Name: Bensonhurst
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Rye whiskey 50% abv; 10 ml Maraschino liqueur; 30 ml Dry vermouth; 5 ml Cynar/carciofo amaro

Bensonhurst
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Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ oz	Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
¹⁄₃ oz	Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
1 oz	Strucchi Dry Vermouth
¹⁄₆ oz	Cynar or other carciofo amaro

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.
STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish with maraschino cherry.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

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:

This riff on a Brooklyn is one of many to emerge since 2006 but is one of the more enduring.

View readers' comments

Variant:

Brooklyn recipes and contemporary riffs named after Brooklyn neighbourhoods

History:

Created in 2006 by Chad Solomon at Milk & Honey in Manhattan and named after a neighbourhood close to his home in Brooklyn, New York City, USA.

Nutrition:

One serving of Bensonhurst contains 167 calories

Alcohol content:

1.8 standard drinks
27.97% alc./vol. (27.97° proof)
25.2 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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Peter McCarthy

13th May at 04:39

This is an interesting drink. I used Wild Turkey 101 Rye & Dolin Dry. It seems fairly well-balanced, but the vermouth is the clearly dominant ingredient for me. A precise measurement of the Maraschino worked well; it's definitely noticeable but not overly so, and it does not linger too long. The Rye and the Cynar are almost "lost in the mix", but that's not necessarily a negative; I'm sure they're adding to the overall complexity. Definitely on the dry side, but there's a nice light sweetness balanced by a bitterness on the back-end. As I mentioned, this is an interesting drink...I don't think I'd ever pick this out to drink again, but that's just because it's a very unique flavor profile that I think I'd rarely be in the mood for... Great option for someone looking for something unique/"different" to try, though.

Chris Brislawn

24th March at 02:51

First time making the Bensonhurst, and I paid heed to A. Garnett's comments. I recently addressed other issues with the Scofflaw, which has the same 3:2 ratio of rye to dry vermouth, by splitting the vermouth into half dry, half bianco. The mildly sweet, mildly savory flavors of bianco are good at integrating conflicting flavors, and the 50:50 split worked here, too. Reduced the maraschio (Cheritelli, which has a lot of maraschino flavor) to 1/4 oz to compensate for the added sugars. Excellent!

mregisterfl

4th January at 09:40

A Brooklyn riff worthy of its association with Milk & Honey. I’d nudge the sweet/dry rating one level to the left (6). Made with Rittenhouse, Luxardo, Noilly Prat and Cynar 33. Perfectly balanced and nuanced thanks to delicate French dry vermouth and richly bitter Cynar.

Pekka Savolainen

12th April 2024 at 21:01

Every ingredient in this cocktail is better served on its own. Really disapponting.

-1

Avery Garnett

16th June 2023 at 19:41

It's balanced but I don't like it that much. It's a weird mix of sweet and savoury that doesn't...quite work. It's a little dry from the vermouth and cynar and a little spicy from the rye, and there's the maraschino sweetness and whilst it's *balanced* it feels like it's pulling in every direction at once

Chris Brislawn

24th March at 02:53

It's pretty good, balanced *and* well-integrated, with a split of half dry/half bianco vermouth and a bit less maraschino.

Calvin Grant

21st November 2022 at 03:54

I'm definitely a fan of this one!

AJ M

30th March 2022 at 00:45

you gotta be a luxardo fan (which i am not). total takes over… (but thats my opinion, which is skewed. could see being good for someone who like luxardo and something bitter)

Two Hands, One Drink

8th February 2022 at 01:44

This cocktail is good, but misses on two ingredients. Dry vermouth is ubiquitous, but the sharp/sweet combo of Cocchi Americano is much better. Cynar is popular right now, but it's the wrong Amaro for this balance. Averna is much better. And as for a garnish, I'm partial to an orange twist, which brings in a citrus bitter that adds so much more than cherry sweetness. So, my recipe is: 2 oz rye, 1 oz Cocchi Americano, 1/3 oz (2 tsp) Maraschino Liqueur, 1/6 oz (1 tsp) Averna. Stir, orange twist.

John Redding

20th April 2024 at 00:29

I subbed the Cocchi Americano for vermouth and kept the Cynar, and it's a really tasty cocktail...

John Champion

27th March 2023 at 05:38

I enjoyed this drink but I'm also a big fan of Averna. Might have to give your version a shot.

Geoff B.

22nd May 2021 at 01:40

Excellent! Both dry and sweet with lots of flavor. Cynar and maraschino work together to deliver a boozy cocktail that’s nicely balanced sweet and dry.

David M.

21st May 2021 at 03:07

Terrific! Boozy, hint of sweetness from the Maraschino. Complexity from the Cynar. Try it!

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