Sometimes you don’t have patience, sometimes you don’t have ice, and other times you don’t have many ingredients to work with. Simplicity can be beautiful though. Sother Teague has been a long-time advocate of this style of drink known as the scaffa at his bar, Amor y Amargo.
Scaffas are drinks mixed and served at room temperature–no ice and no dilution. Recipes can be found as far back as the 1860s in Jerry Thomas’ classic book, The Bartender’s Guide, and more modern interpretations may use a small amount of water.
The beauty of the scaffa is that you just pull the bottles, combine in a glass, and give it a slight stir. A drink served at room temperature may take a little getting used to, but they’re a great option when I’m looking for something simple and quick.
The How Do I Compare is a scaffa featured in Sother Teague’s book, I’m Just Here for The Drinks. Personally, I find the recipe to be a tad too syrupy, so I dial back the Bénédictine.
How Do I Compare
Ingredients
- ¾ oz. apple brandy
- ¾ oz. bourbon
- ½ oz. Bénédictine
- ½ oz. Cointreau
- 2 dashes apple bitters Hella Cocktail Co. makes a great Apple Blossom Bitters!
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a rocks glass.
- Express an orange peel over the drink, then discard. (or drop it in like I prefer)
Another Teague recipe is the Black Rock Chiller. This is a recipe he devised when asked to create a cocktail that could be easily stored and transported at Burning Man. I really enjoy this one, as it features SUZE and Fernet Branca. If you don’t have Branca Menta, the standard Fernet Branca works great too.
Black Rock Chiller
Ingredients
- ¾ oz. Fernet Branca Menta
- ¾ oz. reposado tequila
- ¾ oz. SUZE
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a glass.
- Enjoy.
Cheers!
