If you’re into cocktails, it’s likely you’ve come across the amaro Cynar—either on menus or in your drink. There’s a global resurgence in the popularity of amaros, a sub-genre of bitters, extending beyond the Aperol Spritz…
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by Paul Cantagallo As the dubious figure of the “mixologist” continues to get promoted on shows like Portlandia and in music video spoofs, a new generation of bartenders are looking for inspiration in, of all places, the kitchen. Among them is Gabriella Mlynarczyk of the restaurant ink. in Los Angeles….
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Brooklyn bartender Sam Anderson whips up summer in a glass with Tanqueray
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In the spirit of winding up or down with Tanqueray this summer, we enlisted Brooklyn-based bartender Sam Anderson to concoct the ideal drink to kick off the night.
“Structurally, the Vanishing Point is in line with a classic gin gimlet—really refreshing—with elements of the Ramos gin fizz,” says Anderson of the off-menu tipple he serves to his discerning regulars. Incorporating a sophisticated mix of special ingredients like sea salt (“it enhances the refreshing quality of a drink, and tends to be totally overlooked in the cocktail palette”) and cinnamon (“it’s one of the less forward botanicals in gin”) with the acidity of the citrus, Anderson’s drink conjures up summer in a glass. “Something strange happens to the texture,” he says, likening it to ice cream, but infinitely lighter. Living up to its name, the ultra-fresh beverage had us ready to let go for the night at first sip.
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz cinnamon-vanilla bean syrup
1 1/4 oz Tanqueray® London Dry Gin
A dash of orange blossom water
A pinch of sea salt
Shake all ingredients and serve on the rocks with a twist of lemon and grated cinnamon. For cinnamon-vanilla bean syrup, peel vanilla bean from inside the stalk. Crush 3 cinnamon sticks with mortar & pestle. Bring 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar to boil and add cinnamon and vanilla. Simmer for 5 minutes and store for 24 hours. Strain and bottle (Can be kept refrigerated for 2 weeks).
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.
TANQUERAY London Dry Gin. 100% Grain Neutral Spirits. 47.3% Alc/Vol. ©2012 Imported by Charles Tanqueray & Co., Norwalk, CT.
PDT’s Jim Meehan mixed the perfect Manhattan
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We recently hosted a series of parties in five U.S. cities to bring the Subpop Showcase at SXSW to those that couldn’t make the trip to Austin. To ensure the highest level of sophistication to the bar, we enlisted our friend Jim Meehan of NYC’s famed speakeasy PDT to mix something special. As a pioneer in the mixology movement and author of The PDT Cocktail Book, Meehan fit the bill to concoct our very own signature cocktail.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, Meehan drew on his classic style and the event at hand for inspiration. With a Kentucky Rye and orange bitters, Meehan just slightly dressed up the classic Manhattan. Meehan describes it as “a Perfect Manhattan—made with both sweet and dry vermouth—that takes cues from MasterCard’s logo in the garnish: an orange disc and brandied cherry.”
2 oz. Bulleit Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz. Vya Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz. Vya Sweet Vermouth
2 Dashes of Miracle Mile Bergamot Orange Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe
Pinch an orange twist over the surface of the drink then affix it to a cocktail pick with a brandied cherry.
Photography by Nick Brown
Two outstanding bitters options for excellent cocktails
Nothing soothes the soul in the frigid winter months like a properly composed cocktail. Even if you are lucky enough to reside in a warmer climate it is essential to have the right ingredients on hand when mixing your elixir. The strategic use of a good bitter can make a delicious spirit really sing, and, after scouting the scene for the past few months, we have turned up two outstanding bitters brands that are sure to enhance any booze-based concoction.
Scrappy’s Bitters out of Seattle, WA provide a delightful addition when mixing it up. Handcrafted in small batches by bitters enthusiast and bartender Miles Thomas, the old-fashioned compositions pack extraordinary flavor and depth. With flavors ranging from celery to lime, Thomas’ line is sure to offer an iteration to match any profile. Each ingredient is hand-processed by Thomas and mixed with a blend of herbs and spices that gives his bitters an edge a true cocktail craftsman can appreciate.
We discovered this second outstanding small-batch bitters company during a recent visit to Chicago’s Dose Market. Bittercube slow-crafts their bitters in a two-month process to deliver fantastic flavor profiles with a huge variety of options. Founded by bartenders Nicholas Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz, the brand has evolved since 2009, with the two combining their knowledge and skills to perfect the formulas behind their macerated delicacies. From the Bolivar, which contains cassis chamomile, to the Blackstrap’s mix of molasses and sarsparilla, Bittercube flavors add great texture and complexity to a drink.
Scrappy’s Bitters are available at a variety of retailers in the USA, Europe and Canada while Bittercube’s product can be purchased from their website.
Our behind-the-scenes video inside the lab of London’s premier mixologist
Renowned as one of the pioneers of advanced mixology, London’s Tony Conigliaro is an expert on flavors, aromas and ingredient pairings. Conigliaro creates his concoctions in a lab above his bar, 69 Colebrooke Row, using modern scientific tools to achieve spectacular results. We recently caught up with the famed bartender, who gave us a tour of his lab and shared some insight into how amazing cocktails come to be.
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