VENDITA DI VINO

once upon a time, a very long time ago in florence, when you needed to do a shop up for wine, you would venture over to one of these tiny little doors found in various locations throughout the city. the vendors on the other side would fill up your bottles and then you would be on your merry way! this one is located in via del giglio in florence and was called very matter- of-factly, vendita di vino or wine for sale. and that's pretty much all i know about them! i will have to head over to my favorite wine shop soon and ask my wine guy to give me a quick history lesson, over a glass of wine of course!

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OYSTER SHOT

if you like a proper bloody mary and enjoy devouring oysters, this little number is for you! this summer i worked in an exceptional fish restaurant and was shucking an average of 10 kilos of oysters from brittany each night. clients who had never tried an oyster shot before would usually scrunch up their noses and cringe when i would describe how an oyster shot was prepared and enjoyed. however, once they tried one, they inevitably kept coming back for more. so at the end of my oyster shucking experience i concluded that oyster shots can be one of the most addictive drugs on the market!

ingredients:

recipe:
one chilled shot glass


















a splash of fresh tomato juice
a few drops of fresh squeezed lemon juice
a pinch of salt
a dash of tabasco


















one freshly shucked oyster


















a top up of ice cold vodka
a grind of the pepper mill


















method:
toss the shot back and simultaneously chew the oyster as you swallow and enjoy the layers of tomato, lemon and vodka as they slide over your palate

tools:
a napkin to wipe up the drizzle dripping down your lower cheek

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