Bitter Giuseppe
ClassicAn Americano's brooding cousin, built on artichoke amaro.
Deeply bittersweet and herbaceous, with Cynar's signature vegetal, earthy bitterness front and center. Sweet vermouth rounds it into something almost cola-like, lemon keeps it from turning heavy, and the orange bitters lift the finish. Lower in proof than a Negroni, and endlessly drinkable for it.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Cynar
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 0.25 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 6 dashes Orange Bitters
- Lemon peel · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add every ingredient to a mixing glass with ice.
- 2
Stir until well-chilled, about 20-30 seconds.
- 3
Strain over fresh cubed ice in a chilled rocks glass.
- 4
Express a lemon peel over the surface and drop it in.
The Story
The Bitter Giuseppe was created by Stephen Cole at Chicago's The Violet Hour in the late 2000s, and it did something few drinks dared to at the time: put an amaro in the lead. Two full ounces of Cynar — the bittersweet artichoke liqueur — anchor the drink, with sweet vermouth for body, a squeeze of lemon for lift, and a generous six dashes of orange bitters. It became one of the era's defining amaro cocktails and a gateway for a generation of bitter drinkers.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
