Ingredients
Drink
- 50 mlcachaça, unaged or lightly aged
- 50 mlsweet red vermouth
Optional
- 10 mlCynar or a bitter aperitivo
- 2dashes Angostura bitters
Also
- ice, for stirring
Garnish
- a strip of orange peel
- or a cocktail cherry
Directions
- Use a decent cachaça. Keep the bottle in the fridge once opened, because an old bottle left on a shelf is the commonest reason a home version tastes flat.
- Chill the glass in the freezer while you mix. Fill a mixing glass with plenty of good ice. Use plenty of ice rather than a little.
- Add the cachaça, the vermouth and the Cynar and bitters if you are using them. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds with a long spoon.
- Stir it, never shake. Shaking clouds a spirit-only drink and aerates it, and this should be clear and glossy. Strain into a chilled coupe, or over a large ice cube in a rocks glass.
- Squeeze a strip of orange peel over the surface, skin side down, so the oils spray across it. That citrus oil is genuinely part of the drink rather than decoration, and you should be able to smell it.
- Rub the peel round the rim and drop it in.
- Serve immediately, as an aperitivo before eating. It sits in the same family as the Manhattan and the Negroni: a spirit stirred with vermouth, drunk cold and strong.
Technique
- The proportions vary between bars from equal parts to two of cachaça to one of vermouth.
- The older version used no ice at all and was drunk at the counter.
- A good aged cachaça makes it closer to a Manhattan in character.
Substitutions
- Any good cachaça, aged or unaged.
- Any decent sweet red vermouth.
Variations
- With Cynar, which is the modern bar standard.
- Made with aged cachaça for a rounder drink.
- With a dash of bitters.
History
A Brazilian bar staple whose name means cock’s tail, a direct translation of cocktail.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rabo-de-galo?
Rabo-de-galo is a cocktail from Brazil: cachaça stirred with vermouth and served in a small glass. A Brazilian bar staple whose name means cock’s tail, a direct translation of cocktail.
How long does Rabo-de-galo take to make?
Rabo-de-galo takes 3 min of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Rabo-de-galo?
Yes, within limits. Any good cachaça, aged or unaged. Any decent sweet red vermouth.
What is the most important thing to get right in Rabo-de-galo?
Chill the glass in the freezer while you mix. Fill a mixing glass with plenty of good ice. Use plenty of ice rather than a little.
