The great benefit of choosing vodka as a base, something which even its biggest detractors often admit, is that, due to its crisp and unobtrusive nature, there’s no better way to celebrate supporting ingredients and create a strong overall concept for a cocktail. So it’s no shock that Chelsea Santos, who rarely if ever reaches for the spirit herself, has taken this opportunity to ruminate on the Italian style of liqueur-spiked expresso turning it into a peppy profile reminiscent of a personal favorite combination: cold brew and Campari. In lieu of liqueur, vodka soaks in a wide range of flavors, including coffee, cherry, bitter orange, chocolate, and vanilla for a lazy morning jolt that can only come from a cup of dreamy java.

Ingredients

2 oz. vodka

1 oz cherry-vanilla cold brew syrup

¼ oz orange spritz syrup

4 dashes (not drops) of chocolate mole bitters

1 spritz of orange oil

Method

Stirred

Rocks Glass

Instructions

Add the vodka, syrups, and bitters to a dry mixing glass. Fill the glass with ice and use a bar spoon to stir until the mixing glass feels ice-cold (20-40 seconds, depending on ice size).

Double strain into a rocks glass over fresh cubed ice

For the aromatic finishing touch, spray the orange oil over the top of the drink. If you’d like to and have one on hand, add a cocktail cherry on top of the drink as a bonus garnish.