My wife and I are planning to spend part of our honeymoon on the Italian Island of Sardinia. The island produces a special liqueur called mirto that is made from myrtle berries and leaves that grow locally. In anticipation of the trip, I wanted to get a bottle. I'll do a longer feature on the liqueur after we visit, but in the meantime I wanted to start making cocktails with it to build up my anticipation for the trip.
For the drink:
-2 oz gin (New Amsterdam)
-1 1/2 oz mirto (Argiolas-Tremontis)
-1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
-1/2 oz simple syrup
-2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
-5 fresh rosemary leaves
Garnish:
Rosemary sprig
Grapefruit peel
Glassware:
Coupe
Add the rosemary leaves and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Muddle for 5-10 seconds. Combine the rest of the ingredients for the drink and fill about three-quarters full with ice. Shake for 5-10 seconds until chilled. Strain through a Hawthorne and fine mesh strainer and garnish with the grapefruit peel and rosemary sprig.