I’ve been travelling a lot lately, and to make the best of it I try to visit good cocktail bars. And when I visit a good cocktail bar, I have a couple of cocktails – you know, just to be sure I’m getting into the feel of the bar. In the name of research and all that. I decide on my favourite cocktail, then… then, I play the Canberra card.
“So, do you think you would mind showing me how to make that?” <careful pause> “because I’m from Canberra, and there aren’t any good cocktail bars in Canberra.”*
*this is a factually true statement
Which is how I got this recipe for a damn near perfect autumn cocktail from the lovely bartender at Go Go Bar in Melbourne. Actually, it is perfect and we’ve been drinking them every week since I’ve been back from Melbourne. And in case you were wondering, yes I do think it is better than the traditional pisco sour.
Now, most people I know don’t have Pisco or Amaro in their bar, so it will likely cost you $80 worth of alcohol upfront, but dare I say it – it is totally worth it. This drink has been a staple since we discovered it, right up there with G&Ts and negronis. Like all good cocktails, it’s only bad side is that it is a little too easy to drink.
- 30ml Amaro Montegro
- 30ml Pisco Control
- 20-25ml sugar syrup (preferably cinnamon infused)
- 30ml fresh lemon juice
- dash of bitters
- ½ egg white
- ground cinnamon, for garnish
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously; you want the egg white to froth up.
- Add ice to the shaker and shake again, to chill.
- Pour into a glass (with the ice) and here's where it gets fancy - if you have a blow torch, turn it on full blast and position it just over the glass, then sprinkle a dusting of ground cinnamon through the flame. This quickly toasts the spice so that you get the smell of cinnamon every time you take a sip. Don't worry if you don't have one though, just dust with ground cinnamon.
what sort of bitters?
Hi Simon, sorry for the late reply – the notes say old-fashioned bitters but I don’t have a bitters collection (yet!) so I’ve just used regular bottle shop bitters. Hope that helps!