Name: Red Head
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Cognac (brandy); 15 ml Amaro (e.g. Averna); 5 ml Strawberry liqueur; 5 ml Lavender sugar syrup; 10 ml Chilled water; 4 drop Lavender bitters

Ingredients

1 1/2 fl oz

Cognac (brandy)

1/2 fl oz

Amaro (e.g. Averna)

1/6 fl oz

Giffard Fraise des Bois liqueur

1/6 fl oz

Monin Lavender Syrup

1/3 fl oz

Chilled water/mineral water (omit if using wet ice)

4 drop

Lavender bitters

How to make

Glassware

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.

Prepare garnish of grapefruit zest twist.

Method

STIR all ingredients with ice.

FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

EXPRESS grapefruit zest twist over cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Red Head contains 180 calories

Alcohol content:

1.3 standard drinks
22.76% alc./vol. (45.53° proof)
18.3 grams of pure alcohol

Comments & Discussion

Please log in to make a comment

Peter M Premium Member 1d

A very interesting drink. I didn't have Lavender Bitters, but decided to give it a go since I have the lavender syrup. Very unique, complex flavors due to the unusual collection of ingredients (I'm sure the bitters would only add to the complexity). The strawberry & lavender are subtle. A bit of bitterness from the amaro. Sweeter than I expected, but not too sweet. (The sweetness might vary based on the cognac & liqueur that you use? (I used Camus VSOP & Drillaud strawberry.)) If anything, this one gets points for creativity. Great option for someone who enjoys cognac-based drinks and is looking for something unique.

Herbert Brant 2y

Very subtle and complex. The blend and balance are exceptional. Certainly greater than the sum of its parts.

John Hinojos Premium Member 2y

What a wonderful aperitif. None of the ingredients outshine the other. Lavender adds just a hint of floral. Not overly sweet which was nice.

Nathalie O Flynn Premium Member 3y

Sipping this right now, I was looking for a cocktail to use my Averna Amaro (this was chosen before I noticed the Black Sabbath one). Well I am a bit surprised this only made a 3.5 stars. This is soooo our type of cocktail and the balance with the two sweet ingredients is perfect, and the mild bitterness is just right for me.

Nathalie O Flynn Premium Member 3y

Funny that Icould swear the lavender bitters were added here in the last 2 weeks ?

Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member 3y

I'm always tweaking to improve recipes. I originally uploaded this recipe back in April 2016 so now 7 years on.

James Brooke Premium Member 4y

Thank you Simon, that is very helpful to know and your reply was super quick, as always.

James Brooke Premium Member 4y

This sounds interesting. I’d love to know what the original recipe was to see what your adaptations are. In fact, it would be great if, when you adapt a recipe, you could also always give the original, as you already do in some cases. Thank you.

Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member 4y

Unless I stipulate a change in proportions, it’s usually just the brands used that “adapted” refers to. I also always convert 1:1 “simple” syrups into 2:1 “rich” syrups.