The measure

Your guide on what to drink and where to drink it

A CHANGE FOR THE BITTER

While the rise of the Aperol spritz may seem unstoppable, it’s worth paying attention to other bitter amari that offer their own, equally palatable take on the popular cocktail. Most recognisable is Campari, but increasingly lesser-known liqueurs like Cynar are popping up in bars and restaurants. We’ve spotted Cynar spritzes in the likes of Lina Stores in Soho and St Leonards in Shoreditch (and a Cynar-spiked gin fizz in pizzeria Rudy’s, in Manchester), and the artichoke-based liqueur has punchy herbal and vegetal notes that, when balanced by sweet fizz in a spritz, makes it a more sultry cousin to citrussy, orange-hued Aperol (and perhaps why it’s often the tipple of choice in Venice, the spiritual home of the spritz). Another liqueur also making a name for itself in bar-tending circles is Suze, the gentian-based aperitif that is perfect paired with tonic or as the bitter base for a white negroni. Visit Omagazine.com and watch our video on how to make Hackney restaurant Rawduck’s take on the latter. One of the biggest drinks trends to emerge in the past year is the rise of zero and low-ABV tipples, as many of us increasingly eschew the strong stuff. Surfing this wave is Andrea Waters and Catherine Salway, whose new book, Redemption Bar: Alcohol-Free Cocktails with Benefits, is a compendium of tempting booze-free beverages. Recipes are mostly health conscious and low in sugar – as one would expect from the owners of vegan, sugar-free and alcohol-free London bar and restaurant Redemption – without compromising on flavour. Grown-up concoctions include the likes of pear and lemon thyme shrub, maple and ginger switchel, tepache (a Mexican fermented pineapple soft drink), hibiscus iced tea, rosemary and pomegranate fizz, and blood orange, basil and thyme kombucha

(£12.99, Kyle Books).