Zucca Brasi

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The Zucca Brasi is a whiskey-based cocktail that combines Rye, Zucca amaro and my homemade strawberry shrub. It’s a very unique cocktail that really packs a punch.

You’ll need the following equipment:

Ingredients:

Strawberry Shrub
Rye Whiskey
Zucca Amaro
Strawberry

This recipe utilizes a strawberry shrub that I made using local strawberries from the farmers market, Demerara sugar and strawberry infused malt vinegar.

I developed that shrub specifically for this cocktail. In the original recipe I used bourbon, but for this version I wanted to try it with this New York Rye from Hudson Distilling company. This Rye has a very fruity flavor profile compared to most ryes out there, and I thought it would be a great pairing for the shrub and Zucca.

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Zucca is in my top 5 favorite amaris or amaros - I’m never sure of the correct way to make amaro plural.

Zucca derives its main flavor from rhubarb and is on the medium or medium plus side of the amaro family. It starts out bitter on the palate, but it immediately followed by a rich sweetness and spice notes. It has a subtle smokiness on the finish that pairs so nicely with whiskies. I knew it would pair really well with the strawberry shrub since strawberry and rhubarb are such a classic combination.

To build the drink, I am going to add 3/4 ounce of the strawberry shrub to my mixing glass.

Next I’ll add 1 ounce of Zucca Amaro
And lastly, I will add 1.5 ounces of Rye.

Now I’ll add the ice and give this a 20- 30 second stir.

I’m serving this drink over a large ice cube, and for garnish, I’m going to add a fanned-out strawberry.

I really love how bold and flavorful this cocktail is. Its sweetness is tempered by the bitterness from the amaro and the zing from the shrub, and the baking spice from the rye really rounds it all out. I think it’s kind of unexpected to have that acidity in a boozy stirred cocktail, but I really like it.