Soby’s Art Of The Cocktail Recipe

Measure and combine

Chill an Old Fashioned glass (rocks glass) with ice or place in freezer for a few minutes. In a mixing glass, add 2 oz bourbon, 0.75 oz sweet vermouth, 0.5 oz Campari, and 0.25 oz orange curaçao.

Add 0.25 oz fresh orange juice and 0.25 tsp simple syrup to balance bitterness and add a subtle brightness.

Add 2 dashes Angostura bitters and 1 dash orange bitters to the mixing glass.

Fill the mixing glass with plenty of ice (small cubes or crushed) so the liquid chills quickly and dilutes correctly.

Stir the mixture with a bar spoon for 30–40 seconds (about 20–30 full rotations) until the outside of the mixing glass becomes frosty and the cocktail is properly chilled and slightly diluted.

Taste a small spoonful (optional) to check balance — it should be bitter-forward but rounded by the vermouth and a whisper of orange and sweetness.

Discard ice from the chilled Old Fashioned glass. Place one large clear ice cube or rock into the glass.

Strain the stirred cocktail over the large ice cube using a hawthorne or julep strainer for a clean pour.

Express the oils of the orange peel: hold the peel skin-side down about 3–4 inches above the cocktail and give it a firm squeeze so the oils spray onto the surface. Run the peel around the rim, then drop it in the glass or place it over the rim as a spiral.

Garnish with one Luxardo or maraschino cherry on a pick, resting it in the glass next to the peel.

Serve immediately with a short stirrer. Recommend serving as part of the 'cocktails & beer' section of a menu as a signature stirred, spirit-forward offering.