Almond Brother

Last week I mentioned a cocktail recipe from the Death & Co book that showed me how well tequila and amaretto can work together, so I figured this week I ought to share it! I give you the Almond Brother. I think amaretto is a seriously underestimated cocktail ingredient. Sure, it's crazy sweet, but it can add such great flavor to a cocktail in small quantities. This one ramps up the almond flavor with some sweet, nutty orgeat as well.

Apricot really compliments amaretto, and this isn't the first time I've used them together. Unfortunately I still don't have a bottle of apricot liqueur - I had plans to finally buy some on my last trip to the liquor store, but they didn't have any. Soon! But until then, my usual substitute of apricot preserves seems to work quite well.

This cocktail smells heavenly, like almonds and citrus with hints of vanilla. Kind of like a citrus pound cake. But the nutty angel's food flavor of the amaretto and orgeat is tempered by the tequila and lime for a perfect balance of sweet and sour. It's one of those cocktails where the ingredients really sing.

History: This recipe was created at Death & Co in new york by Jason Littrell in 2011. Though the Death & Co book doesn't specify, it's pretty clear that the name is a reference to the Allman Brothers band.

Almond Brother

2 oz. tequila reposado
1/4 oz. amaretto
1 tsp. apricot liqueur (or 1/2 tsp. apricot preserves)
3/4 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. orgeat
1/4 oz. maple syrup (I used Noble Chamomile & Vanilla)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe. No garnish.

Recipe from Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails.

Gold Lion

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the Black Cloud Bitters Giveaway last week! We've already contacted our winner - congratulations, Ashley! I can't wait to see what cocktails you make with the sampler set. And if you didn't win this time, don't worry - I'm hoping to do more giveaways with Muddle & Stir in the future, so stick around!

Now on to today's cocktail! I'm pretty obsessed with this one, primarily because of the garnish. It all started with a bottle of tequila reposado that the fine folks at Gran Centenario sent me. In addition to having a pretty drop-dead gorgeous bottle, this tequila has a very distinct, smoky agave flavor that really comes through in cocktails where other tequilas might get a bit lost. I had a lot of fun experimenting with it.

During the course of my attempt to make basically every cocktail from the Death & Co book, I came across the Almond Brother, a really delicious tequila cocktail with amaretto as its second ingredient. I've only used amaretto once before on the blog, but it's a liqueur that I have a real soft spot for. I love the almond flavor, and used sparingly in cocktails, it can be quite a delicious and unexpected addition. It also goes surprisingly well with tequila. I particularly like it in this cocktail with the Gran Centenario, because I think it does a nice job of softening the sharp edges of the agave. Along with some lime, maraschino liqueur, and El Guapo Polynesian Kiss Bitters (you can sub mole or citrus bitters), the Gold Lion has a strong, smoky agave flavor with hints of nuttiness and cherry. I named it for its color (after a song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and could resist using some edible gold leaf I bought on the dried lime garnish.

Gold Lion

1 1/2 oz. tequila reposado (I used Gran Centenario)
3/4 oz. amaretto
1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
3/4 oz. lime
1 dash El Guapo Polynesian Kiss bitters (sub mole or citrus bitters)

Italian 57

Has there ever been a cocktail as pretty as the Italian 57? I had so much fun taking pictures of it. I couldn't seem to get a bad shot. And it tastes just as bright and beautiful and eclectic as it looks.

It was the photo of the Italian 57 on Imbibe's website that first made me put it on my list, quite some time ago. I'm not sure I would have gone for a cocktail with amaretto as its main ingredient if I hadn't seen the beautiful pink hue and fun garnish. It looks like it has since been removed; I had to hunt it down on Pinterest so that I could properly replicate the look of the blood orange and rosemary.

Everything about the Italian 57 is lovely. It's very aromatic, with the beautiful scent of amaretto and rosemary filling your nose with every sip. First you taste sweet almond and blood orange, and then you're hit by the sharp tartness of the lemon and marmalade. It's a remarkably crafted cocktail with a very unique flavor. The one thing I don't understand is the gin. Is 1/4 oz. really adding much to the finished product? I suppose I'll have to make one without it, or maybe with more of it, to figure out how it fits in.

I did increase the amount of sparkling rosé in the recipe, from 1/4 oz. to 3/4 oz. Without it, the flavor was so incredibly sweet and tart that it was almost overwhelming. I found that a bit more rosé helped to space it all out on your tongue.

History: The Italian 57 was the winner of the 2011 Disaronno Mixing Star Competition. It was developed by Chicago bartender Debbi Peek.

Italian 57

1 oz. amaretto (Disaronno recommended)
1/4 oz. gin
1 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. blood orange juice
1 barspoon orange marmalade
10 fresh rosemary needles
3/4 oz. sparkling rosé (Martini & Rossi recommended)

In the bottom of a shaker, muddle orange juice, blood orange juice, marmalade, and rosemary. Add gin and amaretto. Fill with ice and shake until chilled. Double-strain into a cocktail or coupe glass and top with the sparkling rosé. Garnish with a blood orange wheel and a sprig of rosemary.

Recipe adapted from Imbibe.