Last we met we were serving up Great-aunt Helen’s zucchini casserole. The rules of our game here are that we follow food with drink. But what should we drink with a casserole? A lovely white wine would do the trick, but this is Cocktail U so a mixed drink we must have.

As we have many times before, we turn to our trusty 10,000 Drinks tome. The chapter entitled Wine-Based Cocktails sounded promising and amidst the many crazy drinks (Balla Balla, Balalaika Magika, Boston Bottle Rocket to name three), I found one that sounded quite lovely: Italian Perfume.This cocktail passed my few-ingredient test by asking only for brandy, amaretto, and white wine — all already on my shelf. I didn’t even need to use a cocktail shaker – ingredients were simply poured over ice.If you think this sounds like a sweet drink, you are absolutely correct. But over enough ice, it mellowed nicely and I liked this drink very much. Should you want to pour one — with or without Zucchini Casserole on the table — it’s as easy as equal parts brandy and amaretto poured into an ice-filled wine glass, then finished with white wine. Cheers! Hope to see you again as we continue our way through Helen’s recipe box and of course the promise of another libation.