Bensonhurst
A Brooklyn riff that turned Cynar into a serious whiskey cocktail modifier.
The Method
How to make it
- 01
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
- 02
Stir for 25 seconds until well chilled and silky.
- 03
Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
- 04
No garnish — or express a lemon twist over the top and discard it.
Bartender's Tip
Don't substitute bourbon. The cocktail's tension comes from rye's spice cutting through Cynar's vegetal sweetness — bourbon makes it cloying.
A Little History
Created by bartender Chad Solomon at Pegu Club in New York in the mid-2000s, the Bensonhurst was designed as a riff on the Brooklyn using Cynar in place of the nearly-extinct Amer Picon. It's now considered the standard-bearer for the Brooklyn family in modern American bartending.
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One short Friday dispatch: a bottle worth buying, a cocktail worth mixing, and a little Italian history.
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