Peter Salerno isn’t just a master kitchen designer, he loves spending time in his own kitchen entertaining family, friends and guests. This love of cooking and creating recipes filters up and down the Salerno family for generations, and has produced some time-tested, delicious recipes.
When Peter Salerno married his wife Tracy, she brought with her a wealth of delicious recipes, cocktails and other “secret family recipes”. Tracy’s father, Mike Cavallo, was a master of many of these – but one of the family’s favorite creations from Mr. Cavallo was his famous sangria.
What makes the “Cavallo family sangria” recipe so delicious? It might be the perfect mix of ingredients, or the use of brandy and triple sec at the base. Or it may just be the special amount of love with which Mike made it.
In any event, it’s a sangria recipe that’s sure to please, and we’re sharing it with you. It’s the perfect summer sangria recipe to beat the heat!
Mike Cavallo’s Perfect Summer Sangria Recipe
Ingredients
7Up/Sprite
Triple Sec
inexpensive brandy (something like christian bros)
a bottle of cheap red wine (barefoot works) either merlot or shiraz
ice
oranges (you can add apples and pears as well)
Preparation
Fill a *large* pitcher with whole slices of orange (leave the peels on), use a wooden spoon to press on the oranges to get a little bit of juice at the bottom.
Fill a 1/3 of the pitcher with ice
Pour even parts 7Up/Sprite and wine (pouring both at the same time is the easiest way) until 2/3 of the way filled
Pour equal parts brandy and triplesec to taste (usually about 1/2 -2/3 a cup)
Fill remaining with the rest of the wine
Stir and let sit for 10 minutes in the refrigerator
Enjoy!
If it comes out too strong for you, it can be diluted by adding more soda.
DON’T add sugar, citrus fruits (lime, lemon, pineapple), or bitters!
Best Cinco De Mayo Margarita Recipes: Stay Home + Celebrate!
Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner! This May 5th, Cinco De Mayo will once again be observed as a celebration of freedom, democracy, and Mexican heritage and pride.
This year’s Cinco De Mayo will be different, without question. It’s hard to “feel festive” while you’re staying home and shelter-in-place rules are in effect. But a great celebration starts with a smile, self-determination and the will to persevere! If we can help you find a way to feel good in a tough time for a little while, then we’ve done our job for the day!
No matter what your home bar looks like, we’re here to help you get your Cinco de Mayo cocktail recipe list in order! Whether your home bar is a world-class stunner (like when Peter Salerno Inc. turned a ’59 Corvette into the most amazing bar in the world), or a more humble affair, Cinco De Mayo is the perfect time get behind your custom bar (built by Peter Salerno, of course!) and wow your guests with an assortment of amazing Cinco De Mayo drink recipes.
Here are our favorite Cinco De Mayo drink recipes. (Credit Wiki)
Of course, these recipes are designed for our friends that are of legal drinking age – so make sure you serve and drink responsibly!
Every year, we check out Delish for their updated list of Cinco de Mayo drink recipes – specifically their outstanding collection of updated margarita recipes. From the Bulldog Margarita (you MUST try this if you’re a fan of citrus) to their Perfect Cuervo Margarita, consider this your go-to margarita recipe source for this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration!
So let’s check out some of our favorite Cinco De Mayo drink recipes, courtesy of our friends at Delish.
Design Your Lifestyle’s Favorite Cinco De Mayo Drink Recipes
All drink recipes courtesy of Delish.
Bulldog Margarita (our latest favorite!)
Ingredients
4 c. ice
2/3 c. lime juice
1 c. tequila
1/4 c. Cointreau or other orange liqueur
4 tbsp. sugar
Coarse salt, for rim
4 Coronitas (7 oz. each)
Skewers topped with sliced citrus, for garnish
Directions
Combine ice, lime juice, tequila, Cointreau and sugar in a blender, pulsing to combine.
Place salt on a shallow plate. Dip the rim of each glass in lime juice or water, then in the salt.
Fill each glass with margarita mixture. Pop the caps off of the Coronita bottles, then flip each one upside-down into the margarita glass. (A little beer will empty into the cup, but once the neck of the bottle has sunk into the frozen margarita, it will stop pouring out.)
Garnish each with a fruit skewer and serve.
La Paloma Margarita
Ingredients
1½ oz. Don Julio Reposado Tequila
4 oz. grapefruit soda
1 wedge lime
Directions
Add Don Julio Reposado Tequila and grapefruit soda in salt-rimmed, ice-filled highball glass.
Garnish with lime wedge.
Perfect Cuervo Margarita
Ingredients
1 ounce(s) Jose Cuervo Especial
3 ounce(s) Jose Cuervo Lime Margarita Mix
1 wedge(s) lime
1 teaspoon(s) salt
Directions
Rub rim of a chilled margarita glass with half a lime.
Dip into salt to coat.
In a shaker with ice, add José Cuervo Especial and José Cuervo Lime Margarita Mix.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into the margarita glass.
Garnish with lime wedge.
Cucumber-Jalapeno Margarita
Ingredients
Coarse sea or kosher salt
1 lime wedge
1/2 cup(s) peeled, finely diced cucumber, plus a cucumber slice for garnish
4 slice(s) (or up to 6 slices; thin) jalapeño, with seeds
Stay At Home: Make Our Own Home Brewed Cocktail Recipe!
The world is serious right now. While you’re stuck at home, why not bring a bit of summer fun into your “quarantine life”?
From the mind of Anthony Salerno (Peter’s son) comes an alcoholic treat that’s sure to challenge your taste buds and keep you relaxed indoors during a stressful time.
