Happy New Year to all and a warm welcome to my blog.

Let's toast to the arrival of the wondrous Giovi cherry liqueur, the first amarena speciman to come from outer space to your space. Grown on the slopes of Sicily's Mt. Etna, the cherries are hand crafted in a grappa solution by the maestro/artiste Giovanni LaFauci.

Luscious in a tiny bowl, savory as a cocktail adjunct, simple in a bellini punch, dextrous in a duck sauce, drizzed over freddos and semifreddos. Lovely injected in chocolate truffles, superlative replacement for sweet vermouth in Negronis plus.

It's winter. It's cold. It only makes sense to be drinking liquid cherries. Now.