The Sweet and Sour Bourbon Cocktail That's Perfect for the Holidays

“I shall need someone else to seek me a glass of the ratafia,” said the powerful and influential Lady Danbury in Season 1 Episode 2 of Bridgerton. 

Ratafia is a style of cordial made in parts of France, Spain and Italy. It's essentially brandy infused with nuts, fruits, herbs, and spices—often cherry, peach, or apricot kernels or the essence of bitter almonds. Modern readers may struggle to find ratafia, but thanks to The Official Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining from Shondaland/Netflix, you can shake up a ratafia and Lady D-inspired drink for your next party.

This recipe uses a combination of amaro (a style of bittersweet Italian liqueur), which is widely available at most well-stocked liquor stores, and bourbon. Amari range in flavor from pleasantly bracing to assertively bitter, so if you’re new to the stuff, ask the clerk to point you in the direction of a more milder amaro, such as Averna or Lucano.

Related: Pair this cocktail with a 'Bridgerton'-inspired snack

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Reprinted from The Official Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining. ? 2023 by Netflix. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. 

Lady D's Amaro Sour

Ingredients

• 1? oz amaro

• ? oz bourbon

• 1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

• ? oz simple syrup

• 1 egg white

• Ice

• Lemon peel and cocktail cherry for garnish

Combine the amaro, bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white in a cocktail shaker without ice and shake for 10 seconds to incorporate the egg white. Add ice to the shaker and continue shaking until chilled. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with the lemon peel and cocktail cherry and serve.