Cappelletti Smash — A muddled lemon smash built on a wine-based aperitivo rather than a spirit

Cappelletti Smash

A muddled lemon smash built on a wine-based aperitivo rather than a spirit

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Ingredients

  • 2 ozAperitivo Cappelletti
    The base spirit here, not a modifier
    Substitute: Another wine-based red aperitivo
  • 1/2 wholeLemon
    Half a lemon, muddled rind and all
  • 2 tspSugar
    Granulated, muddled into the lemon first
    Substitute: Simple syrup, though it dilutes further

Instructions

  1. Muddle half a lemon with 2 tsp sugar in a shaker

    Rind and all; the peel oil is what carries the sugar

  2. Add 2 oz Aperitivo Cappelletti and ice, then shake
  3. Pour unstrained into a rocks glass

    The lemon and the ice shards go in with it

  4. Garnish with a sprig of mint

Technique Notes

Muddle the lemon half rind and all, not just the juice. The oil in the peel is what carries the sugar into a low-proof drink; press the flesh alone and the sweetness sits on top with nothing to hold it.

Why the Cappelletti Smash Works

Most smashes are built on whiskey or gin and the sugar is there to soften the proof. Here the base is seventeen percent and vinous, so the sugar has a different job: it gives the lemon something to hold onto in a drink with almost no spirit weight of its own.