The second installment of Michel Dozois’ Nights with Névé pop-up cocktail series, featuring the ice cubes of his company, Névé Luxury Ice, was held at Osteria La Buca. If you’re not in-the-know, Névé makes ice cubes that are much larger than what most people are used to seeing because the greater surface area of the cube allows the ice to melt much slower, making a better and much-less-diluted drink overall. And they look cool.
There were four tasty cocktails presented this night, two from Dozois and two from Steve Livigni of La Descarga. Even though I liked Livigni’s The Eloper, made with Dimmi (an herbal and fruit flower liqueur), vodka, lemon juice, cantaloupe puree, prosecco and a prosciutto garnish, my favorites of the night were the other Livigni creation, The Silenzio Dolce, and one of Dozois’ drinks, the Italian Stallion.
The Eloper
The Silenzio Dolce is made from Zaya rum, Averna Amaro (an herbal liqueur), blood orange juice and Nocello walnut liqueur with a sugar rim and blood orange rind garnish. The drink was sweet but not overly so, making it a nice after-dinner drink. Dozois’ I Luv Lucy made with Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, whiskey, lemon juice and egg whites was another sweet drink, but egg whites aren’t really my thing (at least not in my cocktails).
The Silenzio Dolce, nearly finished
The Italian Stallion made with scotch, Carpano Antica and Cynar, Italian bitters made from 13 herbs and plants. This drink had an earthy flavor from the Cynar, which I liked a lot. I would tell you about the Osteria La Buca appetizers that were passed around, such as the squash blossom pizza, but I had a lot to drink that night and can’t remember what else we ate. Hoo-ah!
Read more about the event at Thirsty In L.A., Eating L.A., Food GPS and Caroline on Crack.
