This is another one of those cocktails that I tried at a restaurant and decided it was worth trying at home. I took a solid guess at the recipe and nailed it on the first try.
The Tortie Cat is built on bourbon instead of the more common vodka or rum. It balances Campari’s bittersweet orange notes with fresh lime before finishing with spicy ginger beer. The result is a bright, refreshing, and surprisingly complex bourbon Campari cocktail that isn’t complicated to make.
It’s bourbon-forward enough for whiskey drinkers, refreshing enough for summer, and just bitter enough to keep you coming back for another sip. Just maybe don’t have too many. Torties have a reputation for being sweet… right before they remind you who’s actually in charge.
Tortie Tax below. Meet Stella and Luna, our tortie sisters.
The Tortie Cat Bourbon Highball
1
servings5
minutes5
minutesIt’s sweet, a little spicy, and will cut you if you don’t respect it.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
2 oz 2 Wild Turkey 101 bourbon
1/2 oz 1/2 Campari
1/2 oz 1/2 fresh lime juice
Fever Tree ginger beer to top
Garnish: expressed orange peel and a lime wheel
Directions
- Add bourbon, Campari, and lime juice to a shaker of ice
- Shake vigorously and strain into a highball with fresh ice
- Top with Fever Tree ginger beer
- Express an orange peel over drink then add to glass with lime wedge as garnish
Equipment
Cobbler ShakerCobbler Shaker
Stainless Boston ShakerBuy From A Bar Above
Stainless Bell JiggerBuy From A Bar Above
Stainless Hawthorne StrainerBuy From A Bar Above
Silicone Bar MatBuy From A Bar Above
Notes
- A higher-proof bourbon (Wild Turkey 101 worked beautifully) stands up well to the ginger beer.
- Don’t skip expressing the orange peel. Those citrus oils noticeably round out the aroma.
- Fresh lime juice is worth it here—bottled juice loses the brightness that keeps the Campari in check.
- Add the ginger beer last and give it only a gentle stir to preserve carbonation.
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