This cocktail is a variant based on the “Too Soon” cocktail found in Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske and a version found here. Petraske’s text recommends this as a pre-prandial drink, which makes sense, given its excellent mixture of fruity sweetness with the dry finish that comes from the bitterness of the amaro used in it, Cynar. Although Gordon’s Cup will remain our standard summer cocktail for visitors, this is the first time I’ve used an amaro and thought, “This might be more broadly liked than by the cocktail snobs on the mountain top…."!
We make it as follows.
Shake in a shaker filled with ice.
1 oz. Bombay Sapphire (But any gin that is fragrantly botanical will work)
1 oz. Cynar
1 / 2 oz. Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar to water; to taste, you might add another 1/4 oz.)
3/4 oz. Fresh Lime Juice (Some recipes call for lemon)
1/4 oz. Orange Juice (or 2 orange slices)
Shake and serve in a Martini Glass