New Cocktails: the Broken Bicycle

One of Jeffrey Morgenthaler's many contributions to modern bartending has been the reintroduction of batch cocktails. Beginning with barrel aged cocktails, he later moved on to carbonated, bottled cocktails. All of these have the benefit of both creating new flavors and drinking experiences while also improving bar service.

One of the drinks to come out of these effects is the Broken Bike, a modification of the Italian Bicicletta, a drink composed of Campari, white wine, and sparkling water. This trades out the Campari for Cynar and carbonates the whole drink.

The only downside is that it is designed as a batch cocktail, so it's a bit hard to do if you only want a single drink. So I scaled down the ingredients and replaced the white wine with prosecco to give it a bit more fix without having to use a CO2 charger.

Broken Bicycle

1.33 oz Cynar
1.75 oz sparkling wine
2.5 oz sparkling water

Build over ice in a chilled rocks glass. Add a thick strip of lemon peel, then briefly stir to combine.

The nose is relatively restrained and dominated by the lemon peel. The sip largely bounces back and forth between the savory notes of Cynar and the brighter vinous notes of the prosecco, with a bit of extra snap and dryness being provided by the soda water. The finish is dominated by the Cynar, leaving a gentle but persistent bitterness.

This is very much a classic aperitif drink, being light enough to drink without becoming intoxicated and bitter enough to stimulate the palate without completely obliterating the taste buds. I first tried the Broken Bike at Clyde Common and have been wanting to make more ever since. I foresee many of them in my future.