Nadia George
May 04, 2024
You know chefs use salt and pepper to season a dish? That’s the way bartenders use bitters on top to bring out new dimensions in the drink. But when the component that’s supposed to be treated like a seasoning is used as the base of a cocktail? We get the Trinidad Sour.
The cocktail was invented by former New York bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez while he worked at the Clover Club in 2009. The base of the drink is Angostura Bitters, with lemon juice, syrup and rye whiskey all balancing out the bitterness.
Gonzalez was inspired by the Italian bartender Valentino Bolognese, who won a competition for creating Trinidad Especial, which had lime instead of lemon and pisco in place of rye. Gonzalez’s drink was delicious, full, balanced and unique. But it took a while to catch on.
Ingredients: 45 ml Angostura Bitters, 30 ml Orgeat Syrup, 22.5 ml Fresh Lemon Juice, 15 ml Rye Whisky
Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake well with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass