Recipe
- 1.5oz Cognac
- .75oz Amaro Lucano
- .75oz fresh lemon juice
- .25oz vanilla syrup (can sub with a rich 2:1 sugar syrup*)
- Wedge of a ripe (Bartlett) pear
- Dash of orange bitters
- Cinnamon stick
Shake all ingredients (except the cinnamon) with ice, then double strain into a coupe. Grab your flame torch to smoke a cinnamon stick and set it over top.
*To make the rich sugar syrup, dissolve 2 parts of sugar into 1 part hot water (i.e. 1 cup of sugar to 1/2 half of hot water)
About
I’ve said this plenty of times, but smoked cinnamon is a game changer. Not only does it look pretty cool, it smells HEAVENLY and will totally elevate a drink…such as this deeeeliciously refreshing summer-meets-autumn Amaro Lucano sour!
Cinnamon is a perfect complement to the lovely Amaro Lucano – one of the most well-known and well-loved bittersweet liqueurs which you’ll easily find on the shelf of any cafe or bar across Italy. I find a notable cinnamon flavor amongst its elaborate profile of orange, cola, eucalyptus, earthy roots, and other difficult-to-describe flavors, and though overall the taste is complex and bitter, it’s actually very approachable and easy to love even for those who are newer to the amaro category of liqueurs. Plus, it’s a versatile ingredient for cocktails – check out other Lucano recipe ideas here!
The typical Sour cocktail template uses a spirit, citrus, and a sweetener. The addition of the amaro here really takes this up a notch providing a serious spice kick in an otherwise mellow combo of Cognac, sweet pear, and lemon. The bitterness adds the perfect contrast that transforms this drink from familiar to engaging. Give this a try!
*this is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own*