Giovanni Dellaglio, assistant bar manager at Le Magritte in London's Beaumont hotel, has created a sophisticated after-dinner digestif called Bitter Velvet. The cocktail balances sweetness, bitterness and richness, with a clean, bitter-edged finish ideal for cooler evenings.
The recipe calls for 20ml golden rum (Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva is recommended), 20ml amaretto, 20ml coffee liqueur and 20ml Fernet Branca. All ingredients are stirred with ice until very cold, then strained into a nick & nora glass.
A strip of orange zest is twisted over the drink to express oils, then dropped in as garnish. The result is a grown-up, zesty cocktail reminiscent of a rum old fashioned but served in a fancy glass.
