Meletti Swizzle — A rum swizzle built on the sweetest of the Italian amari, over crushed ice

Meletti Swizzle

A rum swizzle built on the sweetest of the Italian amari, over crushed ice

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 1/2 ozLime Juice
    Fresh
  • 2 dashesOrange Bitters
    Over the top before swizzling
    Substitute: Regans' Orange No. 6
  • 1 1/2 ozAmaro Meletti
    The base, and the heaviest thing in the glass
    Substitute: Another sweet caramel-led amaro
  • 6 leavesMint Leaves
    In the glass before the ice
  • 1 ozAged Rum
    A Jamaican or blended aged rum

Instructions

  1. Put 6 mint leaves in the base of a Collins glass
  2. Add 1 1/2 oz Amaro Meletti, 1 oz aged rum and 1/2 oz lime juice, then fill with crushed ice
  3. Swizzle from the bottom until the glass frosts, then top with more crushed ice

    Work the stick at the base; the amaro is the heaviest thing in the glass

  4. Add 2 dashes orange bitters over the top and garnish with a sprig of mint

Technique Notes

Swizzle from the bottom, not the top. The amaro is heavier than the rum and the lime, and a stick worked only at the surface leaves the last third of the glass tasting like the first third of a different drink.

Why the Meletti Swizzle Works

Meletti is caramel, anise and saffron, and it is sweet enough that a stirred drink built on it cloys within three sips. Crushed ice and lime are the fix: continuous dilution and real acid, which is exactly what the swizzle format exists to provide.