Little Italy

Steps

1. 1

   Take your frozen coupe glass out of the freezer and set it on the bar. If you forgot to freeze it, fill it with ice water and let it sit while you build the drink — just dump it out before straining.

2. 2

   Measure 60ml rye whiskey, 15ml sweet vermouth, and 15ml Cynar into the mixing glass. Pour them right in — the order doesn't matter since you're stirring everything together.

   !Pouring the Cynar first can make it harder to read the whiskey level if you're free-pouring, since the dark liquid obscures the glass.

3. 3

   Fill the mixing glass about three-quarters full with ice — big, solid cubes if you have them. The ice should sit above the liquid line so everything chills evenly.

   !Using small, cracked ice waters the drink down too fast before it gets properly cold.

4. 4

   Stir with your bar spoon in smooth, slow circles for about 25 to 30 seconds. Keep the spoon against the inside wall of the glass and rotate the glass slightly as you go. You're done when the outside of the mixing glass feels genuinely cold to the touch and there's condensation forming.

   ~28s

   !Stirring too fast or clanking the spoon around chips the ice and clouds the drink.

5. 5

   Hold the Hawthorne strainer over the mixing glass with the spring facing down, and pour the drink into your chilled coupe. Pour slowly and steadily so you don't splash. The drink should be clear and dark amber.

   !Pouring too fast lets small ice chips slip past the strainer into the finished drink.

6. 6

   Take your lemon peel and hold it over the drink, colored side facing the surface. Twist it firmly so a fine mist of lemon oils sprays across the top of the cocktail. Drop the peel in or rest it on the rim.

   !Squeezing the peel into the drink instead of twisting it muddles the oil pattern and can drop bitter pith into the glass.