If you’ve been keeping abreast of the last few eNewsletters, you’ll have seen that we’ve covered a months worth of liqueurs. Each of these has its place not only in the bartender’s shelf, but during the course of a meal.
Our first liqueur is Amaretto DiSaronno, a creation that was allegedly created as a reward from a model to a painter who used her as the model for the Virgin Mary. This all happened for the monastery at Saronno.
While it can be imbibed by itself, the most common use of Amaretto is in an amaretto sour. Simply pour one and a half ounces of Amaretto and top with Sour mix. Other drinks include:
- 2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
- 3 oz orange juice
- 3 oz club soda
- 1 dash grenadine syrup
Fill a tall glass with crushed ice. Pour the amaretto over the ice then slowly add the orange juice and top with club soda to form layers. Add a dash of grenadine and garnish with a cherry and orange slice.
- 3 ounces Disaronno
- 2 ounces milk
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
Place all ingredients in a blender with a cup of crushed ice. Blend until smooth.
- 1 1/2 oz amaretto almond liqueur
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- club soda
Pour amaretto and lime juice over ice in a collins glass. Fill with club soda and serve.
The next liqueur on our tour of Italian liqueurs is Galliano. This liqueur was named after the famous officer of the first Italo-Ethopian War. It is said that his small brigade held the line against insurmountable odds. It’s known for being a long, thin bottle, usually placed at the back of the bar display.
Sloe Comfortable Screw Against the Wall
- 1 oz vodka
- Half ounce Sloe Gin
- Half ounce Southern Comfort
- Fill with Orange Juice
- Float (using the underside of a spoon) half ounce of Galliano
Combine ingrediants, float galliano. Note that there are many variations and additions. Some include a “screw with a bang”, which adds a half ounce of overproof rum (Bacardi 151), a screw “against a cold, hard wall”, which includes making the drink over ice with overproof rum and the “screw with a kiss”, with a half ounce of the aforementioned Amaretto.
- 3 parts vodka
- 1 part galliano
- Fill with Orange Juice
- 1-2 ounces Galliano
- Top with Root Beer
Campari is a household name in Italian liqueurs, not only as it’s the name of the company that produces numerous aperitifs, but also due to it’s namesake drink. Campari is best served as an aperitif, or a drink to be imbibed before eating, thus spurring digestion.
- 1 oz Campari
- 2 oz pomegranate juice
- 2 ounces grapefruit juice
- Grapefruit twist for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add Campari, pomegranate juice, and grapefruit juice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with grapefruit twist.
- 1 1/2 ounces gin
- 3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 ounce Campari
- 1/4 ounce Cointreau
Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake well for 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass; garnish with a lemon twist.
- 1-2 oz Campari
- orange
- tablespoon brown sugar
- orange juice
- ice
Prepare the drink in a tall glass. Place orange and brown sugar in the glass and crush to a pulp. Add crushed ice. Add the Campari and orange juice, and gently stir. Garnish with a red cherry.
Aperol, another Campari brand, is Campani’s younger sibling. While an orange liqueur, Aperol is just as sweet as Campari, but with less alcohol.
- 1.5 oz bourbon
- 1 oz Aperol
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- Dash Angostura bitters
- Soda Water
- Lemon wheel and mint for garnish
Combine first four ingrediants. Shake that all up hard, then strain it into a tall glass with ice. Add 2 ounces of soda, and garnish with a lemon wheel and mint sprig. Pro tip: Gently slap that mint on your hand a few times to release its aromatic oils before using it to garnish.
- 1.5 oz Cachaca (Boca Loca)
- 1.5 oz Aperol
- 1.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
- Lemon – peel, for garnish
Stir cachaca, Aperol and sweet vermouth with ice in a mixing glass.
Strain into a rocks glass full of ice.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Note: Cachaca is the brazilian take on rum. If cachaca is unavailable, a premium white rum can be substituted.
- 2 oz Reposado Tequila
- .5 oz Dry Vermouth
- .5 oz Sweet Vermouth
- .5 – 1 oz Aperol
- Dash of Angostura Bitters
- Garnish with lemon peel
Combine ingrediants into a shaker, shake and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish. Your mileage may vary, and you may want to adjust the levels of tequila and aperol based on tastes.