[So, this is definitely not a throw-away piece that was sitting around for in my draft folder for far too long, oh no. Just assume I’m really up-to-date, but you’re reading this no later than August 2018 and the coronavirus is just a bad dream]

A French entry into the burgeoning field of aperitifs and amari, Pampelle is just calling out to be made into a spritz. It’s light, it’s sweet, there’s a nice little bitter counterpoint and then lashings of sweet ruby grapefruit all over the place.

With all that, Pampelle feels like it’s going for a similar spot in the market to Aperol (and who would blame it?), but while it’s nearly as light at 15%, there is a bit more bite to go with the sweetness. You shouldn’t confuse it for a terribly grown-up drink, and it possibly needs tempering with something else in Campari’s stead, should you wish to make a Negroni with it. In a spritz, though? Fun town! As you can see from the photo, cheap fizzy water, a very unpretentious crémant and some ice was just the thing. Lengthening it with soda water takes the edge off the sweetness and who doesn’t like refreshing grapefruit zing on hot, muggy, London night?

You could probably do something filthy with it and tequila, in a Paloma mode, but I have problems with the family Mezcal and its relatives due to youthful indiscretions, so that inspiration may have to wait [Thanks to the good people at Sin Gusano and Pensador, this is no longer true, but the bottle had all gone before that awakening]