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1fe r1viijil j sunday aug 6 2000- yv 0v v 7 c economist sun stouffville tnbunev- r v -4- srv r w 1ci 4mii4 ma4w4 by daryllynn carlson staff writer pb tome wonders if the italians are one up on canadians they work to live while we work to save he observes based on his experience in italy apprenticing as hospitality spe- cialist f and living for italians would seem to include a fair bit of alcohol along the way on any given morning its not unusual to see italians sipping wine spritzers to get their daysfarted tome says v personally relaxing and socially r stimulating cocktails are as much jif noimpre a part of the cultural- fabric of italy as they are in canada vvbrk ends early by north american stan dards freeing employees to gather at the local trattoria for cocktails dinner at home isnt served until eight personally relaxing and socially stimulat- ing cocktails are as muchif hot more a part of the cultural fabric of italy as they are in canada- j alcohol is also less taboo in most european countries and is perhaps less abused as a result tome i suggests most cocktails in italy are light wine- based drinks red or whitesays torhd an- amateur sommelier and a now a toronto- based representative of philippedandurand wines import distributor to italians red wine topped up with soda is just as appealing as white he says champagne and sparkling vinos are served as aperitifs allowing room for dinner and sober second thought but wine as a lighter healthier alternative to the potent martinis that are all the rage here has yet to catch on canadians seem reluctant to give up their beer and the hard stuff but were not without imagination it seems when finding new ways to blend flavours even if it means mixing the equivalent of a paradox in a glass take the trend to fortify a buzz with herbal extracts such as those in the new guru energy drink imbibers get a dose of ginseng ginkgo biloba and echinacea from a can of guruthen add their choice of vodka rum gin or tequila to make the cocktail experience complete canada and the united states where tex mex theme bars are most popular are the only two countries that will continue to j receive exports of tequila jn short supply due to a rare fungus that has infected the mexican agave crop staff photossjoerd witteveen jack astors bartenders eddie oliveira and caroline murphy show off new cdncoctions people were maybe getting bored with the usual martinis sake is almost a fusion drink i see a lot of places in downtown toronto serving health cocktails like guru says domenic zucco owner of ii piatto vecchio restaurant in richmond hill add a slice of fruit and youve got a meal in a drink potent enough to fend off any virus better than jack daniels straight up zucco notes in fact this season more people are lean ing toward fruitlaced drinks and low car- see tastes page 13