It’s Pronounced “Chee-nar”

A gentleman of any time has always been wise in the areas of culture, dressing, and drinking.

Everyone is very familiar with other bitter Italian liqueurs such as Campari and Aperol, which have both been getting a lot of attention in recent years. The “pro” camps for both of these beverages are fervent, I myself am a supporter of both. But, there is another liqueur hailing from the same area that needs more attention. Let me introduce Cynar.

Cynar has been made in Italy since 1952 and consists of 13 herbs and plants. The predominant one is artichoke (cynara scolymus) which is where the beverage derives its name. Cynar’s color and taste are darker and richer. It's much smoother and has less bite than Campari, and isn’t as sweet as Aperol.

I find it much more versatile than the other two as well. It can be mixed in cocktails, or with soda, and even straight as an aperitif or digestif. My go to drink to make is a Cynar or “Little Italy” Manhattan. The recipe I use is equal parts:

1.5oz - Cynar

1.5oz - Red Vermouth - Usually - Dolin’s Rogue or Carpano Antica

1.5oz - Rye - Usually - Bulleit, Woodford, or Copper Fox

1 - Luxardo Maraschino Cherry

The key to this, like most good cocktails, is to stir the Cynar, vermouth, and rye over ice until they are super cold and strain them into a chilled glass. To finish, a cherry dropped into the bottom, adding a little sweetness to the drink and a snack at the end.

Of course, also like most good cocktails, tweaking the ratios of the Cynar, vermouth, and rye to suit your own palette is a time honored tradition. I like more vermouth and Cynar than the traditional recipe calls for and I’m sure others like less. If you’re looking for a place to start, the back of the bottle has a recipe for you. Give this a try, you won’t regret it.

Cheers,

Jake Shields