Calamari St. Andrea

Legend has it that this dish is named after a Caffé e Cucina chef, Andrea Mantese who created the dish. It is also the patron of the sea. Baby calamari are cut into thin rounds, floured and then fried until crisp. Super simple, simply delicious.

At Da Maria we serve it with a mayonnaise stained with ink and fresh wild rocket.

SHANGHAI

China’s biggest city on the country’s central cost is sometimes referred to as a powerful concrete urban jungle and is one of Ten Pieces more current influences.

Ten Pieces draws inspiration from the city’s vertical stripes which are apparent in the endless high reuse apartments as well as the monochrome colour scheme.

N61

Here we have married gin with another of Italy’s most well known liqueurs, Aperol is also an aperitivo, sometimes referred to as Campari’s little sister. Made using bitter orange peels and Rhubarb with a few other botanicals it shares some of the bitter profile of Campari but is sweeter making it a bit more approachable to those who haven’t quite acquired the taste for Campari. We mix these together with watermelon to add a touch of the tropics and make this drink extremely easy to continue to enjoy.

20ml Aperol
20ml Gin
Top with fresh watermelon juice
Method: Build
Garnish: Watermelon slice and orange half wheel

FRANKIE KNUCKLES

Frankie Knuckles, “The Godfather Of House”, spent his teenage years DJing with his friend Larry Levan in New York’s definitive early discotheques – The Gallery and The Contintental Baths – before moving to Chicago in 1977. Here he went on to play Warehouse, the club where house music was born – a literal shortening of it’s name. Frankie, along with Ron Hardy and Larry Heard, defined the music coming out of Chicago – what we still refer to as proper house music today!

As a producer with a career that spanned more then three generations Frankie Knuckles is responsible for songs and remixes that are much instantly recognisable his own, as much as some of the most beautiful and uplifting music ever made. He was still DJing and producing music until his death in in 2014, and although he is no longer with us, house music will never die.