Angeleno Heights — A Californian amaro standing in for the vermouth in a whiskey cocktail

Angeleno Heights

A Californian amaro standing in for the vermouth in a whiskey cocktail

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 2 ozBourbon Whiskey
    Or rye, if you want the spice to answer the sage
    Substitute: Rye whiskey
  • 2 dashesAromatic Bitters
    Holding the whiskey and the amaro together
    Substitute: Any aromatic bitters
  • 1 ozAmaro Angeleno
    Standing where the sweet vermouth would be
    Substitute: Another California amaro

Instructions

  1. Add 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz Amaro Angeleno and 2 dashes aromatic bitters to a mixing glass
  2. Fill with ice and stir until cold
  3. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass

    Fresh ice; the cubes you stirred with have given up what they had

  4. Express an orange twist over the surface

Technique Notes

Stir and strain onto fresh ice rather than building it over the cubes you stirred with. Three ounces of spirit and no sugar means the only variable is dilution, and the ice that chilled it has already given up what it had.

Why the Angeleno Heights Works

Sweet vermouth in a whiskey cocktail brings fruit and a little sugar. Angeleno brings sage and bay instead, so the drink comes out drier and more savoury, and the Angostura is doing more work than it usually has to.