Legend of the Bitter Truth
“Ah Geoffrey, The Bitter Truth finally comes out.”
One of my signature cocktails, whether stirred ala minute or barrel aged, is a drink called The Bitter Truth. A smoky aged riff on the classic Negroni using Mezcal, and a chameleon in how to serve it, The Bitter Truth has become a classic for me and the drink of choice for many friends and family.
I love barrel aging cocktails and have been doing so for almost 30 years. I first took a used 20-liter barrel previously used for aging a local brandy and aged a few liters of a homemade spiced rum using light rum and an array of whole spices infusing in the barrel for several months. I loved the result and thought this might work for different cocktails. I then aged a riff on the classic Brooklyn cocktail…that will be a future article! Cut to the present and one of my most beloved gifts, and coveted auction items, is a barrel of Bitter Truth. The combo of bitter, tart, delicate hint of orange, slight fruitiness and complexity is a regular crowd pleaser. Couple that with the absolute versatility of this cocktail makes it unique among many. So, take a read, make a bitter truth, and let me know what you think!
In the Beginning:
Legend has it that many years ago (ok it was actually 2005) a guy named Nick Mautone was helping a celebrity chef named Geoffrey Zakarian open the restaurant Country at the Carlton Hotel in NYC. Pre-opening, the two would taste food, wine and drinks with friends and family to get the recipes just right before sharing with the press and public.
Geoffrey was just about to get married, and his mother-in-law Marie would come in to evaluate the food and drinks along with the group. Now Geoffrey and Marie got along splendidly, and Marie had a quick wit, a twinkle in her eye and enjoyed imbibing with the gang. During one such tasting, after a few too many sips, the team got on to giving Geoffrey a bit of gruff. Every time he would get up off the table to check in on the next course of tastings, the team would give Marie a funny story about how GZ would trash her when she was not around (not true!). To his bewilderment, every time GZ sat back down Marie would take a sip, nod her head, and say to Geoffrey, “Ah Geoffrey, The Bitter Truth finally comes out.”
And so, this new cocktail sensation was renamed from “Sweet Marie” to “The Bitter Truth”.
Inside the Barrel:
750 ml of Mezcal
750 ml of Aperol
375 ml of Lillet Blanc
375 ml of Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1 TSP Blood Orange Bitters, or Regan’s (or other) Orange Bitters or Angostura
To Serve:
- Pour a measure over ice, add a lemon or orange twist, and enjoy chilled! Or,
- Pour a measure over ice, top with blood orange juice (or regular OJ) to taste, add an orange slice and enjoy chilled! Or,
- Pour a measure over ice, in a wine glass, add blood orange juice (or regular OJ), top with seltzer or prosecco, add an orange slice and enjoy chilled!
Over time the drink will get drier and less sweet due to aging in the barrel. When it gets close to empty, simply refill the barrel with the recipe above…you will have a few drinks left over after filling the barrel.
If you think about it, every week or give the barrel a bath in warm water and allow it to air dry. This will keep the barrel from getting too dry and help prevent leakage…every delicious thing requires a bit of love and care!
Individual Recipe:
1 oz of Mezcal
1 oz of Aperol
½ oz of Lillet Blanc
½ oz of Dolin Blanc Vermouth
2 dashes Blood Orange Bitters, or Regan’s (or other) Orange Bitters or Angostura
Measure all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and stir at least 50 times until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat.
To Serve:
- Pour a measure over ice, add a lemon or orange twist, and enjoy chilled! Or,
- Pour a measure over ice, top with blood orange juice (or regular OJ) to taste, add an orange slice and enjoy chilled! Or,
- Pour a measure over ice, in a wine glass, add blood orange juice (or regular OJ), top with seltzer or prosecco, add an orange slice and enjoy chilled!