Michter's Recipe

Chill glass

Place a rocks glass or coupe in the freezer or fill it with ice and cold water to chill while you build the cocktail.

Measure and add spirits

In a mixing glass add 2 oz Michter's bourbon, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 0.25 oz Aperol, and 0.25 oz amaro.

Add bitters and syrup

Add 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 dash orange bitters, and 0.25 oz demerara or simple syrup to the mixing glass.

Stir and dilute

Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir briskly for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 full turns) until well chilled and slightly diluted — the mixing glass should feel very cold and slightly frosted.

Prepare serving glass

Discard ice/water from the chilled glass and place 1 large ice cube or 2 medium cubes (or 3 pieces as listed) into the rocks glass if serving on the rocks. If serving up, strain without ice into the chilled coupe.

Double-strain and serve

Using a Hawthorne or julep strainer, strain the stirred cocktail into the prepared glass. If you used small bits of ice, double-strain through a fine strainer to catch shards.

Express oil and garnish

Express the orange peel over the drink by holding it skin-side down about 2–3 inches above the glass and giving it a firm squeeze so oils spray onto the surface. Rub the peel around the rim and drop it into the drink as a garnish.

Final check

Taste briefly to check balance. The drink should be rich and slightly bittersweet with a warm bourbon backbone, herbaceous sweet vermouth, and bright orange lift from Aperol and the orange oil. Adjust future pours slightly if you prefer more sweetness or more bitter lift.