The Splashing Biker

Made for the Secret Santa cocktail exchange run by my friend Matthias, @servedbysoberon, where instead of trinkets you craft a drink for a stranger who shares your love of the craft — I was paired with Jules Verlinden, @capjules, a WSET Level 3 Belgian mixologist who lives by "life is too short for bad cocktails and bad wine," runs the bartender cycling community @martiniracingciclismo, was a finalist in the 2019 Vero bartender competition, and has a deep love of amari, so I turned to the Bicicletta — a classic Campari aperitivo said to hail from 1930s Milan, named for the café-goers who wobbled home on their bikes after one too many — and riffed on it with Amaro Montenegro for orange, saffron, and vanilla, Lillet Blanc for honeyed balance, Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic for light fizz and herbal lift, and a final splash of Campari bled through the glass, a nod to his amaro obsession, his competitive edge behind the bar, and the miles he logs on two wheels.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Amaro (Amaro Montenegro)

• 1.5 oz White Vermouth (Lillet Blanc)

• 1 oz Tonic Water (Fever-Tree Mediterranean)

• 0.5 oz Campari

Steps

1. Add the amaro and vermouth to a mixing glass.

2. Fill with ice and stir until well-chilled.

3. Strain into a coupe glass.

4. Top with tonic water.

5. Splash in the Campari to finish.

Paired With

73% Dark Chocolate with Orange Zest by Baiani Chocolates

This 73% dark craft chocolate is made from single-origin cacao grown at Vale Potumuju, Brazil, and finished with fresh orange zest — paired with real intention alongside The Splashing Biker. The citrus in the chocolate echoes the orange notes in Campari and the orange-based aromatics of Lillet Blanc, so the two feel like they're speaking the same language. The dark cacao offers a grounding contrast to the drink's floral sweetness, giving the pairing depth rather than reading as purely sweet-on-sweet, while the cocktail's bitterness keeps things light rather than heavy. Sip the cocktail on its own first to register its bitterness. Then let a small piece of chocolate soften slowly before taking another sip. As the Campari bitterness returns, the orange notes in the chocolate should taste brighter and more aromatic than on the first bite.