A new daydream full of well-known characters who meet in a whirlwind of flavors and new combinations to rewrite new stories and give life to new magic.
Once upon a time…
It comes with the leitmotif the new D.ONE drink list is the best known ever: once upon a time they were there... and they still are! Or rather, they have returned with a drink list to tell, which opens the doors to a fairy world, full of well-known characters who have in one way or another accompanied the dreams of all of us since we were children. A mashup true fairy tales in which the characters meet and form new stories, crystallized over time, and in the dreams of those who know how to listen to them.
A long journey that begins in 2017 with the opening of the D.ONE di Simone Nervo And Vanessa Viliardi. The first drink list of the venue was viscerally linked to the cuisine and still lacked that identity that leaves the mark of the D.ONE signatures. One year after opening, it was born The Young Enjoyable which was a hit among customers, with more than 20 copies stolen in the first few weeks alone. A vintage style menu with 10 well-structured cocktails, but not yet linked together by a real one common thread. Last year in the most difficult period for everyone, the entire team continued to work bringing to light Liquid Memories, an innovative drink list made up of 10 drinks designed in the wake of the remembrance of past experiences: a pink sheet of paper soaked in the scents of memories which could be taken home at the end of the liquid experience as a sweet souvenir.
Let's Shake the Fairytales
This year the project took full shape with the birth of Let's Shake the Fairytales, a drink list derived from the previous ones, from which it has taken the best in terms of experimentation and imagination with curious proposals that are difficult to replicate at home, just like in fairy tales the D.ONE has the magic tool for his creatures. The ingredients you ask? They are not a secret, already in the name of the drinks there is a connection with the characters, but let's now see in detail.
The menu cover features white writing on a midnight blue background, where the leaves of an enchanted forest intertwine to best capture dreams and transform them into liquid proposals. The drink list opens vertically, leaving space on two pages for illustrations curated in detail by Michela Marcelli. On the first page, the characters appear in list order, as they explain to us in the introduction “We we imagined and created a whole new world, with characters and situations that would never have met except over a glass”. The names in white hover on the petrol green background, we are in the heart of the forest and the story is about to begin.
The Queen of Hearts and Sleeping Beauty
A delicate cocktail with floral notes of chamomile and rose unites the two protagonists in antithesis in front of a glass at the beginning of sunset, in the background reigns the sovereign with the little princess next to her, the sky is still clear and bright blue. It's aperitif time, and here you are served the D.ONE proposal as an alternative to spritzer with a sparkling touch of rosé sparkling wine on the finish.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Haunted Apple
The apple is central, the use of Calvados infused with red fruits and juniper as an alcoholic base gives that fruity but pungent taste similar to a gin, intensified and balanced with the bitter and sparkling part of the apple cider. An intense and revisited version of a American, bright red like Little Red Riding Hood's cape that dominates the two pages, clutching her poisoned apple in her hand.
Gulliver and the Seven Dwarfs
Elegant and imposing like the great Gulliver represented with the small Seven Dwarfs who begin the climb on the giant almost to reach the manifest drink of greatness. Served in a tall, slightly rounded tumbler, it is the gin-based proposal with 7 nani Cordials, finely prepared with spiced white tea, yuzu and an acidic lemongrass finish, which together with the two Japanese Bitter Umami and Lemon Organics give that effect of freshness and spicy, excellent for an end-of-season aperitif.
The Little Mermaid and the Flying Carpet
A dive into the sea, the colors begin to change, we are moving towards the night and the Little Mermaid immersed in a golden dimension, almost as if a light were on, approaches the Flying Carpet stuck in the trunk of her secret objects. The cocktail is astonishing, the cachaça infused with spirulina algae explodes in a diaphanous blue in the cup elegantly finished halfway with a crust of curry salt and lemon. Final touch given by the red garnish which resembles coral in color and forms. The taste remains soft thanks to the date shrubs and kaffir lime, with a saline finish as if the sea had been placed in a cup.
