Cosa Nostra No. 2 Recipe
An amaro-led tiki cooler: bittersweet Sicilian-style amaro and white rum shaken with lemon, then topped with spicy ginger beer.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Hurricane glass
- ABV: 14%
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- White rum30 ml (1 oz)
- Amaro45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice22 ml (0.7 oz)
- Angostura bitters1 dash
- Ginger beer60 ml (2 oz)
How to Make It
- Add the rum, amaro, lemon juice and bitters to a shaker with ice.
- Shake until well chilled.
- Strain into a hurricane glass filled with fresh ice.
- Top with the ginger beer and stir once, gently.
Garnish
None
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
The curved, tall hurricane glass. Tiki and tropical drinks often run past 200 ml, and this is the shape that holds that volume along with the ice.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- White rum
- The Cuban style is light and dry, the Puerto Rican a little rounder. It is the base of the mojito and the daiquiri; swap in gold rum and the drink turns sweeter.
- Amaro
- The umbrella name for Italian bitter liqueurs, and no two are alike. Averna is sweet and caramelly, Fernet sharp and minty, Montenegro floral — which is why a recipe naming a brand means it.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Angostura bitters
- The salt of the cocktail world. Measured in dashes, not millilitres: a few of them cut the sweetness and add spice. One bottle lasts years.
- Ginger beer
- Ginger beer is non-alcoholic despite the name, which comes from an old fermentation tradition. It is far sharper than ginger ale, and ale does not replace it in a mule.
The Story
A recent recipe that puts Italian amaro where a tiki drink would normally have aged rum; the name nods to the amaro's Sicilian roots.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Cosa Nostra No. 2 mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a hurricane glass.
- How strong is a Cosa Nostra No. 2?
- Roughly 14% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Cosa Nostra No. 2 be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Cosa Nostra No. 2 hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.