Going Out West Recipe
Rye and mezcal split the base of this stirred sipper, with Sicilian amaro bringing cola-like bittersweet depth under a wisp of smoke.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 28%
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- Rye whiskey30 ml (1 oz)
- Mezcal15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Amaro15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Simple syrup1 tsp
- Angostura bitters2 dash
How to Make It
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir until well chilled.
- Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass.
- Express an orange peel over the drink and drop it in.
Garnish
Orange peel
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone, smoke dominates the nose and the spirit is right out front.
The technique
Stirring. All-spirit drinks are stirred — shaking whips air into them and ruins both the clarity and the texture. Thirty to forty seconds in a mixing glass, the spoon tracing the wall. You are after the same ~20% dilution, just slower and under control.
Glass and ice
A heavy-bottomed, wide old fashioned glass. Wide enough for one large cube, which is the point: a big cube has less surface area, so the drink gets cold without getting watery.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Rye whiskey
- Rye whiskey. Where bourbon is sweet, rye brings black pepper and a mint-like sharpness; in drinks with sweet vermouth, like a Manhattan, that sharpness is what holds the balance.
- Mezcal
- The Mexican spirit whose smoke comes from roasting the agave in a stone pit. It can stand in for tequila, but the smoke walks over everything else; starting half and half is the balanced move.
- 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.
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
- 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.
The Story
A home-bar recipe shared in the online cocktail community, in the style of the split-base amaro Old Fashioneds that modern American bars made popular.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Going Out West mixed?
- It is stirred and served in an old fashioned glass.
- How strong is a Going Out West?
- Roughly 28% ABV as served — a spirit-strength drink — sipped slowly, and it wants a glass of water beside it.
- Can a Going Out West 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 Going Out West 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.