LAST CALL: Holiday Gift Guide Feature from Brad Thomas Parsons including a delicious cocktail from Bar 821 in San Francisco
This new-look Italian amaro is produced in Agropoli, near Salerno, using local herbs and botanicals—including rucola (“arugula”)—and is considered a “zero kilometer” farm-to-bottle amaro with all the key ingredients sourced from the Cilento Coast region of southern Italy. It’s an ideal “gateway” amaro for those just starting to explore the amari category—flavorful, sweet, bold, and complex, with just a touch of bitterness.
Brad Thomas Parsons says “I love it on the rocks with an orange slice and a splash of soda, but it can also play a key role in many cocktails like the Black Manhattan and Espresso Martini (it’s also incredible in a perfect-for-the-holidays seasonal Flip.” What’s your favorite way to drink See the Elephant Amaro?
See the Elephant Amaro continues to expand their national distribution and is now available in California, home to great amaro bars—including San Francisco’s Bar 821, the intimate Divisadero Street speakeasy renowned for their deep amari selection. Stop by and try See the Elephant Amaro in their cocktail the Mister Quince, or mix it up at home as its creator Angel Sugondo has generously shared the recipe below.
The Mister Quince is a cocktail that plays with unexpected autumnal contrasts. The bittersweet profile of See the Elephant Amaro—arugula-driven with notes of caramel, bubblegum, and pepper spice—finds an unlikely partner in the tart, honeyed complexity of quince and the toasted, almost smoky whisper of hojicha tea. It’s nostalgic Italian meets contemplative Japanese, with just enough bitterness to remind you it’s not actually dessert.
—Angel
Makes 1 Drink
1-1/2 ounces Tanqueray Gin
1 ounce Quince Syrup (recipe below)
1/2 ounce See the Elephant Amaro
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 dashes cherry bitters
2 dashes cacao bitters
Garnish: Spiced Apple Chip
Add the gin, quince syrup, amaro, lime, and bitters to a mixing tin filled with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into a chilled coupe or stemmed glass. Garnish with a spiced apple chip.
Quince Syrup
400 grams hot water
10 grams quince jam
1 gram hojicha tea
250 grams white sugar
100 grams brown sugar
Barspoon of rosewater
Combine the water, quince jam, and hojicha tea to a saucepan over medium-low heat and steep for 30 minutes. Strain into a re-sealable jar or bottle. Add 250g white sugar, 100g brown sugar, and 1 barspoon of rosewater and shake or stir until the sugars are dissolved.