Barolo Chinato Is the Only Post-Thanksgiving Drink You Need
Your old-school uncle only drinks big-name, expensive Italian red wines. Your in-the-know hipster cousin wants to pour something she’s never tried before. Your mom is asking for a drink that’s sweet (but not too sweet!). And your Grandma just needs a splash of something to settle her stomach. You know what they all want for a post-feast drink? They want Barolo Chinato. They just don’t know it yet.
This classic Italian after-dinner drink is made by infusing Barolo—red wine made from Nebbiolo grapes grown in Italy’s Piedmont region—with dried herbs, barks, roots, fruits, and vegetables. The result is a sweet, spicy, vegetal wine that could just as easily be confused for vermouth as it could amaro. It doesn’t matter what flavor you’re looking for, you can find it in Barolo Chinato. Plus, at 16-19 percent ABV, a small glass isn’t going to knock your guests off their chairs or send them into a slumber so deep you won’t be able to get them off the couch.
When it comes to producers, Pio Cesare makes exactly what I want from Barolo Chinato, with flavors of dark red fruit (think dried cherries and dates) and tannic, palate-cleansing herbs and barks that let your brain and your tastebuds know your feast has finished. At $95, it comes with a price, but if you’re gonna splurge on a bottle for Thanksgiving, I cannot stress enough that this should be it. If it’s not in the budget, Cappellano Barolo Chinato ($75), Barale Fratelli Barolo Chinato ($42), and Cocchi Barolo Chinato ($44) will also do just fine.
Regardless of which bottle you snag, the real appeal of a digestivo like Barolo Chinato is that after a huge day of cooking, all you need to do is put out some rocks glasses, a bowl of ice cubes, and the bottle. No mixing. No stirring. Just let your friends and family members who want a drink pour one for themselves (they don’t even need the ice if they want it neat!). You’ve stressed for days (weeks!) about dinner. You don’t need to stress about this.
Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
