Cocktail: Cassavetes

We at Bartender Atlas are so excited! About lots of things really. The skunks living in our back yard (so cute!), the upcoming Toronto Cocktail Conference and also, we’ve been invited to tour some distilleries in Italy!

One of the distilleries we will be visiting (and one that I have spent a long time collecting bottles from) is Lucano. I came up with this cocktail (with bar teammate Marta Ess) to celebrate. The tequila plays well with some of the green notes in Amaro Lucano and those flavours are amped up by the Rosemary syrup. Mangoes are my favourite juxtaposition to bitter herbs and lemon ties the whole thing together. (John Cassavetes was in Rosemary’s Baby…get it?)

1.5 oz Blanco Tequila
0.75 oz Amaro Lucano
0.75 oz Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Rosemary Syrup
Dash Bittered Sling Kensington Bitters
Tablespoon of muddled mango.

Place your mango in the bottom of a mixing tin and crush it up (4-6 presses should do). Add all liquid ingredients and ice. Shake hard for 8-10 seconds. Double strain into chilled rocks glass. Fill with ice. Drink it up.

Josh Lindley

Co-Creator at Bartender Atlas

Josh Lindley began his spirits quest in 2006 after short stints in the broadcasting and music industries. He has worked behind bars at notable Toronto establishments like Bar Isabel, Chantecler and Civil Liberties. He also worked as brand ambassador for an unusual gin. In 2016 he and life partner, Jessica Blaine Smith, created Bartender Atlas, a worldwide online directory of bartenders. Together they travel the globe tasting exciting cocktails made by the most passionate bartenders. They are also co-creators of Toronto Cocktail Conference and execute events for bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts all over the world. Josh currently hosts the Branching Out Podcast. In 2023 he made a Spirited Awards Top Ten Nominated Podcast called The Blackbird and in 2024 he made a sequel called The Shaft which was a top 4 finalist for The Spirited Awards. His preferred style of drink is “bitter and stirred” and his preferred style of music is “desperate”.