Ladies and gents – if you love bitter, the Chestnut Cup is for you! And despite its Pepto-esque color, it’s not chalky at all. My only notes on this drink are “totes bitter” and “what a punch”.

Obviously, the bitter taste comes from the Campari. Perhaps you know of Campari from the world famous Negroni? Well, it’s gorgeous and bitter all at the same time. Like an ex? But – the other ingredients make this gin cocktail smooth – Unlike an ex.

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The Chestnut Cup Gin Cocktail

I have no idea what this has to do with chestnuts, but the Chestnut Cup Gin Cocktail is the winner if you love bitter Campari!

Ingredients

1 Oz. Gin
1 Oz. Lemon juice
1 Oz. Campari
.75 Oz. Orgeat syrup
Some sort of lemon garnish

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients with ice into a cocktail shaker.
Logically, shake.
Strain into a Collins glass with crushed ice.
Garnish with some sort of lemon. Wedge, dehydrated, sugared, you name it.

For instructions on making your own orgeat syrup, read this. You should do it! Very satisfying.

Who invented this bitter, almondy, and gin-tastic cocktail?

The Chestnut Cup Gin Cocktail can be credited to the Chestnut Club, a bar in Santa Monica, CA. So there you have it. Apparently, you can still go there, and get one from the OG.

I used a sugared lemon wheel, which are delicious to snack on as well as to look at. These can be picked up at your local Trader Joes, or you can make your own dehydrated lemons and play around with sweetening them.

I can’t really speak about how to tweak this to your liking, except that Campari is the forward taste here, so make allowances for your preferences.

There’s another similar cocktail, the Bermuda Hundred, that also uses gin, orgeat syrup, and Campari. That kick is just a smidgen less than this one if you are looking to play a little.

There’s also the Negroni for die-hard Campari lovers. The Negroni is straight alcohol, so by the time you are a few sips into it, the buzz takes care of the bitter.