Amaro mele
Enjoy a few of these seasonal cocktails with a bottle of our rabarbaro-style Amaro Mele. These simple recipes are easy to build and a great way to showcase our Amaro Mele for family and friends any time of the year. All you need is a bottle of our booze and the easy-to-make syrups and juices listed below. We’ll continue to add to this list as our seasonal cocktail menu changes. Cheers!
Rabarbaro negroni
A riff on a classic Negroni with our intensely bitter Amaro Mele filling the role of both Campari and Sweet Vermouth. Since our Amaro is light on sweetness, we finish this with just a dash of simple syrup.
Ingredients:
.75 oz Highside Gin
.75 oz Highside Amaro Mele
.25 oz Cranberry Simple Syrup (see ‘The Martinez’ recipe)
Garnish: Thick-sliced orange peel
Mix all ingredients, add ice, and stir for 10 seconds, or until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a thick slice of orange peel.
amaro y cafe
A savory coffee-based drink with our smokey, rabarbaro-style Amaro. The heavy dose of whole bean coffee and cocoa nibs used in our Amaro are a perfect pair for cold brew and heavy cream.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Highside Amaro Mele
.75 oz Cold Brew Coffee
.25 oz Simple Syrup (1:1 sugar to water ratio)
.25 oz Heavy Cream
2 dashes Aztec Chocolate Bitters (we used Fee Brothers)
Garnish: Fresh-grated nutmeg
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake vigorously for 5-10 seconds, or until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass (or your favorite coffee mug!) and garnish with freshly-grated nutmeg.
bitter soda
Think of this as the best sparkling water flavor ever created - boozy, bitter and just a touch of sweet. Despite it’s rich and savory nature, our Amaro Mele translates well into this light, easy-sipping cocktail.
Ingredients:
1 oz Highside Amaro Mele of Fernet Lario
.25 oz Demerara Simple Syrup (1:1 sugar to water ratio)
.25 oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 dashes Rhubarb Bitters (we used Fee Brothers)
Soda water
Garnish: Lemon Twist
Mix all ingredients (less soda water), add ice, and stir for 10 seconds, or until chilled. Strain into a rocks or highball glass that is over-filled with ice. Top remainder of glass with soda water and lightly stir once. Garnish with a lemon twist.
amaro sour
A classic sour cocktail with our smokey rabarbaro-style Amaro Mele. This drink is a classic for a reason - perfect for any occasion! Our version uses Aquafaba (the leftover liquid in Chickpea production) in place of egg whites for a creamy layer of foam and silky mouthfeel.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Highside Amaro Mele
.5 oz Lemon Juice
.5 oz Demerara Syrup
.5 oz Aquafaba
Garnish: Orange Slice and Maraschino Cherry
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and dry shake (no ice!) vigorously for 15 seconds. Next, add ice and shake again for 5-10 seconds, or until chilled. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with a fresh orange slice and Maraschino cherry.
Sicilian soda
Nick a pick-me-up on a hot summer day? Look no further! The cold brew coffee and soda bring out some of the coffee and dark chocolate notes in our Amaro Mele, while still managing to be a light and refreshing summertime cocktail.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Highside Amaro Mele
.75 oz Cold Brew Concentrate
.5 oz Demerara Simple Syrup (1:1 sugar to water)
2 dashes Aztec Chocolate Bitters
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Soda water
Garnish: Dehydrated Orange Wheel
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker (less soda water), add ice, and shake for 5-10 seconds, or until chilled. Strain into a highball glass that is over-filled with ice. Top remainder of glass with soda water and lightly stir once. Garnish with a dehydrated orange wheel (you can make these super easy at home - put fresh orange slices on a baking sheet in the oven at 200F for 4-6hrs).
The basic ‘bee’
‘Bee’ as in ‘Honey’, which is used to lightly sweeten our Amaro Mele. As the name suggests, this coffee cocktail also includes a house-made Pumpkin Spice syrup - what could be more Fall?!
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Highside Amaro Mele
1 oz Cold Brew Concentrate
.75 oz Pumpkin Spice Syrup (see below)
.25 oz Heavy Cream
Garnish: Fresh grated nutmeg
Mix all ingredients (less the cream) in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake for 5-10 seconds, or until chilled. Pour the entire contents of shaker into a rocks glass. Gently pour the heavy cream on top as a float and finish by grating fresh nutmeg over the cocktail.
Pumpkin Spice Syrup: Mix the following ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil: 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, 1 cup demerara sugar, 1.25 cups water, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp ground ginger. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes until fully incorporated. Remove from heat and let chill before using. Note: this will be quite a bit thicker than a typical simple syrup, which is OK!
Amaro hot chocolate
One of our very first ‘hot’ drinks - a boozy hot chocolate! Perfect for those cold winter days, pairing our cacao-infused Amaro Mele with hot chocolate.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Highside Amaro Mele
2.5 oz Hot Water
1 Tablespoon Powdered Hot Cocoa
Garnish: Whipped Cream + Candy of your choosing
Pre-heat your mug with hot water for 2 minutes before discarding. Once heated, fill mug with hot water and cocoa powder and mix until dissolved. Next add the Amaro Mele and top with whipped cream. Simple and delicious - cheers!
black manhattan
Probably our personal favorite cocktail with the high-proof rabarbaro Amaro Mele. Just Whiskey and Amaro - what could be better?
Ingredients:
2 oz Whiskey (I prefer a sweeter Bourbon given the bitter profile of our high-proof amaro)
.75 oz Amaro Mele
Garnish: Maraschino Cherry
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, fill with ice, and stir for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a rocks or coupe glass and garnish with maraschino cherry.
Try it Smoked! This is an excellent cocktail to try smoked - check out the Cocktail Class #3 video on our ‘Cocktail Classes’ tab for a few different options for infusion.
Mele Collins
Citrus-forward, bubbly, and crushable in any weather. One of our house favorites!
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Highside Amaro Mele
.75 oz Orange Cordial (see below)
.5 oz Lemon Juice
Soda water
Garnish: Orange peel
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker (less soda water), add ice, and shake for 5-10 seconds, or until chilled. Dump entire contents of shaker into a Collins glass. Top remainder of glass with soda water and lightly stir once. Garnish with an orange peel and zest!
Orange Cordial: Bring 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup water, 3 cups sugar, 2 ounces lemon juice, and the zest of 1 orange to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20mins. Let mix cool, strain through a cheesecloth and then mix in 1/2 ounce orange blossom water.