NEGRONI WITH PARMESAN BITES WITH TOMATO PESTO AND BASIL

Serve this addictive combination of vermouth, gin and Campari ice cold as an aperitivo alongside melt-in-the-mouth cheesy nibbles.

MAKES 25-30 bites and 4 drinks

PREPARATION TIME 35 minutes, plus chilling

COOKING TIME 10 minutes

FOR THE PARMESAN BITES

● 60g plain flour

● Pinch of fine salt

● 45g salted butter, chilled and diced

● 60g finely grated Parmesan

FOR THE TOMATO PESTO

●140g sun-blushed tomatoes

● 1 small garlic clove

● 50g toasted pine nuts, plus extra to garnish

● 45g finely grated Parmesan

● 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

● ½-1tbsp lemon juice

● Fresh basil leaves, to garnish

FOR THE NEGRONI

● 50ml Antica Formula sweet vermouth, chilled

● 50ml gin, chilled

● 50ml Campari, chilled

● Ice cubes, to serve

● Pieces of orange zest, to garnish

1 For the bites, put the flour, salt, butter cubes and Parmesan into a mixing bowl. Rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Use your hands to work the mixture into a smooth dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until it is 4mm thick. Use a 4cm cookie cutter to stamp out rounds, transferring them to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Put the tray in the fridge to chill for 30min. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C) mark 4. Bake for 8-10min, until just golden and crisp. Cool on a wire rack before topping.

2 To make the tomato pesto, purée all of the ingredients (except the basil) in a blender and season to taste. Put 1tsp pesto on each Parmesan bite, then top with pine nuts and a few basil leaves.

3 For the cocktail, pour all the chilled ingredients into a glass, metal jug or pitcher and stir. Fill 4 chilled small straight-sided tumblers with ice cubes, pour in the cocktail and garnish with a piece of twisted orange zest.