Tag: Grand

Christmas in Milan and the “snack” ritual in grand hotels – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

If you spend Christmas in Milan, give yourself a gift: go for a “snack” in the grand hotels of the city. It is an opportunity to enter these places of great elegance and beauty, to sit at the tables of their bars and restaurants and have a taste of their sublime cuisine. A ritual that is always very pleasant but during the holidays it is decidedly more particular.

Christmas in Milan in the grand hotels

The atmosphere is dreamlike, with decorations that have a different theme every year. The Four Seasonswhich during the holidays is undoubtedly among the places with the most sumptuous decorations in the whole city, this year for example has thought of a “Unwrapped” Christmas: for the occasion the artistic director Vincenzo Dascanio he transformed his halls into a riot of packages, bows, colored paper. The Park Hyatt, however, with the touch of Anna Flower, staged a glittering nostalgia operation with trees, lights and decorations which wink at those unforgettable holidays of the 80s, pleasantly exaggerated and very cheerful which, after a long period of restrictions, we all want and need to experience.

The Christmas “snack” in the grand hotels of Milan

Seeing all this up close is an emotion, and getting into the festive mood by sitting down for a break is a treat, also because for some years now around Christmas the grand hotels in Milan organize afternoon appointments which have become a ritual. At the Mandarin Oriental, another example, this Christmas there is an afternoon tea created in collaboration with The Rosebery – the legendary bar of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, mecca for the most refined London afternoons – and combines English cults such as scones with the creations of the pastry chef of his two-starred restaurant, Marco Pinna. But in every place it is an experience, with tables laden with desserts so beautiful that you almost feel sorry to eat them, and savory delights that are no different. All accompanied by cups of steaming tea and chocolate or – if you prefer – bubbles and new drinks whose ingredients wink at the Christmas tradition.

Grand hotel in Milan: where to go at Christmas

Enjoying all this without having to worry about the clock, as you can only do during the holidays (perhaps), makes you feel like you’re on holiday. And what’s more, it’s also a more accessible occasion (at least, compared to a lunch or dinner) to try specialties of great chefs and pastry chefs among the most appreciated in the Milanese panoramaand (and not only). The prices, all things considered, are possible, especially if you decide to give yourself a gift. Last but not least, if you have children, these afternoon appointments are one of those rare occasions in which you can take them with you to a refined place without too many worries: they will love to taste and they will also have fun because there are often events dedicated to them. In short, do it. Here is our selection with what’s new this Christmas:

How to prepare a Grand Tonic and 5 other cocktails dreaming of the Caribbean – Italian Cuisine

Cognac and exotic bitter oranges meet in the Grand Marnier, a liqueur that is ready to give its best this spring when mixed in fresh and decisive cocktails. Here's how to prepare them

The beauty of classic cocktails is that they take you away from the embarrassment of choice when you arrive at a bar in a club. Gin Tonic, Old Fashion, Mai-Tai and Margarita, are words that come out of our mouths automatically, as if they were part of us, of our language and our desires. Perfect habits to toast, pass in time with friends or break the ice with those we do not know, but also to understand something from the first glance.
Just think of theUnderstanding that automatically takes between two people ordering the same cocktail or the curiosity that leads us to listen to the orders of others while we wait for our drink. And although what we know is perfect to cuddle us and protect ourselves from repentance, the risk of settling in a comfort zone and getting bored is high.
Why not conjure up it by revisiting the great classics? The interesting proposal comes from Grand Marnier, the famous liqueur produced by the company established by Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle in 1827. Created in 1880 with the name of Curaçao Marnier is produced from the union of a great French cognac with the exotic aroma of the peels of Citrus Bigardia, particular bitter oranges read in the Caribbean lands (the orchards are mainly found in Haiti) before complete ripening. It is the sun of the Caribbean to dry them so that they can best release the aromatic oils that characterize them and that will transform the French cognac, with the help of sugar, into one of the most famous liqueurs in the world.
And it is just thinking of the Caribbean sun and the overwhelming energy that you breathe in these lands guarded by the crystal clear sea that we have prepared 6 aromatic and carefree cocktails. We recommend siping them enjoying the first warmth of the evening, perhaps while planning the next trip to sun-kissed lands.

