Boo Radley

Chris Hannah, French 75 | New Orleans

boo radley cocktail recipe chris hannah french 75

Named after the mysterious neighbor in Harper Lee’s great Southern novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Boo Radley is a play on another more obscure Southern classic, the Creole cocktail. Though not Southern in origin—it first appeared as Manhattan riff in Hugo Ensslin’s Recipes for Mixed Drinks in 1916—the Creole’s namesake certainly relates to Louisiana’s heritage, which is why Chris Hannah of French 75 in New Orleans used it as a blueprint for his own riff. Where the Creole uses rye whiskey, Hannah substitutes in bourbon, and for sweet vermouth there is Cynar, the Italian artichoke amaro. Finally, instead of the obscure bitter orange liqueur Amer Picon, Hannah uses Cherry Heering.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • 3/4 ounce Cynar
  • 3/4 ounce Cynar
  • 1/2 ounce Cherry Heering
  • 1/2 ounce Cherry Heering

Garnish: lemon and orange peel

Directions
  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass.
  2. Add ice and stir until chilled.
  3. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
  4. Express a lemon and an orange peel over cocktail. Garnish with peels (optional).