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Rabo de GaloRooster's Tail

Cachaça and Red Vermouth, the Bar Counter's Answer to the Negroni.

Rabo de Galo (Rooster's Tail) — Cachaça and Red Vermouth, the Bar Counter's Answer to the Negroni
Rabo de Galo (Rooster's Tail) — Cachaça and Red Vermouth, the Bar Counter's Answer to the Negroni

Rabo de galo — rooster's tail — is the working drink of São Paulo's old bar counters: cachaça cut with red vermouth, no ceremony, one ice cube if you're lucky. It survived decades of neglect and is now being rediscovered as Brazil's true two-ingredient classic.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Build over icePour the cachaça and vermouth over plenty of ice in a mixing glass — the classic is equal parts; lean drier with 60/40 to the vermouth if you prefer.
  2. StirAdd the bitters if using and stir about 30 seconds until the outside of the glass frosts. Dilution is part of the recipe.
  3. ServeStrain into a short glass over fresh ice, or drink it bar-style over the mixing ice. Express the orange peel over the top and drop it in.

Questions

How long does Rabo de Galo take?

about 5 minutes of prep — yielding 2 drinks.

What does rabo de galo taste like?

Like a Negroni's earthier cousin — cachaça's grassy sugarcane against red vermouth's bitter cherry, softened by dilution. Simple, strong, honest.

Should it be shaken or stirred?

Stirred — it is all spirit, and shaking clouds what should be clear and silky. Thirty seconds over ice is right.