A Moment of Silence

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (39 ratings)

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
16 oz Strucchi Red Bitter (Campari-style liqueur)
1 12 oz Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
1 oz Luxardo Apricot Albicocca Liqueur
12 oz Amaro (e.g. Averna)
12 oz Angostura Aromatic Bitters
14 oz Applejack brandy bottled-in-bond (50% alc./vol)
× 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. RINSE chilled glass with red bitter liqueur ((swirl around to coat and discard excess) and set to one side.
  4. STIR other ingredients with ice.
  5. STRAIN into ice-filled, pre-rinsed glass.
  6. EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 9/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 8/10

Review:

With a whopping 15ml of bitters on top of 15ml amaro (Italian for bitter) and a punchy 45ml high-proof rye whiskey, this cocktail perhaps would have been better named Momentary Lapse of Reason after the Pink Floyd track. However, the rich apricot brandy rounds and mellows to make this cocktail surprisingly approachable, although still spirituous. Perhaps consider using the following measures to reduce the serve, and so the booze, by a third:
Rinse - 5ml Red bitter liqueur
30ml (1oz) Rye whiskey
20ml (2/3oz) Apricot brandy
10ml (1/3oz) Amaro Averna
10ml (1/3oz) Angostura bitters
5ml (1/6oz) Straight bottled-in-bond applejack

View readers' comments

History:

This riff on a La Louisiane was created in 2011 by Maks Pazuniak at Cure in New Orleans, USA. Maks is also the originator of the bitters-based Angostura Sour.

Nutrition:

One serving of A Moment of Silence contains 249 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 2.7 standard drinks
  • 31.9% alc./vol. (31.9° proof)
  • 37.5 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.

Join the discussion

Showing 5 comments for A Moment of Silence.
See discussion in the Forum

Please log in to make a comment
MIKE LANDERS’ Avatar MIKE LANDERS
24th November 2024 at 22:24
This is weird and delicious. I was surprised so many people said too sweet, although choice of bottles would certainly matter. I found it just a little sweet upfront but the lingering bitterness from all that Ango made it really interesting and more than balanced it out, in my opinion. Heavy baking spice and a fruity whiskey base makes it feel like a sipper for a winter fireside hangout.
28th November 2023 at 16:51
Good flavors but sweet.
John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
3rd April 2023 at 04:11
I was concerned with the amount of Angostura which was used. Quite nice as written, but did find it a bit sweet. Added 1/2 oz more of rye and it was perfect. The original is balanced, but the enhanced was great. Liked the burst of flavours and the spicy hints from the bitters. Overall an outstanding evening sipper or nightcap.
Bertrand Péraut’s Avatar Bertrand Péraut
24th March 2022 at 19:38
Maybe a little heavy on the apricot brandy. 2/3 is enough for me. Plus I raise the whiskey to 2 shots. And then it's the real thing, in my opinion ;-)
Andy Parnell-Hopkinson’s Avatar Andy Parnell-Hopkinson
21st August 2021 at 16:17
Tremendous balancing act.