Name: Redwood Heights
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 3 dash Absinthe; 60 ml Gin; 30 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 15 ml Cynar/carciofo amaro; 1 dash Orange bitters

Redwood Heights
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Glass:

Photographed in an Urban Bar Alto Coupe 18cl

Ingredients:
3 dash	La Fée Parisienne absinthe
2 fl oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin
1 fl oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Cynar or other carciofo amaro
1 dash	Orange Bitters by Angostura

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

How to make:

RINSE chilled glass with absinthe and discard excess.
STIR other ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into absinthe-rinsed glass.

Garnish:

EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino) - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

A gin-laced, freshening herbal alternative to a late-night Sweet Manhattan.

View readers' comments

Variations/similar cocktails:

The O. G.
Cin Cyn

History:

Created in 2019 by David Blumberg, a fellow Discerning Drinker. Named after his home, the Redwood Heights district of Oakland, California.

Nutrition:

One serving of Redwood Heights contains 206 calories

Alcohol content:

1.8 standard drinks
24.25% alc./vol. (48.5° proof)
25.8 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 16 comments for Redwood Heights.
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John CARR

7th April at 14:12

Swapped Punt e Mes bumped to 30 for the Cynar as it was fresher in stock and added a dash of BT aromatic bitters, truly taking it into Ginhattan ®️ territory. Or prob Martinez territory to be more accurate.

Doug James

17th January at 03:35

This excellent cocktail is complex and satisfying. I built it exactly as suggested and find it to be rich, boozy, and perfectly balanced.

Zach Schwartz

21st August 2025 at 01:07

Fantastically proportioned! I enjoyed it alongside some nice oily artichoke pasta. I have to admit, I think I like it more than my own similar “Giuseppe Martini.” If you enjoy this style of drink though, perhaps give it a look.

John CARR

18th August 2025 at 13:44

Circling back to this one, interesting to note how much the garnish/expressed oils can impact perception. Without the orange this was ‘nice’ ~ 4 star ~ with orange interacting with absinthe ~ 5 easy.

Tomasso

4th July 2025 at 00:41

I really like this. I agree that as it sits over the 3hrs it’s gonna take me to drink a double, it really develops. I used Bombay London Dry…I’m an aspiring mixologist…altho I this this drink is awesome (I used the Dolin sweet vermouth) with keeping with the CA tradition of an east coast classic…I should have used the Gray Whale…a tick more sweet from the gin could have brightened it up a bit. That being said…I love this drink.

Justin Aniello

30th May 2025 at 21:12

Gin plus sweet vermouth plus amaro is always a winning combination and this is no exception. The gin and vermouth bring up the front with the cynar and pastis rounding out the back, lovely.

peterme

14th May 2025 at 00:41

As other folks state, it's better as it warms up. But it's surprising how the vermouth and Cynar kind of obliterate the gin flavor.

David Blumberg

18th May 2025 at 02:35

Try it with a more flavorful gin like Nolets. Maybe you’ll find that more appealing!

1 reply

Stephen C

20th April 2025 at 02:48

Flavors very muted for me. Dull.

Jeffrey Moore

27th March 2025 at 22:09

Looked like a Little Italy Riff & I love the Little Italy. Therefore, I was all in. However, even though I used a Torino Vermouth, as well as having sweetness from the Cynar, this was a very dry cocktail for me. I ended up adding some Gran Marnier & imo, liked it much better.
I think an Old Tom Gin would work better in this drink. Ransom Old Tom would be my recommendation

John CARR

16th March 2025 at 12:32

Ran out of vermouth Di Torino so did a slightly ‘inside out’ version with 30 Cardamaro, 20 Campari. Wondered whether the absinthe and orange bitters might be over-egging the pudding, but they worked really well!

John CARR

21st March 2025 at 14:06

Remade to spec, including fresh bottle of Cocchi VdT. Used several sprays for glass prep instead of dashes. Incredibly aromatic cocktail - fresh navel Orange helped - and wonderful depth and richness of flavour. Five stars indeed!

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