Alice in the Belly of the Whale
We have reached sunset, a melancholic Alice appears among the baleen whales with her black cat next to her. The golden hour lends itself to the entry of whiskey into the drink list, the strong Bourbon-based cocktail with a smoky flavor given by a cut of Scotch Whiskey weakens, releasing an iodized flavor thanks to the seafood Cordials and the presence of nori seaweed. Served in collins with a small bottle next to it, it is a continuous discovery sip after sip.
Hansel, Gretel and Captain Unico
The rum-based cocktail arrives, a perfect alternative for lovers of the spirit, with an incisive and insightful cut of Rhum Agricole, sweetened in turn by the hazelnut and allspice Falernum, but with a sour aftertaste given by the lime and the liqueur pink grapefruit. The two protagonists swing on a swing, hanging from the Captain's famous hook, immersed in an atmosphere made of sweets and the scent of marzipan, a final touch also present in the cocktail on the hook-made sugar garnish.
Aladdin and the Mad Hatter
The night has come, the Mad Hatter sips his cup of tea with an Aladdin fluttering among the greenish clouds. Darkness has fallen, but our cup of tea is ready! The cocktail is served in a very elegant porcelain tea cup with saucer, a straw yellow liquid immediately catches the eye. A citric and spicy gin base, thanks to the union of pink grapefruit juice and cardamom syrup. The final touch is given by the Voatsiperifery tincture and the Shahrazad infusion which brings the mind back to the stories of the "Arabian Nights".
Pinocchio and the Magic Lamp
In this cocktail the woody notes of pine and fir remain central in honor of its protagonist Pinocchio. It is the middle of the night, the almost black background with purple shades sees a thoughtful Pinocchio sitting on the Magic Lamp. The cup in which the precious mixture, based on whiskey and vermouth, is kept, acquires a bright gold color thanks to the presence of the saffron liqueur, a few drops of Scots pine oil and Bitter Wood give that pungent but well-balanced freshness in the final part with a splash of Spruce Fragrance.
Peter Pan and the Cheshire Cat
The chameleon cocktail that changes color inspired by nuances of the Cheshire Cat. An aromatic sour in which gin and Arneis grappa meet in a vortex of flavours, restored by the hint of elderberry and the magical infusion of the Cheshire Cat, served in a separate bottle and to be poured into the drink immediately. The effect is electrifying, the cocktail carefully mixed upon contact with our "magical element" comes to life and releases a vortex of colors from blue to purple and then re-establishes itself, a bit like the apparitions of the famous craziest cat ever.
Fire Eater and Snow White
In the heart of darkness Mangiafuoco directs the dances of a helpless Snow White who, tied to the strings of a marionette, swirls dancing against the pitch-black background. The last cocktail on the drink list is presented in all its beauty: a glass with a floating bubble of smoke. The reference to the protagonist is given by the presence of the apple in a very delicate Sulla honey syrup with apple and condensed milk, which gives the cocktail that characteristic milky yellow colour. Such beauty is in contrast with the alcoholic base of Cazadores Blanco Tequila with a cut of Mezcal Artesanal Joven, in homage to the powerful figure of Mangiafuoco, which gives the cocktail that strong and slightly smoky taste. A delight for the eyes and the palate.
And my favorite cocktail…?
There's no need to fear, D.ONE has thought of everything, at the end of the drink list there are still three of the venue's historic cocktails: Aria di Torino, Il Torinese Riservato and Cervezita.
The D.One transforms and evolves like a newly hatched chrysalis that takes flight, but its soul is always the same. Now it looks like Disney's enchanted castle, “after having fought against dragons, spells, wolves disguised as grandmothers and a thousand other adversities”, which magically appears on the horizon to give life to a fairy tale, from sunset to the darkest night.
Who knows what the next story will be.
Of CLELIA MUMOLO
Ph. Chiariglione & Dusnasco
