Ingredients
- 3/4 ozFresh Lemon JuiceFresh squeezedSubstitute: Meyer lemon
- 1 1/2 ozAngostura BittersUsed as base spirit
- 1/2 ozRye WhiskeySmall amount for depthSubstitute: Bourbon acceptable
- 1 ozOrgeat SyrupAlmond syrupSubstitute: Homemade orgeat preferred
Instructions
- Add 1 1/2 oz Angostura bitters, 1 oz orgeat syrup, and 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice to shaker
- Add 1/2 oz rye whiskey for depth
- Fill with ice and shake vigorously
- Double strain into chilled coupe glass
- Express lemon peel oils over drink
Technique Notes
An ounce and a half of bitters per serving is the base spirit here, so shake it properly cold. Under-shaken this is medicinal rather than balanced.
Why the Trinidad Sour Works
Inverting the role of bitters from accent to base spirit only works because orgeat's almond fat coats the palate against the gentian onslaught, and lemon cuts the medicinal edge. The 1/2 oz of rye per serving is structural — just enough alcohol to carry the bitters' aromatics without letting the drink read as syrup.
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Featured Recipe Collections
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Four modern American drinks. The Trinidad Sour pours an ounce and a half of Angostura as its base; chocolate and black walnut bitters recast the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned; the Paper Plane splits equal parts bourbon, Aperol and Amaro Nonino.
Essential Bitters Cocktails
Ten drinks, and the bitter ingredient does a different job from one to the next. In the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan it is a seasoning, a couple of dashes to sharpen the spirit. In the Negroni and the Boulevardier it carries the drink. In the Sazerac it sets the flavour the rest of the drink is built around, with rye and absinthe behind it. In the Trinidad Sour it is the base spirit itself. Four jobs, one kind of ingredient.