SERVES 2
A film about an Italian professor who falls in love with his American assistant … The title lends itself to this cocktail because rye whiskey is as quintessential a spirit to America as amaro is to Italy. The amaro softens the bite of the rye, the chamomile adds smooth floral notes, while the bitters balance the sweet vanilla.
As the drink’s creator, Jess Goldfarb, says, “The Amore Americano is perfect for CRU because, as a lighter whiskey cocktail, it drinks just as well during the day as it does at sunset or into the night hours.”
INGREDIENTS
Large (2-inch square) ice cubes
4 ounces Chamomile-Infused Rye (recipe follows)
½ ounce Montenegro Amaro
½ ounce Vanilla Bean Syrup (recipe follows)
3 dashes aromatic bitters
2 strips lemon zest, twisted
Add ice cubes to two rocks glasses. Combine the rye, Montenegro Amaro, vanilla syrup, and bitters in a pitcher, mix well, and divide among the glasses. Garnish each drink with a fresh lemon twist and serve.
MAKES 1 QUART
If you’re not a fan of chamomile, skip this step and simply use rye whiskey; you’ll still have a delicious cocktail.
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup loose-leaf chamomile tea
4 cups Old Overholt Rye (or rye whiskey of your choice)
Place the chamomile leaves in a 1-quart container or sealable jar. Pour in the rye. Cover and let infuse for 3 hours. Strain the infusion through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a container and discard the chamomile.
THE RIGHT GLASSWARE
A collection of a few highball, old-fashioned, rocks, coupe, and martini glasses will put you in good shape to serve virtually any cocktail. Cocktail recipes will always specify the type of glass a drink should be served in; using the right glass shows off the drink’s color, properly holds the volume of a single serving, and in the case of stemware like a coupe or martini glass, keeps your hands from warming the icy-cold but “straight-up” concoction.
MAKES 4 CUPS
INGREDIENTS
1 vanilla bean
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the inside into a medium saucepan; add the sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. When the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Let cool at room temperature. Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for 24 hours. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the vanilla bean, and refrigerate until ready to use.
ICE RULES
Automatic ice makers in refrigerators for the home kitchen are notorious for producing ice with an off-taste. Use that ice for chilling a bottle of wine or champagne in an ice bucket, or for filling a tub designed to hold bottles of beer at a cookout, but not for making cocktails or serving a drink on the rocks. Invest in some good-quality ice-cube trays with lids and keep at least three in your freezer, fresh and ready to use. You’ll find plenty to choose from, particularly at shops that specialize in kitchen and bar tools. In addition to trays that make the standard one-inch by two-inch rectangular cube, there are ice cube trays that make large (two-inch by two-inch) squares, trays that produce large spheres of ice, or star- or other novelty-shaped ice. When a drink is served on the rocks, the size and shape of the ice makes a visual impression. The important thing, though, is that your ice is fresh and flavorless.