Just as more winter storms are due to hit much of the United States, one of my old favorites has come back to Netflix. What better time to relax with a film that features sailboat cruises on the Mediterranean, leisurely cocktail hours, midcentury style and the occasion unsolved murder? Plus, it'll soon be made into a show on Showtime starring Fleabag's Andrew Scott.
Based on the thrilling novel by Patricia Highsmith and produced during Miramax's heyday of the late 1990s, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a rip-roaring Italian travel postcard. If you haven't seen it, or it's been a while, the movie follows Dickie Greenleaf (played by Jude Law), a consummate playboy living off his trust fund who unwittingly takes Tom Ripley (played by Matt Damon) under his wing. But Ripley is a sycophantic and sociopathic buddy who becomes dangerously obsessed with him.
Your Pairing:
What better to sip while wishing you were in Italy than a Negroni? But this richly layered variation, from Imbibe, swaps out the gin for a splash of smoky mezcal. The flame-charred flavors add a warm, winter depth to the Campari's sweetly bracing citrus tang. For added Italian flair, garnish with a spring of fresh rosemary (and use a kitchen torch to flame the leaves until they smoke).
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