For the aperitif

Here are three cocktail recipes light, aromatic and fresh perfect to taste before dinner or accompanied by appetizers. To do something different, we advise you to accompany them to del fried platanus (if you do not find it, you can substitute it with slightly bitter bananas), perhaps served with a primosale-type fresh cheese.

Grand Tonic
Ingredients: 50 ml of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, tonic water, ice, a slice of orange, raspberries to decorate
Method: pour the ice cubes into the Gin Tonic glass (the very large cup that the bartenders call baloon glass) and add the Grand Marnier. At this point pour tonic water and mix well before completing the cocktail with the orange slice and the raspberry.

Grand Margarita
Ingredients: 30 ml of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, 30 ml of tequila, 20 ml of lemon juice, ice, lime
Procedure: as for traditional Margarita, pour on a saucer of fine salt. Cut a lime slice, put it on the edge of the glass and let it flow so as to wet it with the juice. Cut another slice of lime that you will need to garnish and flip and the glass so as to adhere salt to the edge wet with juice. Pour into a shaker the Grand Marnier, tequila, lemon juice and ice and pour into the glass after shaking. Garnish with the lime slice.

Grand Mai-Tai
Ingredients: 30 ml of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, 60 ml of Appleton Estate Signature Blend rum, 15 ml of orzata, 15 ml of lemon juice, ice, a slice of lime, mint and a tuft of pineapple to garnish
Method: shake all liquid ingredients with ice, pour into a narrow, tall glass and garnish with lime, mint and pineapple leaves.

After dinner

Freshness, bitter notes and an enveloping taste. The Grand Marnier can be served with an ice cube as a digestive liqueur, but it is also the perfect base for intense and aromatic cocktails. Also in this case the theme of the revisitations of the great classics works and invites us to dare inspired by the best mixologists. The extra touch? There orange peel in the glass, perhaps cut so subtly to be wrapped around itself.

Grand Old Fashioned
Ingredients: 30 ml of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, 30 ml of Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon Whiskey, 3 drops of aromatic bitter, ice, orange peel rolled up for garnish
Procedure: First of all pour the drops, the Grand Marnier and the Whiskey into the glass. Add the ice and mix until it is cold and well mixed. Garnish with the orange peel that we will squeeze on the surface of the cocktail to release the aromatic oils.

Grand Sidecar
Ingredients: 50 ml of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, 20 ml cognac, 20 ml of lemon juice, ice
Procedure: pour into the Grand Marnier shaker, cognac, lemon juice and ice. Shake well and pour into the cup.

Grand Collins
Ingredients: 50 ml of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, 15 ml of lemon juice, seltz, ice, rolled orange peel and raspberries for garnish
Procedure: pour the ice into the glass, add the Grand Marnier and lemon juice. Finally pour the seltz, mix well and serve with the orange peel and raspberry topping.

In the gallery above, all the cocktails to get inspired to prepare them with the most suitable glass and the gaskets to make them special.

Panettone recipe at the Grand Marnier – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients For custard

500 g milk
150 g sugar
50 g flour
4 egg yolks
vanillina Bertolini

Ingredients To complete

500 g panettone
300 g Fresh cream
150 g meringues
cocoa powder
Grand Marnier liqueur

Duration: 50 min

Level: Middle

Dose: 8 people

For the custard, heat the milk without boiling it; Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the egg yolks with sugar and flour; dilute the mixture with hot milk, pouring it in flush, then pour the cream into the saucepan used to heat the milk, bring on a moderate heat and, stirring constantly, let it boil for about 5 minutes. Switch off, flavor the cream with a bag of vanillin and let it cool, turning it occasionally, to prevent the skin from forming on the surface. When the cream is cold, whip the cream and incorporate it gently: you will get the chantilly. Add to a quarter of it some tablespoons of cocoa to get the chocolate cream. Cut the panettone into thin slices and sprinkle plenty of Grand Marnier then, with some of them, covered a large cup that will fill with the remaining slices, arranging them in alternating layers with chantilly and meringues. The last layer will be of meringues and tufts of chocolate cream, taken out of a pocket to stuff, equipped with a smooth nozzle. Serve immediately, or keep the cup in the refrigerator until ready to bring it to the table.

Gordon Ramsay Recipes