Galliano L’Autentico is a true classic among herbal liqueurs. Both as an ingredient behind the bar as well as served pure: the many friends of Galliano value the unique characteristics of the liqueur from the catchy, long-necked bottle. Somewhat less well known is the little brother of the Galliano L’Autentico, the Galliano Vanilla.

With its 30 herbs, it is hardly surprising that Galliano L’Autentico bestows many cocktails with a very complex and interesting dimension (for example in the highly recommended Galliajito). But why is it that Galliano Vanilla is often somewhat overshadowed by the famous flagship-version? Perhaps because it has that certain aura of chumming up to the masses with its sweet vanilla character. But that does not need to be a problem. It even works quite excellent in cocktails, if you know to use the emphasized vanilla flavors.

A proposal for such is given by the producers themselves on their website. Although the brand now belongs to Dutch group Bols, of course the people at Galliona cherish the Italian flair of the brand. So today’s cocktail is named Livorno Sour after the Italian city of Livorno. For me it is a very interesting recipe, since it works with Grappa alongside Galliano Vanilla, what somehow emphasizes the typical Italian character. In addition to that there are only few drinks among the classics using Grappa as an ingredient. The recipe also calls for an egg white as it is usual in classic Sours, but of course you can leave it out if you want to. Personally I like using egg white in a Sour; if you go for fresh and good quality, there shouldn’t be any risk.

While following the instructions of the manufacturer on the Galliano website I was a little confused by the information concerning the garnish for the drink. In the German version they call for a cherry and a wheel of lime, in the English version for a cherry and a wheel of lemon and on their picture they show a vanilla pod and a lemon zest. Finally, I opted for a lemon zest and a cherry. The cherry works great as a nice, full-bodied companion while the lemon zest seemed ultimately more appropriate than a slice of lemon (or even lime). But I guess you can improvise as you please.

Recipe:

1.5 cl Galliano Vanilla
4 cl Grappa
2 cl lemon juice
0.5 cl sugar syrup
½ egg white

Preparation: Mix all ingredients in a shaker on ice and shake vigorously (you can, if you want to, do a dry shake first). Then strain into your pre-chilled glass.

Glass: Coupette

Garnish: lemon zest and Griottines-cherry

Buying sources: In well-stocked supermarkets, at specialized retailers or online.