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Virtual Happy Hour: Sotto's Prosciutto And Melon Cocktail
(Photo by Krista Simmons/LAist)
We're fairly convinced having to work after the Fourth of July is some sort of corporal punishment. Seeing as how you've so valiantly made it through the past 48 hours of drudgery, you deserve a decent cocktail -- something that really speaks to the summertime, like Sotto's prosciutto and melon cocktail.
The drink's base spirit is what Sotto's bartenders refer to as Mexican vodka -- aka tequila -- labeled as such because customers are often put off by tequila cocktails. (Who are these crazy customers anyways? We need to have a word with them.) They shouldn't be concerned, especially if it's mixed with fresh-pressed honeydew melon, lime, and simple syrup, then finished with a splash of prosecco. The cavallo di battaglia (or piece de resistance if you opted to take French in high school) is the garnish: a dehydrated prosciutto chip. The cocktail is sweet, savory, and the slightest bit sour from the lime, and could double as a brunch cocktail or an apertif equally as well.
If you can't wait for Sunday's Hollywood Farmers Market to pick up Weiser Family Farm's newly-arrived Sweet Queen cantaloupes (pictured below), Sotto's cocktail really is the next best thing.
Sit at the bar and enjoy this one alongside the restaurant's Southern Italian nibbles, like perfectly-fried chickpea fritters called pannelle, which are served with a spritz of lemon and a dusting of salty ragusano cheese. They've also recently launched a happy hour special from Tuesday-Friday from 5:30-7:30 p.m., where you can get a summer cocktail and a pizza for $19. Salute indeed!
(Photo by Krista Simmons/LAist)
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