The Ruse, with its sweet-tea charm and woody backbone, is basically the South in a glass. No surprise, then, that it comes to us from Julep, a Houston restaurant specializing in Southern flavors.
Even the name has a touch of Southern pride; the “ruse” in question was a Confederate trick of painting logs black to convince Union soldiers they were better-armed than they really were during the Battle of Galveston. The recipe even calls for Palo Cortado sherry, which is Spanish for “to cut logs” (loosely translated).
Julep’s recipe calls for Averna as the amaro. Averna is one of the friendliest and most-accessible amari around, and we heartily recommend it here. That said, any medium-bodied amaro you prefer will probably be just lovely in the Ruse.
