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Odessa

Name: Odessa
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 22.5 ml Batavia arrack; 22.5 ml Gin; 22.5 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 22.5 ml Red bitter liqueur; 2 dash Aromatic bitters

Difford’s Guide

Discerning Drinkers (11)

Measurements in:

Serves:

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Ingredients
³⁄₄ fl oz	Batavia Arrack van Oosten
³⁄₄ fl oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin
³⁄₄ fl oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
³⁄₄ fl oz	Italian red bitter liqueur
2 dash	Angostura Aromatic Bitters

How to make

Glassware

Serve in a Coupe glass

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

Method

STIR all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

Garnish with skewered maraschino cherry.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Odessa contains 206 calories

Alcohol content:

1.7 standard drinks
26.09% alc./vol. (52.17° proof)
23.7 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

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

History

Adapted from a recipe created in 2025 by J. E. Clapham of Clapham Cocktails.

The Odessa first appears in Elvezio Grassi's 1936 book Mille Misture with a recipe calling for the sadly defunct Cordial Campari, rather than the brand's surviving red bitter liqueur.

Odessa Cocktail (Serie Grassi)
Agitare nel shaker con ghiaccio
25% Vermouth Torino
25% Dry gin
25% Cordial Campari
25% Arak di Batavia
2 spruzzi Angostura.
Servite con ciliegia candita.
Elvezio Grassi, Mille Misture, 1936

More cocktails by J. E. Clapham of Clapham Cocktails

Review

Spirit-forward and bittersweet with the tang of arrack, laced with gin. Perhaps best served on-the-rocks as an arrack-influenced riff on a Negroni.

Batavia Arrack van Oosten 750ml - makes 33 cocktails
$74.99 $2.27 per cocktail Batavia Arrack van Oosten image

Hayman's London Dry Gin 750ml - makes 33 cocktails
$33.99 $1.03 per cocktail Hayman's London Dry Gin image

Campari Bitter 375ml - makes 16.5 cocktails
$19.99 $1.21 per cocktail Campari Bitter image

Angostura Aromatic Bitters 120ml - makes 192 cocktails
$13.99 $0.07 per cocktail Angostura Aromatic Bitters image

$4.58 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 16.5 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.

Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

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* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

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Comments & Discussion

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Patrick Varner 31w

Perhaps the best Negroni variant I have ever tried. I used Carpano Antica and Campari, because Strucchi isn’t available stateside. The arrack adds a touch of funk, and highlights the chocolate notes from the vermouth. Might benefit from a sushi-rice wash, like all Negronis.

Chris Brislawn 1y

Like the Alfa Romeo, this is another wonderful Negroni variant from Elvezio Grassi's 1936 book that has been rediscovered by Jason Clapham. The Odessa dries out the Negroni a bit and gives it a beguiling additional set of flavors, most noticeable on the finish. Instead of replacing Cordial Campari by Strucchi Bitter (which I haven't seen locally) or modern Campari, I used Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale Bitter, which worked well.

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