Bitter Giuseppe
A stirred drink that is essentially Cynar and vermouth — but engineered to perfection.
The Method
How to make it
- 01
Chill a coupe (or grab a rocks glass with a large cube).
- 02
Combine Cynar, vermouth, lemon juice, and orange bitters in a mixing glass with ice.
- 03
Stir for 25 seconds.
- 04
Strain into the chilled coupe (or over ice).
- 05
Express a lemon peel over the surface and drop it in.
Bartender's Tip
Do not skimp on the orange bitters. Six dashes from a dasher top (Regan's or Angostura Orange) is the entire bridge between the Cynar and the vermouth.
A Little History
Created in 2007 by Stephen Cole at The Violet Hour in Chicago, who named it after his friend Joe Briglio. The recipe looks unbalanced on paper — six dashes of orange bitters? — but every element lands exactly where it should. Widely considered the best Cynar cocktail ever invented.
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The Bitter Brief
One short Friday dispatch: a bottle worth buying, a cocktail worth mixing, and a little Italian history.
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