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Bamboo Cocktail

Bamboo Cocktail - Signature Cocktails

A split-base classic that’s a go-to around the world.

Signature Cocktails, the new book by Amanda Schuster, chronicles 500 years of cocktail history through 200 cocktails, including when and where each was invented, its origin story, and even its creator’s name. Among the drinks featured is the classic Bamboo, which is the second recipe in cocktail history to use a split base of sherry and vermouth and dashes of bitters (the first was the Adonis). Even though the Bamboo Cocktail was created in San Francisco in the 1870s by bartender Louis Eppinger, it gained its popularity in Japan after Eppinger placed it on the menu of the Grand Hotel’s bar he ended up managing in Yokohama from 1890 to 1908. “It’s been a staple all over Japan and is a go-to low-ABV recipe in modern mixology around the world,” Schuster writes.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz. sherry
  • 1 1/2 oz. French vermouth
  • 2 dashes orange bitters
  • 2 drops bitters
  • Tools:mixing glass, barspoon, strainer
  • Glass:Nick & Nora
  • Garnish:lemon or orange twist, green olive (optional)

Preparation

Stir all of the ingredients with ice until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled glass. Twist the citrus peel over the drink and place in the glass. Thread a green olive (if using) on a cocktail pick, and balance on the rim of the glass.

NoteA French dry vermouth, fino sherry, and Angostura bitters work well here.

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