How to Use Starlino Bitter Orange for a Refreshing Apéritif or Craft Cocktail
Just when I thought it was time to move on from my French cocktail series, I received a bottle of Starlino Orange*, an apéritif from Italy. While I think it’s infinitely sippable and wonderfully refreshing on the rocks or in a spritzer, I also decided to try it with one of my herb simple syrups. Read on!
About Starlino Orange Aperitif
I’ve written much on how much I love French aperitifs (e.g, see my article on the five best French aperitifs), and I’ve mentioned that the French enjoy Italian apertivos as well. Bitter-orange drinks, such as Campari and Aperol, often make their way onto French apéritif menus.
Starlino Orange has the same bitter-orange appeal … but there are differences:
What Is Starlino Orange (aka Starlino Arancioni)?: This Italian apéritif is made by blending white wine with a distilled spirit flavored from Sicilian blood oranges and other herbs and botanicals.
What Does Starlino Orange Taste Like: With it’s intriguing bitter-orange flavors, it’s quite reminiscent of Campari or Aperol. However, there’s a difference …
How is Starlino Orange Different Than Campari?: Starlino Orange is made from wine plus a spirit and flavorings. Campari has no wine — it’s made of a distilled spirit and water, with proprietary flavorings. Starlino is lower in alcohol than Campari — 17% compared with around 25%, respectively. However, Starlino has more alcohol than Aperol, which only has about 11% alcohol.
How to Serve Starlino Orange
I’ve tried Starlino Orange three ways:
— Starlino Orange & Tonic: I used one part Starlino Orange and 4 parts Fever Tree Tonic. This is super-refreshing—it’s a nice way to have a lower-alcohol sip than a usual G&T (because Starlino Orange has much less alcohol than gin!), but it’s refreshing and interesting — in that botanical way that gin is refreshing and interesting.
— On the Rocks: In my view, Starlino Orange is easier to sip “on the rocks” than Campari, which is all about bitterness. Starlino is refreshingly bitter, but still very sippable. Being lower in alcohol also helps.
— In my Rosemary Starlino Cocktail: I tried Starlino with a few of the simple syrups I’ve been making. Mint syrup was a dud, sage syrup was nice, but nothing I’d rush back to. Thyme syrup was a good runner-up, but rosemary was the clear winner. It added another botanical layer to the lovely flavors already in the drink. It added a nice angle of sweetness to the insistent bitterness. Here’s the recipe.
Rosemary-Starlino Spritz
2 ounces Starlino Orange Aperitif
3/4 ounce rosemary simple syrup
Ice cubes
Chilled club soda
Rosemary spring
Combine the Starlino and simple syrup in a rocks or wine glass and stir. Add ice cubes and top off with club soda. Garnish with a rosemary spring.
Enjoy! And if you happen to try Starlino Orange, let me know what you think!
Other French cocktail recipe articles you might enjoy:
• A Great French Gin: Citadelle French Gin + How to Serve It
• How to Use Peach Liqueur for Gorgeous Cocktails
• Luscious Pear Liqueur Cocktail Recipes
• Strawberry-Rosé Cocktail with A Beautiful French Rosé
• Coucher de Soleil Cocktail (My Favorite French Summer Gin Cocktail)
• How to Make Blue Cocktails without Curaçao'
P.S.: Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instgram if you like what you see here. Thanks!
*Note that the PR firm representing Starlino Orange kindly sent me a complimentary bottle of these aperitif for my consideration. I was not compensated in any other way, and all opinions are my own.