Rosita

I discovered this recipe in the 2006 edition of The Museum of the American Cocktail Pocket Recipe Guide, which was my go-to (pre-smartphone) as a bartender at Gramercy Tavern and the Pegu Club. Later, I traced it back to Greg Boehm’s 1974 edition of Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide.

The name means “little rose” in Spanish, which undoubtedly refers to the crimson hue the Campari imparts to it. The original recipe calls for it to be prepared with equal parts tequila, Campari, and a split measure of dry and sweet vermouth, which yields more of a Negroni-esque Rosita. Seventeen years later, it appeared in the same proportion and prep with a dash of bitters added in Gary Regan’s The Bartender’s Bible. Fifteen years after that, the pocket guide adapts the recipe to the proportions I’ve adopted here and modernizes preparation from stirring over crushed ice in the glass to chilling and diluting in a mixing glass so it can be served over fresh ice.

One logical variation would be to prepare it with blanco tequila using the original recipe—which has no dash of bitters—and serve it on the rocks like a Negroni. You have history on your side if you prefer a lemon twist.