The Betty Carter Cocktail: With Amaro & Sherry, She's Very Merry!
One of the ways in which mixology remains a relevant art form in modern times is by constant experimentation. Bartenders and mixologists often try to bring together lots of eclectic and unexpected ingredients that really pair well to craft mixes which are as delicious as they are cleverly made. On the other hand, mixologists are also credited with introducing some quirky twists to classic recipes by introducing an ingredient here, or adding a technique there, to put some inventive spins on age-old recipes.
The Betty Carter is one such cocktail that plays with the classic whisky sour, whose origins are as recent as 2015. Every cocktail has a story and a history and the Betty Carter mix is no different. Named after the renowned jazz performer, the Betty Carter has been adapted from a recipe crafted by bartender Jeremy Oertel at the Berlyn Restaurant And Bar in New York. The dive is located in Brooklyn and the cocktail is a tribute to the jazz artist who used to live and often perform in this area.
With a recipe that couples sherry and amaro, this is an inspired take on the whisky sour and incorporates fresh lemon juice along with saline solution and bourbon to give the mix a certain complexity. You can make the Betty Carter cocktail at home quite easily but it requires some diligence to get the sherry and amaro pairing just right.
Highlighting Amaro
Curiously enough, the drink does contain bourbon but it is the notes of sherry and amaro that pack a punch in the cocktail. The amaro is a potent bittersweet Italian digestif and can be prepared by incorporating rather diverse ingredients into its making process. According to Food & Wine, it is produced by infusing grape brandy with a mix of herbs, flowers, aromatic bark, citrus peel and spices. However, every amaro is different and can include anything from spices like cardamom to floral influences of the elderflower.
Such a vibrant liqueur when added to the Betty Carter cocktail makes it quite a layered drink because there are lots of flavours influencing its profile. In fact, the fresh and rejuvenating qualities of the Italian digestif are now beginning to be appreciated more and more so that mixologists are bringing the amaro back on their rosters as a liqueur to be savoured neat or in a cocktail concoction.
In a Betty Carter Cocktail, the amaro has a big role to play to balance the different sweet and bitter flavours present in the sherry and bourbon respectively. It is also nicely paired with lemon juice whose sour quality undercuts the spicy texture of the amaro to make for a complex mix.
Sherry Influences
Quite contrary to the amaro, often enjoyed as a pre-meal aperitif or even a post dinner digestif, sherry is a festive drink. It is quite sweet and sometimes even fabulously rich, perfect as a tiny tipple enjoyed during Christmas or any other festival in the winters. A fortified wine made from premium white grapes, the sherry that goes into preparing a Betty Carter has rich and prominent notes of baked raisins, cardamoms, prunes and even caramel that give it a noteworthy bitter yet sweet and decadent finish.
Introducing sherry into the cocktail is almost like an homage to the vibrant personality of the jazz performer after whom the cocktail is named. It is also a spirit that goes well with lots of different flavours so that the amaro and sherry can come together to build a drink that is quite unexpectedly intense.
You can garnish this cocktail with a lemon peel so as to add a pop of bright and cheery colour to the otherwise deep brown hue it acquires due to the addition of the sherry and bourbon. Make sure you shake the drink well and serve it chilled so all the flavours spread uniformly through the coupe glass.
