We are in full holiday period, there are about ten days to go Christmas, a little more for New Year's. 2022 is already knocking on the door and we all have a great desire to celebrate, to recover from the gloomy period of last year due to the pandemic. Of course, the nightmare has not yet passed and we must continue to keep our guard up, but in the meantime we are looking for intelligent ways of being happy in company. We return to celebrate happy days with friends and relatives, finally without limitations of number or time, bad experiences that have made us appreciate everyday life even more and give more weight to the moments happy. Among these, we certainly put a drink in the company of those we love, whether in two or in multiples, the important thing is to feel good and take precious time. A place in Milan where you certainly feel good is the Ceresio 7, where you can find the executive chef Elio Sironi to lead you by the hand in an excellent dining experience. And then there is the legendary American Bar overlooking the two pastel pools and lively Milan. Here to continue the legacy of the great Guglielmo Miriello, there is an equally good bartender, Abi El, who returned to his role as a bar manager last October. What better place to go and learn how to make a great party cocktail at home?

Christmas Punch, the recipe

Cognac vs 45 ml
Dry curaçao 15 ml
Passito 15 ml
Panettone syrup 22.5 ml
Fresh lemon juice 22.5 ml
Honey 5 ml
Salt 4 gr
Add the mix in 30 ml of milk (never the other way around) and let it curdle for about 2/3 hours
Filter the mix with extra-fine mesh gauze or coffee filter paper.
Cool the cocktail with ice and finish with home made panettone cream

Panettone syrup

To make the panettone syrup, bring 500 ml of water to the boil in a saucepan. Add 500 grams of white granulated sugar and dissolve it carefully in boiling water. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add 500 g of artisan panettone previously cut into medium / small pieces. Leave to rest for about 25 minutes. Filter thoroughly with a tightly knitted chinois.

Christmas Punch, the recipe explained by Abi El

«On the occasion of the festive period, we have created a drink accompanied by panettone for a perfect combo between cocktail and traditional dessert. This is the C.hristmas Punch, that is a milk punch based on cognac, dry curaçao which is an orange liqueur to represent the candied fruit or the citrus part, passito, homemade panettone syrup using an artisan panettone, fresh lemon juice that gives a note of acidity for balance the sweetness of the cocktail, honey and milk. The latter is used for the technique of wash milk, which serves to make the cocktail very velvety and creamy and tends to smooth out the pungent alcoholic notes. It is used by letting it curdle for about 3 hours, then filtered, thus obtaining an extremely clear cocktail. The Christmas Punch is completed with a panettone cream and a sprinkling of karkadè, which gives the scent of Christmas with warm spices such as vanilla, ginger, hibiscus, honey, lemon. The cocktail is served together with a disc of panettone, on which a panettone foam is placed, the same foam that is used as a cream on the cocktail but with a different texture or more frothy."

Hands free

The explanation of Abi El it's really convincing, it immediately makes you want to prepare this fantastic cocktail at home, spiced just right, accompanied by panettone – what a fantastic idea. To learn better, we also share the video that we have launched on our social channels here.

Notice anything different? Yes, that's right, the recovery is exactly from the bartender's eyes. How did we do it? With a step forward in the future: we asked Abi El to wear the smart glasses Facebook Stories while composing the drink, recording each step, connected to our smartphone through the app Facebook View. Isn't that brilliant? These smart glasses offer the possibility to capture photos and videos in an authentic way, of share what you see naturally, and to listen to music or answer phone calls. Fantastic built-in 5MP dual camera of Ray-Ban Stories, which allows you to capture what you want from the wearer's point of view. Available in various models, we have chosen the iconic ones Wayfarer with clear lenses for indoor use. As a food writer, it really seems to me an essential device to be able to best describe the experience in the kitchen, or in this case at the counter. A truly exceptional tool for anyone who wants to share their point of view on social media. Wouldn't that be wonderful Christmas gift? Meanwhile, let's enjoy our Christmas Punch, cheers!

Ray-Ban Stories + Facebook View app
It starts at € 329 for the basic model. The lenses are also available in polarized (starting from 359 €), photochromic (starting from 409 €) and graduated (variable prices) variants. Available in selected Ray-Ban stores and on the Ray-Ban.com website.

Special thanks to chef Sironi & mr Abi @Ceresio 7 for the kind availability
Social Media: Alberto Negro