The concept of “seasoning” a cocktail isn’t new, though it’s typically considered the domain of bitters. But if bitters are just high-proof spirits in wide-ranging flavors, why not consider other aromatic spirits for the job? At bars across the country, the move punches up highballs, Negronis and more.
In cocktails like the Corpse Reviver and the Sazerac, absinthe and pastis are often used to coat a glass, adding a hint of anise flavor. The same rinsing technique works for everything from Campari to kümmel. Another method is to dispense a spirit, like Scotch or mezcal, via an atomizer over the top of a cocktail as a finishing move. But even outside of the rinse or spritz, small amounts of spirits added directly to the mix can have an outsize impact.
At New York’s Bar Goto, the Amaro Highball is pretty much what you’d imagine: an ounce of the digestif (in this case, Amaro Nardini), topped with club soda. Peek at the ingredients, though, and there’s a surprising addition. Two teaspoons of gin give the drink a subtly herbal, layered finish. Using a similar technique, New York–based bar director Brian Evans winterizes Negronis. Just a half-teaspoon of peaty Islay Scotch can “round out the sharp, botanical edges of a London dry gin” in the classic build, he says.
This approach even works with nonalcoholic spirits. At Sip—one half of the bi-level New York bar Sip & Guzzle—the Sixty Forty was designed by owner Shingo Gokan to channel a Martini when cold and a Manhattan as it settles. To bridge the gin and rye at the drink’s base, Sip turns to two N/A spirits from Seedlip, which “act as a seasoning, bringing out some of the wood and herbal notes in the gin,” says head bartender Ben Yabrow. The bar uses just a barspoon and dashes of the N/A spirits, because, Yabrow notes, “a little goes a long way.”
