Rosita
A bittersweet tequila Negroni with two vermouths and a dash of Angostura: precise and grown-up.
Ingredients
- Reposado tequila45 ml
- Campari15 ml
- Sweet vermouth, ideally an Italian sweet vermouth15 ml
- Dry vermouth, ideally a French dry vermouth15 ml
- Aromatic bitters (Angostura)e.g. Angostura1 dash
- Orange, to garnish (optional)1 twist
Method
- Fill a mixing glass with ice cubes.
- Add the tequila, Campari, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth and Angostura bitters.
- Stir calmly for 30–45 seconds, until cold and properly diluted.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, or into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Twist a strip of orange peel over the drink to release its oils and drop it into the glass as a garnish.
About this drink
The Rosita surfaced in print in the 1988 edition of Mr. Boston's bartender's guide as a tequila twist on the Negroni. Gary Regan picked it up, raised the tequila and added a dash of bitters, giving the version most bars still pour. Splitting the vermouth between sweet and dry gives it a drier, more layered bitterness than its gin-based cousin, proof that a classic template can take another spirit and still feel exactly right.
Questions and answers
What is a Rosita?
A tequila version of the Negroni, where reposado replaces the gin and a mix of sweet and dry vermouth gives a drier, more complex balance than sweet vermouth alone.
Why reposado rather than blanco tequila in a Rosita?
Reposado's barrel-rested roundness meets Campari's bitterness better than blanco's sharper, more peppery profile, giving a gentler bridge between the bold flavours.
