contemporary · stirred
Rabo de Galo recipe
Cachaça with sweet vermouth and Cynar. Brazil's stirred aperitivo.
A Rabo de Galo is 50 ml (47 g) Cachaça, 20 ml (21 g) Sweet Vermouth and 10 ml (10.5 g) Cynar, stirred and served in a rocks (old fashioned) glass. It pours to about 80 ml before ice, at roughly 31.1% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glassrocks (old fashioned) glass
- Methodstirred
- Pour volume80 ml
- Strength (est.)31.1% ABV
- Time3 min
Rabo de Galo ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cachaça | 50 ml | 47 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Sweet Vermouth | 20 ml | 21 g | 1.05 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Cynar | 10 ml | 10.5 g | 1.05 | Weighed by the coaster |
How to make a Rabo de Galo
- Set your rocks (old fashioned) glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Pour Cachaça, Sweet Vermouth and Cynar into a mixing glass, weighing each one as you go.
- Fill the mixing glass with hard, cold ice and stir for 20–30 seconds — until the outside frosts and the mix has dropped to roughly −2 °C.
- Strain into a chilled rocks (old fashioned) glass over one large cube.
Rabo de Galo: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Rabo de Galo?
Roughly 31.1% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Strong. This is a stirred, undiluted-style drink — one is a full measure.
What glass should a Rabo de Galo be served in?
A rocks (old fashioned) glass. One large, clear cube melts slower than four small ones and keeps the drink from watering out.
Can I make a Rabo de Galo without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the Rabo de Galo
Caipirinha
Cachaça muddled with lime and sugar over crushed ice. Brazil's own.
Negroni
Equal parts gin, vermouth, Campari. Stir over ice.
Manhattan
Rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, stirred until very cold.
Boulevardier
Bourbon instead of gin. The Negroni's brooding American cousin.
Bijou
Gin, sweet vermouth, and Green Chartreuse. Jewel-bright.
Hanky Panky
Gin and sweet vermouth with a bracing dash of Fernet-Branca.