Rabo-de-Galo

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (76 ratings)
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    Rabo-de-Galo

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Rabo-de-Galo image

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 2⁄3 oz Cachaça
1⁄2 oz Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
1⁄2 oz Cynar or other carciofo amaro
1 dash Hopped grapefruit bitters optional
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill an Old-fashioned glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.
  3. THROW OR STIR (or even shake) all ingredients with ice.
  4. STRAIN into ice-filled glass.
  5. EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 9/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 6/10
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

The bittersweet herbal notes from the vermouth and Cynar combine harmoniously with the cachaça. Depending on how punchy you like your cocktails you may want to increase or decrease the amount of cachaça (anywhere between 45 and 60ml).

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History:

One of the best-known drinks in Brazil, Rabo de Galo originated in the mid-1950s after a Cinzano factory opened in São Paulo, leading to rosso (sweet) vermouth being mixed with the local cachaça.

'Rabo-de-galo' literally translates from Brazilian Portuguese as rooster tail or 'cock tail'. In Brazil, a cocktail is called 'coquetel'. Originally served as a shot in dive bars, which in Brazil are called pés-sujos (literally translates as 'dirty feet'), the proportions and the drink's ingredients vary greatly from bar to bar and region to region, but are generally accepted as being 2/3 cachaça and 1/3 sweet vermouth.

In São Paulo, it is now commonplace for the vermouth to be substituted with Cynar, or (as above) both sweet vermouth and Cynar to be mixed with the cachaça. As the Rabo-de-Galo has transitioned from pés-sujos to cocktail bars, so it has moved from being served straight-up in large tall shot glasses to tumblers and on-the-rocks, as above.

Nutrition:

One serving of Rabo-de-Galo contains 159 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.3 standard drinks
  • 22.92% alc./vol. (22.92° proof)
  • 18.4 grams of pure alcohol

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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Justin Aniello’s Avatar Justin Aniello
22nd December 2024 at 21:39
I unfortunately find most cachaca cocktails underwhelming compared to it on its own and this one was no exception. The blend of cachaca and Cynar give an almost grapefruit flavor with a pithy aftertaste. Not bad but unlikely to make again.
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Mariana Missio Vieira da Rocha’s Avatar Mariana Missio Vieira da Rocha
25th August 2024 at 22:31
Just a curiosity about the "pé sujo" bars. They don't look exactly as a dive bar, the only thing in common in being cheap.
Dive bars are mostly a closed and dark space, while a pé sujo is an open and clearer (but not cleaner) space.
Picture from a pé sujo bar https://images.app.goo.gl/6qEAYTwZ1DRnJJv96
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Matt’s Avatar Matt
4th August 2024 at 23:24
For a cocktail that is mostly cachaca, this has surprising amount of sweet fruit, plus a very nice bitterness (from the Cynar, mainly) that I really like with the cachaca funky/grassy taste. I used Leblon/Carpano Antica/Cynar. Really nice.
1
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John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
12th April 2023 at 04:00
Very flavourful cocktail and perfect in the evening. Use Clairin from Haiti at 113 proof which gave it some additional punch, but delightful. This is a cocktail which seems to improve as it breathes and the ice melts.
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Fabio Andrade’s Avatar Fabio Andrade
19th August 2020 at 17:16
Grapefruit is not a local fruit in Brazil, so we usually use orange peel to garnish and add the oils flavor to the fancy cocktail version. You can use 1/3 rosso sweet vermouth to 2/3 cachaça, Cinzano or Martini are mostly used so the orange will fit better. The versions with a part of Cynar or Cynar in place of the vermouth can work well with lime peels too.
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Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
19th August 2020 at 19:33
Many thanks for the feedback. I've changed to an orange peel garnish as per your recommendation.
3
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