Red Spot Recipe

Prepare and combine

Chill a coupe or rocks glass by filling with ice water; set aside. In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, Campari, fresh lemon juice, grenadine, simple syrup and egg white (if using).

Dry shake (if using egg white)

If you included egg white, seal the shaker and shake vigorously without ice for 10–15 seconds to emulsify and develop a silky foam.

Wet shake

Add ice to the shaker (about 1 cup). Seal and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is very cold and slightly frosted.

Strain and serve

Discard the ice water from the chilled glass, then double-strain the drink through a fine mesh into the glass to remove small ice shards and any remaining solids. The drink should be a bright red color with a light foam if egg white was used.

Finish

Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters on top of the foam (if present) and, using a toothpick, create a small pattern if desired. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a lemon twist expressed over the surface and placed on the rim.

If you prefer a less sweet or less bitter profile, adjust grenadine and Campari by 0.25 oz increments. For a lighter cocktail, reduce vodka to 1.5 oz and increase lemon juice to 1 oz.

To make simple syrup: combine equal parts sugar and water, heat until sugar dissolves, then cool. Store refrigerated up to 2 weeks.

If you prefer not to use raw egg white, substitute 0.5 oz aquafaba (chickpea brine) and follow the same dry + wet shake steps for foam.