Name: Perfect Pal
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Rye whiskey 50% abv; 30 ml Orange-red aperitivo; 15 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 15 ml Dry vermouth; 2 dash Orange bitters

Perfect Pal
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Glass:

Photographed in an Urban Bar Plain Retro Coupette 15cl

Ingredients:
1 fl oz	Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
1 fl oz	Bittersweet orange-red aperitivo
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth chilled
¹⁄₂ fl oz	Strucchi Dry Vermouth chilled
2 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 and quarter orange slice wheel.

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

EXPRESS orange zest twist over cocktail and discard.
Garnish with quarter orange wheel on rim.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

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

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

A riff on the classic Old Pal, made lighter and more approachable by red aperitivo liqueur replacing red bitter liqueur. Don't skip the spray of orange oil from the garnish, as this helps pull the cocktail into perfect balance.

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History:

Created circa 2010 by Evan Harrison at The Independent Bar & Restaurant in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Nutrition:

One serving of Perfect Pal contains 178 calories

Alcohol content:

1.3 standard drinks
20.51% alc./vol. (41.02° proof)
18.6 grams of pure alcohol

More Aperitivo/aperitif cocktails
More Bittersweet (e.g. Negroni) cocktails

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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Calvin Grant

13th March at 03:22

Just made this with Cappelletti, did not disappoint. The bitter-sweet was well balanced, negroni like. Look forward to trying this with a proper orange-red aperitivo, perhaps Luxardo if I can find it. As Tuber and Simon suggest, do express the orange zest onto the drink albeit it's not in the recipe per se.

John CARR

14th May at 14:02

Yes agreed re the oil spray bring essential here (fell off the instructions seemingly, Simon). Even lighter and fruitier this evening with. Melbourne-based Gospel solera rye and Dolin rouge. Distinct vinous notes also.
Calvin, having tried Luxardo apperitivo against Aperol, I definitely favour the original. Bumps it up the extra, all important half star which the Discerning such as ourselves appreciate 😉😝🤣

1 reply

Tuber Magnatum

15th January at 23:58

I struggled a bit with the first few sips trying to decide too sweet, not enough bitterness, etc. Rereading Difford's description and recipe thinking about how I might modify, I realized I had forgotten to express oils from an orange garnish. Doing so for the rest of the drink was a revelation. This drink requires this and definitely elevates it. Having said that, I'm not sure I will add it to my "Favourite Collection" until I contrast this with the more bitter Old Pal version.

John CARR

14th May at 14:07

Agreed, I was wavering over adding a dash of angostura, but left well alone in the end and added an extra zesty spray instead. I think vermouth di Torino and high abv rye are key here for those of us who are used to and appreciate a heavy duty Manhattan etc.

Marek Vranka

3rd January at 23:28

made it with bourbon, thus even sweeter than it should be, but I liked it regardless...

Loïc Pierre

15th December 2025 at 19:52

Found jt great, but too sweet. Next time I'll try with campari instead of aperol. And maybe less sweet (rosso) vermouth and more dry vermouth.

Chris Dimal

15th December 2025 at 06:22

Great drink. It felt like a Manhattan's regality and seriousness combined with the sprightly nature of a Negroni. I will say I used Select Aperitivo instead of Aperol, which made it even more suited as a digestif/nightcap.