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Aspen’s newest restaurant encouraging to drink up an ‘Arranged Marriage’

It’s hard to say whether the names on the drink menu at the newly opened Duemani restaurant are more playful than the cocktails themselves.

It was my first time walking into the coastal Italian restaurant that took over the former Rustique space on Monarch Street.

It’s a fresh look and a fresh take on Italian (especially Duemani’s emphasis on seafood), and what we had been accustomed to in the French bistro for almost two decades.



But enough about the warm and inviting atmosphere and the delicious food. I went for the booze.

Under the vodka heading, two drinks immediately struck me: Election Muddling and Arranged Marriage.




I’ll tackle the first one first.

It’s so fun and tasty with Russian vodka, St. George pear liquor, lemon, agave, and garnished with heirloom tomatoes and a sprig of rosemary.

It’s the perfect vodka drink for winter because it’s hearty and crisp but at the time, sweet and savory.

Like Thanksgiving dinner, joked my friend who joined me for an evening of tasting.

The real winner is the Arranged Marriage, which if you close your eyes you can imagine yourself sipping this cocktail poolside.

It goes down way too easy. You’d never know you are drinking 2 ounces of vodka. That’s because of the pomegranate juice, guava and Jack Rudy tonic syrup.

It’s meant to go down that easy, and goes really well with seafood.

“It goes well with this town because it’s a lot of arrangement,” laughed Duemani bartender Sean Greaves.

The vodka in the cocktail is an intriguing one and a cool story. A new company in Austin, Texas, called Dripping Springs Vodka is behind it.

It’s made with sweet, Midwestern corn and is naturally gluten free. It’s micro distilled in batches in 50-gallon copper pot stills, finished with pure, mineral rich hill country artesian spring water.

I can’t wait to try the Dripping Springs Texas Orange Vodka, which is described on their website as being made with “hand-zested Texas oranges then steeped and re-distilled to capture an authentic southwestern orange flavor.”

As Greaves pointed out, “middle-aged women specifically love vodka drinks.”

I’m just glad I still fall in that category. Soon, I will be regulated to just whiskey.

And I’d rather remain a single middle-aged woman than be in an arranged marriage. It sounds like too much work. I’d rather sip it poolside.

csackariason@aspentimes.com

Aspen Times Weekly

Foodstuff: International Flair

As we slowly but surely emerge from cozy cooking weather, I like to get in a few elaborate comfort meals that take all day and are worth the effort. One of these is my annual Indian Feast, which I only do once a year because I remember what a process it is.



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