Vodka and fresh basil make Uncle Sal’s Delight!
It’s easy to make – a vodka drink with a twist from the garden – and even easier to drink. If you grow your own basil, you’ll find this to be a refreshing use!
So, to all you adults out there, give it a try – it’s Uncle Sal’s Delight!
Uncle Sal’s Delight (a cocktail recipe by Anthony Salerno) – please be of legal drinking age!
Ingredients:
2 large, fresh basil leaves
1 basil stem (with small leaves on it)
Sprite
Vodka (Tito’s or Absolut are the preferred choices)
Ice (cubed, not crushed)
Directions:
Fill a Highball glass with ice.
Roll the 2 large basil leaves in your hand to release the flavors, then rub leaves on the inside of the glass.
Leave the basil leaves in the glass, and bury them with ice.
Fill the glass up about 1/4 the way with Vodka (or 1/3, depending on your day).
Fill the remainder of the glass up with Sprite.
Lightly stir.
Garnish with the basil stem, letting its leaves rest on the surface of the cocktail.
Let sit for 2 minutes to allow the drink to settle and flavors to combine.
Enjoy – and let us know what you think of our “stay home” inspired cocktail creation!
WATCH: ’59 Corvette Hides a Motorized Bar Under the Hood! [VIDEO]
Do you love classic cars? Do you dream about having an incredible, world-class bar in your own home? Why not fulfill BOTH your love of great cars and great bars at the same time?
The Peter Salerno Inc. showroom at 511 Goffle Road in Wyckoff, NJ, is home to some extraordinary, award-winning kitchen and bath designs. One of the most beloved pieces in Peter’s showroom was the 1959 Corvette that has been transformed into a fully mechanized wet bar, complete with working headlights, custom sink and faucet, glassware, and an industrial toolbox that doubles as a working refrigerator.
Check out the video of the most amazing bar in the world:
The Peter Salerno 1959 Corvette bar is the perfect way to showcase its Man Cave Classics line, and how Peter Salerno Inc. can transform your den or living area into a truly magnificent, one-of-a-kind man cave that will be the envy of your friends and loved ones.
Want to know more about how Peter Salerno Inc. can build the custom bar of your dreams? Do you want to take your man cave to the next level? Fill out the contact form below for more information on this amazing ’59 Corvette bar and the rest of Peter Salerno’s Man Cave Classics collection!
Cooking in An Award-Winning Design Showroom Kitchen
It’s one thing to have one of the most respected kitchen design showrooms in America. It’s another thing entirely when you can actually cook world-class meals in that showroom!
The team at Peter Salerno Inc. recently celebrated the holiday season with an office party and beautiful Italian meal. The food was prepared by Peter Salerno and his team in their own showroom, using state-of-the-art appliances in their fully functional showpiece La Cornue kitchen.
The kitchen design, which features a La Cornue Grand Palais range and Flamberge rotisserie, exudes elegance from every angle. From the stunning statement island to the recessed tin ceiling adorned with Swarovski crystal, the kitchen is truly the centerpiece of the showroom.
Peter Salerno Inc.’s Wyckoff, New Jersey showroom was named Most Innovative Small Showroom at KBIS 2015 (the world’s largest design convention hosted by the NKBA). In March 2020, Peter Salerno will serve as one of KBIS’ judges for the 2020 Innovative Showroom contest.
A peek inside Peter Salerno Inc.’s 2015 Most Innovative Showroom.
The Peter Salerno Inc. holiday party menu included imported Italian pasta and a choice of two homemade sauces, each prepared by Peter Salerno himself. Add in Peter’s design family, his nuclear and extended family, and his beautiful grandchildren, and it was a celebration to remember!
As with everything at the Peter Salerno Inc. offices and showroom in Wyckoff, NJ, the meal and celebration were a team effort.
If Peter Salerno Inc. will create this kitchen design (and several others) for his design showroom, imagine what he can do for your home kitchen design! Visit the official website of the most award-winning American kitchen and bath designer of the 21st century and say hello!
From Peter Salerno’s Kitchen: Homemade Cavatelli Recipe [PHOTOS]
Peter Salerno’s Personal Recipe for Homemade Cavatelli
Peter Salerno’s ingredients list for his secret family homemade cavatelli recipe!
With the holidays in full swing, Peter Salerno and his family are spending more and more time in his custom designed, award-winning kitchens than ever. But sometimes instead of designing kitchens, Peter is at home in his own kitchen designing authentic, homemade Italian meals.
Recently, Peter and his family (wife Tracy, son Anthony and daughter-in-law Eve, daughter Gabrielle and son-in-law Brian) gathered for a delicious homemade Italian dinner, which included the Salerno family recipe for the perfect cavatelli.
Now, the Salerno family recipe for cavatelli is supposed to be a well-kept secret – but it’s the holidays, and Peter Salerno felt like sharing just a “little bit” of the family recipe. (Just like his award-winning kitchen designs: what good are they if they’re not shared with others?)
So Peter’s sharing his surprisingly simple list of ingredients for the perfect homemade cavatelli recipe with you here, as well as some pictures from his preparation of the dish. As for the preparation steps themselves? Well, those may have to come at another time. After all, Peter’s parents might have something to say about that!
Peter Salerno’s Homemade Cavatelli Recipe Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. ricotta cheese
From humble beginnings as strips of homemade dough on the Salerno kitchen counter…
The beginnings of Peter Salerno’s delicious homemade cavatelli recipe begin to take shape (literally!)…
Design Your Lifestyle. 