Kirk Estopinal and Maks Pazuniak, New Orleans bartenders and authors of Rogue Cocktails (now called Beta Cocktails), share their take on the Angostura Fizz in this recipe from Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em.
Kirk stumbled upon the Angostura Fizz in Charlea Baker’s book, The Gentleman’s Companion, from 1939. “It had a half ounce of Angostura, dry vermouth, and soda. We made it and didn’t really like it, but the idea of it—to have such a large measure of bitters—was fascinating,” Kirk said. “This is one of the most famous drinks on our menu. The Gunshop Fizz was kind of the impetus for Rogue Cocktails.”
They decided to build the drink somewhat like a Pimm’s Cup, macerating the Peychaud’s with fresh fruit, then building it into a sour. The Sanbitter, a bright-red, bitter soda made by San Pellegrino, can be hard to come by; in a pinch you can sub Campari mixed with soda (or just omit it). “Something I really like about this drink is the color,” Kirk says. “It’s the reddest thing in the world, insanely red. It flew in the face of the mixology rules of the time, because it practically looks artificial.” But that’s yet another thing that made it rogue.
recipe 
yields
Makes 1 drink
2 ounces Peychaud’s bitters
3 grapefruit peels
3 orange peels
2 strawberries, hulled
3 slices cucumber
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup
Sanbitter, for topping
Garnish: 1 cucumber slice
Ingredients
steps
- Combine the Peychaud’s, grapefruit peels, orange peels, strawberries, and 3 of the cucumber slices in the tin of a shaker and muddle.
- Allow to soak for 2 minutes, then add the lemon juice and simple syrup and shake until chilled.
- Double-strain into a collins glass filled with ice, top with the Sanbitter, garnish with the remaining cucumber slice, and serve.
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Recipe By
Excerpted from the new book Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em by Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake, Published by Abrams. Photography (c) 2022 by Denny Culbert. -
Contributing City
New Orleans
