Locanda's Summer Sipper

Hotelier Robert De Niro.

The Greenwich Hotel patio.

Robert De Niro's hotel in Tribeca, The Greenwich, is an inconspicuous magnet for his show business pals and anyone seeking a bit of privacy and a lot of comfort in Manhattan. De Niro's art is behind the reception desk and the work of other artists takes the hostelry above the average. Locanda is the "house" restaurant and a must-try for gourmets.The clubby library bar and the patio, an oasis of brick and greenery, are reserved for hotel guests.

Normally.

Fellow travel writer Carol Timblin and I rendezvoused with our dear friend, Stefan Elfenbein, a stellar travel and food writer from Berlin, and his friend Uwe in Manhattan recently. Stefan arranged for us to sample the seasonal libations in The Greenwich patio.

These creations are developed from established recipes with a Greenwich/Locanda twist.

My favorite, the Tre Sette Sette, is their take on a 377, or warm weather house martini with fresh fennel and lemon.

Wow your friends by dropping a few names and shaking this one up for them.

Locanda Tre Sette Sette

1/2 oz. simple syrup, muddled with fresh diced fennel
2 oz. Plymouth gin
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. Strega
1/2 bar spoon of Pernod
Shake, strain, serve up in a martini glass, garnish with a piece of fennel frond.

Sip away and tell them De Niro sent it.