Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

WHAT YOUTH DRINKS: COCCI AMERICANO An Easy, Inexpensive way to Live that Riviera High Life

Radical Class, What Youth Drinks, Paul Brewer
Photo: Paul Brewer

I snagged a bottle of this Cocci Americano stuff after seeing it on the shelf at a cocktail bar in Long Beach, CA. It was an impromptu buy — I didn’t know what it was or what to do with it, but thought I’d figure it out. Experiment! Cocktail jazz improvisation! While I’ll save the drama and won’t say it has been life-changing, I will say it’s been evening-changing.

What the hell is it, you ask? Upon further study of what I’ve now been drinking almost nightly, I learned much. First, it’s pronounced “coke-y” not “coach-y,” which is decidedly easier if not less-fun to say. Second, it’s been made the same way since the late 1800’s, in Italy. It’s an aperitif wine that’s been flavored with Cinchona bark, the source of quinine, giving it a somewhat bitter flavor, a huge plus over its sweet cousin Lillet. So it’s citrusy, herby, and just a little bitter.

Tastes aside, here’s why you should care: at $18 a bottle, you can instantly elevate your pre-dinner drink game. First, try it over ice with some club soda and an orange peel. Close your eyes—can you taste the Italian Riviera, almost see the topless sexy beauties? Then, step to a cocktail: a splash of this stuff, which has that bitter edge, makes it perfect. I replace vermouth with it for an instantly-complex gin martini, or you can mix equal parts gin, vodka, and Cocchi Americano for a James Bond (albeit Daniel Craig) Vesper. Or, make a round of Corpse Reviver #2’s, a cocktail with an amazing name but even better flavor. It’ll bring back the dead, or at least cure your hangover.

Corpse Reviver #2

  • 1 ounce gin
  • 1 ounce Cocchi Americano
  • 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ounce Cointreau
  • 1 drop absinthe or pastis

Shake well with ice and strain into a coup or martini glass. The default would be to garnish with a lemon twist, but I like to garnish with an orange or grapefruit twist because it plays nice with the Cocchi. Live a little. —Paul Brewer

What Youth Drinks, Radical Class, Cocchi

 

 

what youth neil young

Radical Class: A C.S. Louis book review On Neil Young’s book Waging Heavy Peace

C.S. Louis trusted Neil Young for 512 pages.

What Youth Drinks: The Bloody Mary 4 simple versions

It’s a beautiful day…for a bloody mary.

what youth scott chenoweth illustration

Every Wall A Door: The C.S. Louis Journals Part Two: Why I love Styx…In Mexico

C.S. Louis has spent the majority of his life serving the God’s of core.

what youth radical class scott chenoweth

Every Wall A Door: The C.S. Louis Journals Part One: A hole in every port

Editor’s Note: C.S. Louis has spent the majority of his life serving the God’s of core. And now we’ve given him a chapel in the form of a new column he likes to call: Every Wall a Door to preach his gospel. You’re likely to find wisdom, surfboards, dusty backroads, a lot of frustration with…

kai neville how to hotels what youth

How To: Stay in a Hotel By the worlds finest connoissuer of accomodation: Chas Smith

The greatest gift an adult can give himself is a night in a hotel. Hotels, and more specifically, hotel rooms, are portals that exist somewhere between fantasy and reality. They are neither truly real nor truly extraterrestrial. The fine hotel room will exude a sort of “all things are possible, sir” je ne sais quoi….

Dane reynolds and Jay Davies what youth radical class

Dane Reynolds and Jay Davies On the surf parts you should be watching

During our recent journey with Jay Davies and Dane Reynolds we nearly ran over a mini horse in the van, but we also got to talking about the state of getting psyched. It’s not as easy as popping in a DVD or VHS these days. Here’s Dane and Jay on what they’ve been doing to…

What Youth Old Fashioned what youth drinks radical class

What Youth Drinks: The Old Fashioned The bottom turn of cocktails

Editor’s note: It’s no big secret we like to drink. We travel. Write. Film. Photograph. Surf. Skate. And work hard. And we often balance all that with drink. But we’d like to remind you that drinking isn’t for everyone (hell, it’s not for many), and lots of people have bad drinking styles — just like…

what youth shapers radical class

8 things you should be doing for your surfbard shaper Good advice from a good man: CS Louis

EDITOR’S NOTE: CS Louis has spent the majority of his life serving the God’s of core. He’s decided to pass along some of the wisdom that comes with this territory. And he’s starting at the top: our shapers. (Hopefully you have one). They are the men who mold the loves of our lives. Here is…

what youth shaping surfboards

6 things you should never do to your surfboard shaper Good advice from a good man, CS Louis

EDITOR’S NOTE: CS Louis has spent the majority of his life serving the God’s of core. He’s decided to pass along some of the wisdom that comes with this territory. And he’s starting at the top: our shapers. (Hopefully you have one). They are the men who mold the loves of our lives. Hear is…

Dane reynolds reading books what youth

7 Books you will psych on And should totally read

No one reads anymore. Which is probably why we read. But we’re realists too. Reading is hard in today’s culture. Our attention spans are at an all-time low. You’re one cell phone scroll away from cleavage and chicks and instant gratification at all times. So why the hell read? Well, for one, Dane does. For…

what youth drinks the negroni radical class

What Youth Drinks: The Negroni Orson Welles favorite drink (and ours too)

Editor’s note: It’s not a big secret that we like to drink. We travel. Write. Film. Photograph. Surf. Skate. And work hard. And we often balance all that with drink. But we’d like to remind you that drinking isn’t for everyone (hell, it’s not for many), and lots of people have bad drinking styles —…

Brendon Gibbens thrifting what youth

7 Reasons Thrifting is worth it With Noa Deane and Brendon Gibbens

No one just hands you Looney Tunes sweatshirts and vintage mom jeans to wear to Dane’s Loaded premiere (as Noa Deane did). You have to dig, scrap and hunt — sucker in mouth — battling hipsters, crazy aunts, aggro pickers and cigar-smoking old men at thrift stores and swap meets to find those types of…

Sign up for letters from What Youth


By enabling this page, you are acknowledging and accepting our privacy terms and conditions.