Italian Buck
Two of Italy's finest amari -- Cynar and Amaro Montenegro -- join forces with fresh lime and spicy ginger beer in this long, refreshing take on the classic buck format. Bittersweet, lively, and endlessly sippable.
- 1 ozcynar
- 1 ozamaro montenegro
- ¾ ozfresh lime juice
- 3 ozginger beer
- Lime wheelgarnish
- 1Combine Cynar, Amaro Montenegro, and fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker.
- 2Add ice and shake until well chilled, about 10 seconds.
- 3Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice.
- 4Top with ginger beer and stir gently.
- 5Garnish with a lime wheel.
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The Italian Buck was created by bartender Jamie Boudreau at his acclaimed Canon bar in Seattle, Washington, around 2015. A buck is a cocktail template built on a spirit, citrus, and ginger beer -- a format that Boudreau applied entirely to Italian amari, using Cynar's artichoke bitterness and Amaro Montenegro's floral sweetness alongside fresh lime and spicy ginger beer. The result is a long, refreshing drink that showcases how amari can anchor a highball as effectively as any base spirit.
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