Euphoric Sassy Saffron Champagne Cocktails

Last fall I visited Zahour Saffron, outside of Marrakech and have hoarded the Saffron Bitters, a Big Birthday Celebration was a cause for creating a splashy Cocktail. Don’t take my word for it, when there are Culinary Experts who rave about this small saffron farm. Gordon Ramsey proclaimed Zahour Saffron – Producing some of the highest grade saffron in the world.”

I’m addicted to Moroccan spice souks; actually, any spice vendor is a travel temptation. Saffron is one of Morocco’s leading exports. The Arabs brought Saffron to the kingdom of Morocco around the 10th century. The small farm grows ISO certified Class 1 Saffron, known as red gold, due to the high value.

Saffron is valued for its varied uses – from being a gourmet ingredient to being an aphrodisiac, who knew? Being the most expensive spice in the world, hopefully a small dose will stimulate amour!

A collaboration with Zahour Saffron, there are 135 strands of grade 1 organic saffron in every bottle of the Atlas Gold Bitters. Use in cocktails or enjoy on its own. My Concoction, served UP in a cocktail coupe. Toast the saffron, I had never toasted Saffron, but an online video helped…line a small saucepan with foil, heat the pan until hot, remove from heat, drop in a few threads of saffron, close the foil, and it toasts. Place saffron in mortar & pestle to crush the toasted threads. I placed the saffron in a small silver bowl with spoon, creating a dramatic presentation. Fill coupe with Champagne, dribble in a few drops of Atlas Gold Saffron Bitters into glass and sprinkle toasted saffron to float in center of glass. Sparkling Saffron!

Although it’s grown in only a few regions throughout the country, it’s sold in the spice markets. Taliouine, a little mountain village in the south of Morocco, and at the foot of the Atlas Mountains near Marrakech are two well-known regions where saffron crocuses grow. Taliouine itself is small – just under 6,000 people – but produces more saffron than any other place in Africa. Every November, a festival is held at harvest time and people from around the world come to watch and celebrate.

In Morocco the saffron is harvested between October through December whenever the six-petalled flowers appear. During this time, the local Berber women start picking the flowers at dawn. Picking the flowers in early morning ensures that the unique compounds within the filaments are preserved. The bees love the pollen in the saffron flowers and jostle with the pickers for access to the flowers. Which is why after the stigmas have been removed, the local farm will leave the flowers outside for the bees to collect the remaining pollen.

Highly Recommend Saffron Bitters Champagne Cocktail!

GLAM, Venice – an Impressive Reputation The Only Two-Star Michelin Restaurant

GLAM, The hottest dining ticket! in Venice!  The only two Michelin Star in Venice, welcomes guests in a unique setting that comprises a cozy intimate dining room, with glazed walls of African wild animal scenes. In summer or spring, dining is offered in the lovely garden courtyard, tables sit in the shade of an old magnolia tree, a divine spot for brekkie.

The Vibe – Contemporary with a culinary vision. An Amazing Dining Journey of Theatre and Extraordinary Food.


If you stay at Palazzo Venart, a Leading Hotels Of The World property, as I did, glide downstairs to begin an auteur culinary experience curated by multi-starred chef Enrico Bartolini and Resident Chef Donato Ascani. The menu rethinks the traditional flavors of the Lagoon in a modern mode, emphasizing the quality of seasonal ingredients and the wide selection of fine fresh markets.


GLAM Restaurant serves two tasting menus, “Art, Gardens and Lagoon” and “The Classics of Glam,” from which result signature dishes – well balanced, current and minimalist – created almost on “impulse,” but with perfect technique. I would recommend the Tasting Menu.

A crack of dawn departure flight influenced my menu, i.e. the Tasting Menu, which I assumed would be less courses! Either my Italian didn’t translate well, or Chef intended we enjoy every course offered, it was a delectable mini marathon of extraordinary bites with a culinary adventure theme.

Cocktails to contemplate choices! Rye Manhattan up and a spritz of lavender to amplify the palate of a Fizzy Gin Concoction. A glamorous platter of amuse-bouche was served with flutes of Bubbly. Note to self, when you think you are merely ordering a few bites, don’t let the waiter continually top-up your Champagne flute – our bubbly bill by the glass was molto costoso! As mentioned, Carried Away!

Transported by the imaginative presentation, the divine meal began with a aromatic rosemary shrub rooted with teeny cracker and cheese bites, setting the stage for the dining journey!

Aesthetics are visible in each dish. A splendid risotto with garden fresh petite peas in a creamy sauce was one of my favorites. Among small plates of a roasted ravioli with sage, succulent lamb and a tender fillet of beef sitting on a bed of pumpkin puree. I truly lost count and despite declining dessert, petit-fours charmingly glided across the white table cloth. My photos don’t do the Dining Journey justice, but I’ll never forget the meal and the memory! Ambling upstairs, a silver box of Mints for digestivo is a parting gift.

As of 2019, chef Enrico Bartolini collected six Michelin stars across his five restaurants; GLAM, his Venice outpost creates an unforgettable experience tantalizing the appetites of connoisseurs from all over the world, combining the intense flavors of Italian tradition with a rarely replicated refined technique and presentation.

Highly Recommend!

Oh- PS- if you glide downstairs from your suite, a credit card is expected for dinner. It cannot be charged to your room! Oops, a room key in your pocket is no substitute for a credit card, the waiter was more than kind, they knew we would not be slipping out in the night, all forgiven! Grazie!