Heart of Glass
Heart of Glass by Troy Sidle
I’m raising my glass to this mystical and legendary collaborative creation with something fittingly refined and elegant. The drink can be found in the slim volume Beta Cocktails, a pamphlet of a book which has a bit of a cult following thanks to the inclusion of many modern classics by some well known names from the cocktail renaissance, including this one by New York’s Troy Sidle. The cocktail is a “scaffa” – a drink made and served at room temperature. With roots in the pre-ice era of the nineteenth century bar, the style can still be found in many excellent modern creations. A scaffa, which is thought to be an informal Italian word for “cupboard”, is a spirit-only drink – you won’t find juice, cream, egg, or other such additives here.
temptingly tepid
Sidle’s scaffa is absolutely delicious, and balances the components perfectly. I exchanged the bourbon here for rye, but stuck to the spirit of the thing by using a fine aged rye for the rinse as well. His description of the drink in Beta Cocktails, in the form of a meandering manifesto on how to make it, may strike you as pretentious, especially nowadays, when much of the original pomp and circumstance of the cocktail renaissance is thought to be passé. To me his description reads not as pretentious, but rather as righteous. He is in love with the process, a perfectionist, and we can all still appreciate that sentiment, I’m sure. I’ve copied just a few of his descriptors in the recipe below, but you’ll get the idea. Here’s to perfection, may we ever be in pursuit of its shadow. Cheers.
time for a heart to heart
Heart of Glass by Troy Sidle
1 ½ oz bourbon
¾ oz Carpano Antica
¾ oz Cynar
17 drops Angostura bitters
½ oz water
Orange zest
Eagle Rare 10 rinse
“Donate” just enough of the fine bourbon to coat the inside of a rocks glass. In a separate glass, add the main bourbon, vermouth, amaro, bitters and water. Express plenty of orange oil from the zest, and then pour everything into the previously “educated” glass.
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