about how little we know, and Aaron Goldfarb’s expertly reported, hilarious history of bed clubs all stick out to me as being uniquely Punch.
A good spritz is, above all, bubbly, bittersweet and low-ABV. The best ones though, are often the simplest with a bitter aperitivo, good prosecco and bright, fresh garnish. Most likely, you have the makings for a spritz on your bar right now (Hurry! Run! Make one now!) From the book, we both love the PUNCH House Spritz (page 79), the Tarocco Spritz (page 68) and the Rome with a View (page 109). These all have a strong aperitivo backbone and some softer supporting ingredients that enable chuggability.
When out at a bar or restaurant, what is your go-to drink order?
Leslie: On the cocktail side, I look for the aperitivo or the spritziest thing on the menu. I’m still not sick of spritzes. I also treasure a dry agricole daiquiri. When it comes to wine, I look for sherry first (blame Talia), and beyond that, I order whatever might dump something new into my taste memory bank.
Talia: Negroni Sbagliato, an Americano with beer instead of soda water, all of the spritzes, sherry, Champagne … you see where this is going?
When you’re not drinking, you are …
Leslie: Reading, eating, running and looking for another drink.
Talia: Ditto on LP’s hit list. Plus cooking and Soul Cycle – I am an unapologetic member of the cult.
A fictional character (e.g. literary, film, opera) you identify with?
Leslie: Lyra Belacqua from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Also, Huckleberry Finn: wanderlust, stealing watermelons, al fresco napping and all that.
Talia: A mashup of Ramona Quimby, Elizabeth Bennet and Brienne of Tarth.
What is your biggest personal extravagance?
Leslie: Food, wine and books. I’ve spent inordinate amounts on all three. I’m getting stressed out thinking about it. Next question.
Talia: Food, wine, travel.
Favorite nightcap?
Leslie: Oloroso or rye whiskey.
Talia: Barolo Chinato and/or amaro.
What is a fool-proof hangover cure?
Leslie: More sleep, seltzer water, a five-mile run, green juice, coffee, Diet Coke, eggs, toast, mimosas, chocolate pudding, all eight Harry Potter movies, a cold beer and more sleep. In that order.
Talia: All of the drinks, pho, michelada, Runaway Bride.
What is your favorite food-and-drink combination?
Leslie: Fried chicken and Champagne. A cheeseburger and a beer.
Talia: I think I am actually made of 30 percent water and 70 percent wine and sauce. So, red sauce and red wine. Got to feed the beast.