Country: Italy 

ABV:  40 proof/20% 

Brand: Apertivo Brand 

Spirits Type: Amaro/Aperitif & Vermouth 

Taste:  Balanced, Candied Citrus Peel, Spicy, Floral, Herbal Bittersweet 

Price Category: $$ 

Bergamont and Sicilian citron peel essential oils are released via a cold press method called "sfumatura".  They are then macerated with a number of other essential oils, floral herbs and spices and blended with a neutral Italian spirit.  It is filtered and then fortified with unrefined sugar and water.  This process results is a delicious blend of complex flavors that makes this spirit almost a wild card of flavors when mixing with other spirits.  Floral, herbal, sweet and bitter, and this spirit has a pleasant and citrusy lingering flavor due to the use of essential oils.  

Country: Italy 

ABV: 46 proof/23% 

Brand: Montenegro S.R.L 

Spirits Type: Amaro, Aperitif & Vermouth 

Taste: A balance of bittersweet herbs, vanilla, and citrus 

Price Category: $$ 

Characterized as a bitter liqueur, it is a blend of sweet and bitter oranges, 40 different herbs, an no added sweeteners.  The result is a mildly bittersweet liqueur with lightly vegetal and warming spice notes.

Country: United States 

ABV:  70 Proof/35% 

Brand: Jim Beam 

Spirits Type: Flavored Whiskey 

Taste: Light honey and floral notes with vanilla and syrupy texture 

Price Category: $ 

Rosemary is fresh, savory, and herbal because of this, rosemary works really well with spirits that have a  high-spirited spice and citrus, clean flavor.  Putting it in a syrup further balances and fresh, savory flavor with an equal parts spirit. 

To Make Rosemary Simple Syrup: 

6 oz (180mL) Water 

.25 cup (15 g) Fresh Rosemary 

.5 cup (100 g) White Cane Sugar 

Combine Water, Sugar and Rosemary in a jar.  Shake to combine.  Leave at room temperature in a dark place for 48 hours.  Shaking occasionally to stir.   

9 proof/4.5% ABV 

Fee Brothers 

Made with natural and artificial flavors, these Rhubarb bitters bring a lot of lingering flavor to the front  of the palate.  A light vegetal flavor with hints of fennel and a berry sweet scent.  These bitters have almost no color  or alcohol content so several dashes will not have any effect on the cocktail color bite or bitterness, which could be surprising for rhubarb.  

5-6% acidity 

Less acidic than lime juice, lemon juice will add enough acidity to brighten flavors without overpowering when balanced with sweetness.   Usually our preference when needing acid to emulsify with egg white,  aquafaba or cream. 

An Egg White Substitute for cocktails.  Aquafaba offers a silky texture that is slightly savory and can be aerated or shaken to create a cocktail foam.   

To Make It: 

1- 15 oz can Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas 1  

 barspoon Cream of Tartar   

Strain out the chickpeas using a fine mesh strainer. Pour chickpea brine in a clean and dry condiment bottle, add 1 tsp cream of tartar and stir gently to combine. Seal and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. * A note on using aquafaba for cocktails: Gently swirl prepared aquafaba before use to redistribute the settled cream of tartar; acid such as citrus juice will be necessary for frothing emulsion.  

A grass-like herb grown in South and Southeast Asia.  This sweet grass has notes of vanilla, rose and almond with a touch of cream.   Used in a lot of Asian desserts, Pandan is growing in popularity in both world cuisines and cocktails.