Cynar Julep

Ingredients

The drink

• 60 mlCynar (the Italian artichoke amaro, 16.5% ABV)
• 60 mlfresh pink grapefruit juice, strained
• 10 mlsugar syrup, optional, depending on the grapefruit
• 60–90 mlcold soda water

Ice and garnish

• Crushed ice, enough to fill the glass twice
• 1large sprig fresh mint
• 1grapefruit wedge or a wide strip of grapefruit peel

Glass

• A highball or a julep tin, well chilled

Directions

1. Chill the glass in the freezer for 10 minutes. A julep depends on the glass frosting, and a warm glass melts the crushed ice before you have built the drink.
2. Crush the ice properly: wrap cubes in a clean tea towel and hit them with a rolling pin, or pulse briefly in a blender. Crushed, not cracked, so it packs tight.
3. Squeeze the grapefruit and strain out the pulp; pulp clogs the straw and makes the drink cloudy and bitter in the wrong way.
4. Pour the Cynar and grapefruit juice into the glass, add the syrup if the fruit is sharp, and stir briefly to combine.
5. Fill the glass two thirds with crushed ice and churn with a bar spoon for 10 seconds, lifting from the bottom, until the outside of the glass frosts.
6. Top with more crushed ice to mound it above the rim, then add the soda water down the side so the bubbles survive.
7. Slap the mint sprig once between your palms to release the oils and plant it beside the straw, close to the drinker’s nose.
8. Add the grapefruit wedge, put in a short straw so the mint is under the nose with every sip, and serve at once while it is still frozen.

Technique

• Cynar is an Italian amaro made with artichoke among its thirteen herbs, but the Cynar Julep is Argentine: it was popularised in Buenos Aires bars and is now the standard low-alcohol aperitivo there.
• It is bitter and only 16.5% ABV, which is exactly why it works in the heat. Do not try to strengthen it with gin or vodka; that makes a different drink.
• Grapefruit and artichoke bitterness reinforce each other. If your grapefruit is very sharp, the syrup is what keeps the drink drinkable rather than punishing.
• Churning is the technique that matters: it dilutes and chills at once, and a julep that has not been churned tastes harsh.

Substitutions

• No Cynar: another vegetal amaro such as Braulio or a light Fernet at half quantity gives a similar bitter frame, though not the same artichoke note.
• Pomelo soda (Paso de los Toros, the Argentine choice) can replace both the juice and the soda; use 120 ml and skip the syrup.

Variations

• Cynar Julep with pomelo soda, the fast bar version.
• Cynar Punch, built long over cubes with orange rather than grapefruit.
• Cynar with tonic and a slice of orange, the everyday Buenos Aires aperitivo.

History

A Buenos Aires bar staple built on Cynar, the Italian amaro Argentines adopted as their own.

Frequently asked questions

What is Cynar Julep?

Cynar Julep is a cocktail from Argentina: artichoke bitter with grapefruit juice and soda over crushed ice. A Buenos Aires bar staple built on Cynar, the Italian amaro Argentines adopted as their own.

How long does Cynar Julep take to make?

Cynar Julep takes 5 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Cynar Julep?

Yes, within limits. No Cynar: another vegetal amaro such as Braulio or a light Fernet at half quantity gives a similar bitter frame, though not the same artichoke note. Pomelo soda (Paso de los Toros, the Argentine choice) can replace both the juice and the soda; use 120 ml and skip the syrup.

What is the most important thing to get right in Cynar Julep?

It is bitter and only 16.5% ABV, which is exactly why it works in the heat. Do not try to strengthen it with gin or vodka; that makes a different drink.