Wednesday, April 22, 2026

testarossa collins

1 1/2 oz Rhum Barbancourt Blanc (110°)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup 2:1 (1/2 oz Ginger Syrup 1:1 + 1/4 oz Simple Syrup)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with 1 oz soda water, fill with ice, and garnish with a pineapple wedge (lime wheel).
Two Wednesdays ago, I reached for my copy of the Cuban Cocktails: 100 Classic and Modern Drinks book from the Cienfuegos crew of Alla Lapushchik, Jane Danger, and Ravi DeRossi, and I happened on the Testarossa Collins by Tom Chadwick of Cienfuegos and Dram Bar. The book claims that Tom was inspired by the French house musician Kavinsky who crashed his Ferrari Testarossa in 1986 and then "mysteriously came back to life as a Zombie" with the Fernet representing the Italian sports car. Wikipedia declares that "The concept behind OutRun [Kavinsky's 2013 debut album named after a video game featuring a Ferrari] follows Kavinsky's backstory of a young man who crashed his Testarossa in 1986 and reappeared in 2006 as a zombie who produces electronic music." Overall, the recipe read like a rum and soda instead of completely Fernet-driven Cure for Immorality, so it seemed worthy of a go. In the glass, the Testarossa Collins opened up with a lime, grassy rhum funk, and ginger aroma. Next, a carbonated lime and pineapple sip drove into grassy rum, ginger, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

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