Dirty Birdy Recipe

Chill glass

Place a rocks glass in the freezer for a few minutes or fill it with ice and water while you prepare the drink to chill the glass.

Build and stir

Add 2 oz rye whiskey, 0.5 oz dark rum, 0.5 oz sweet vermouth, 2 dashes chocolate bitters, 1 dash orange bitters, and 0.25 oz simple syrup into a mixing glass filled with ice.

Stir until properly diluted

Stir vigorously with a bar spoon for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 full rotations) until the outside of the mixing glass is well chilled and slightly frosted. This chills and dilutes the spirit-forward cocktail to balance.

Prepare glass

If you used ice and water to chill the glass, dump that out now. Add one large clear ice cube (or fresh ice) to the chilled rocks glass.

Strain

Double-strain the mixture from the mixing glass into the prepared rocks glass over the large ice cube using a Hawthorne or julep strainer (a fine mesh is optional if there are small ice chips).

Express and garnish

Take a fresh lemon peel, gently squeeze it skin-side down over the drink to express the oils, then run the peel around the rim and drop it into the drink as garnish.

Serve

Serve immediately. Recommend tasting and adjusting future versions by varying the dark rum from 0.25–0.75 oz or the simple syrup to preference for sweetness.

If you prefer a slightly sweeter, richer profile, increase sweet vermouth to 0.75 oz and reduce simple syrup accordingly. For a smokier note, swap rye for a high-rye bourbon or add an additional dash of chocolate bitters.