Maks Pazuniak and Kirk Estopinal, two of the bartenders at celebrated New Orleans cocktail bar Cure, gained notoriety among their peers in 2009 by publishing a small but mighty recipe book called Rogue Cocktails. It bore the air of a manifesto; in it were drinks that bucked many of the conventions of how to build a cocktail. (They released an expanded version in 2011 under the title Beta Cocktails.) The Gunshop Fizz was the sublime standard-bearer for their offbeat style: the nonsensical-yet-somehow-works recipe leads with two full ounces of Peychaud’s bitters—an ingredient that normally goes into drinks in dashes. A caution: The Gunshop Fizz will quickly drain your Peychaud’s bottle, making it pricey to produce. —Roger Kamholz
Note: If you cannot find (or don't wish to pay for) Sanbittèr, a delicious but also rather costly and uncommon Italian soft drink, in order to top off the drink, then instead use a 1:2 ratio combination of Campari and fresh, well-charged soda water (¾ ounce Campari and 1½ ounces soda will do the trick). As a sub, this delivers on the complex bitterness of the Sanbittèr, but leaves the drink slightly drier.
Click through for more cocktails that bartenders love →
What you’ll need
Peychaud's Bitters
$10 At Amazon
Sanbittèr
$28 At Amazon
Muddler
$19 At Amazon
Cocktail Shaker
$20 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
5 minutes
Yield
Makes 1
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine three 4” grapefruit twists, three 4” orange twists, 2 cucumber slices, ¼” thick, 2 strawberries, hulled, and 2 oz. Peychaud’s bitters in a cocktail shaker. Muddle gently to break up fruit (do not pulverize); set aside for 2 minutes.
Step 2
Add 1 oz. fresh lemon juice, 1 oz. simple syrup (1:1), and ice to shaker and shake until exterior is chilled, about 20 seconds. Double strain, using a cocktail strainer and a fine-mesh strainer, into an ice-filled Collins glass. Fill glass with about 2¼ oz. San Pellegrino Sanbittèr. Garnish with remaining cucumber slice.
Recipe notes
Back to topSee Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
31 Spring Cocktails for Warmer Days Ahead
Think a Hugo spritz, a gin basil smash, and plenty more patio-ready pours.19 Low-Alcohol Cocktails That Still Bring the Party
Like a strawberry-rhubarb spritz, a watermelon-sherry-kombucha cooler, and more low-ABV drinks for day drinking and keeping your witz.This Rule-Breaking Red Cocktail Is a Certified Legend
The Gunshop Fizz pairs a whole lot of bitters with a little fresh fruit.The Best Cocktails You’ve Never Heard of, According to Pro Bartenders
Learn the secret recipes that cocktail pros love to make—and drink.
