Trinidad Sour

One of the more unique cocktails in the world was created by New York bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez for a competition (which he ultimately lost) in 2009. The judges were clearly out of their minds because although no one remembers what the winning drink was, the Trinidad Sour has spread to cocktail menus worldwide.

The first time I read the recipe I assumed there was a typo. An ounce and a half of angostura bitters forms the base, about a hundred times more bitters than people would normally use in a cocktail. That, coupled with a fair amount of fresh lemon juice, had me thinking that this had to be one of the most bitterly tart drinks ever. But it works, and it works beautifully. The more acerbic flavors are offset by the orgeat, the rye gives it a bit of heft and body, and the egg white makes it perfect. It is, by far, my favorite cocktail. If I ever craft a drink that has such a simple recipe and comes out half this good, I'll feel like an accomplished bartender. Until then, I'll continue to buy angostura in bulk.

Trinidad Sour (Giuseppe Gonzalez, 2009)

Angostura Bitters                 1½ oz
Rye Whiskey                         1 oz
Fresh Lemon Juice               ¾ oz
Orgeat Syrup                        1¼ oz
Egg White                             1 egg white

Combine all ingredients in shaker tin and dry shake. Add ice and shake again. Strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with a bit of lemon zest expressed over the top of the drink.

Notes

I should probably note that this may not be the original recipe. It's the recipe I found first but I've never been able to find it since. It has a lot more stuff in it than a typical cocktail and it will fill a seven-ounce coupe to the very brim, which is the way I like to serve it.

Kitty Hawk Express

Taking the classic Aviation as a starting point, the Kitty Hawk Express' floral, slightly effervescent profile is a perfect balance of sweet, tart, and spicy. The heat is added with Snakebite, an infusion of habanero and jalapeño peppers in silver tequila. The use of Mexican Sprite (made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup) is key, as it provides a crisper taste to the overall drink. Constructing the cocktail requires a technique called a short shake, which you can read about here. Crushed ice adds texture and proper dilution to this fast drinker.

Kitty Hawk Express (Nathan Robertson, 2015)

Gin                                        1.5 oz           
St. Germain Elderflower      .5 oz
Creme de Violet                  .5 oz
Snakebite                             ~ .25 oz (to taste)
Orange Bitters (Regans')     2 dashes
Fresh Lemon Juice              .75 oz
Mexican Sprite                     top off

Add all ingredients except Sprite to shaker and short shake. Strain into collins glass and fill half of remaining volume with crushed ice. Top with Sprite and garnish with orange twist.

The recipe for Snakebite is a simple one but also somewhat inexact due to the variable intensity of the jalapeños and habaneros used, so the infusion time may need to be adjusted. Use your own discretion given how much heat you like in your drinks. You don't need to make much, a little of this stuff goes a long way.

Snakebite (Raffi Jergerian, 2015)

Silver Tequila                       2 cups
Jalapeños                            3 jalapeños, sliced
Habaneros                           2 habaneros, sliced

Slice peppers and place into sealable container with tequila. Let infuse for up to two days. Taste periodically. Once the tequila has the level of heat you desire, strain out the peppers.