How To Make A Whiskey & Mirto Cocktail Recipe

This October, Tasting Table is getting away from it all. Come away with us as we explore the world of travel.

In the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea lies the lush island of Sardinia, a region of Italy known for coastal Italian cuisine, a booming wine industry and the freshest sardines you've ever tasted.

When you visit, you will eat too much (trust us). And after you've put yourself in a veritable food coma, do as the Sardinians do and sip a chilled glass of mirto, the island's long-standing digestif.

Mirto is made from the berries of the myrtle bush, which grows abundantly on the island. Its berries look like elongated blueberries but taste like juniper, allspice and pine, which give the mirto liqueur its spicy flavor, similar to amaro. Sardinian mirto's availability in the United States is relatively limited, but it can be found in many liquor stores or online.

You can drink it in the traditional after-dinner fashion, but you can also use mirto in place of sweet vermouth for a spicier version of a Manhattan, or muddle it with a little mint and add cava for a light aperitif. Here, we've mixed it into a cocktail with rye whiskey and ginger beer to make a fall sipper that tastes like an allspice old-fashioned.

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen