At Sother Teague’s bar Amor Y Amargo in Brooklyn, bartenders don’t use syrups or juices, and they don’t shake drinks. Instead, they focus on stirred, spirit-forward cocktails in infinite variations, like this Waterproof Watch. It vaguely recalls the structure of a Negroni, with amaro (Teague calls for Montenegro) in place of sweet vermouth and a sweeter orange apéritif like Aperol instead of the bitter-er Campari. With a couple dashes of allspice bitters, the complex flavors take a familiar template in an entirely new direction: softly fragrant and inviting.
