Artusi's Averna Smash
A Seattle-Born Cocktail that Channels a Bittersweet Wisconsin Old-Fashioned with a Southern Italian Twist
Artusi’s Averna Smash
Beyond the usual suspects among the classic (Negroni, Hanky Panky) and modern classic (Paper Plane, Black Manhattan) cocktail camps, one of the first new-look amaro-based drinks from contemporary bartenders I added to the recipe lineup in my book Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas wasn’t created by a bartender, but a chef.
I lived in Seattle for just over a decade before moving to Brooklyn in the spring of 2010, but returned to Jet City often, usually for book-related research, photo shoots, or promotional events. It was on one of these occasions that my friend Rocky Yeh (RIP)—the larger than life Seattleite and bon vivant who was a key player in his beloved city’s craft cocktail movement and whose absence is still deeply felt—suggested on one of my trips to check out a drink called the Averna Smash at Artusi, an urbane aperitivo bar located on Capitol Hill.