At the back of the cupboard, there is a bottle of Averna Amaro, which I purchased for one sole purpose: to make Black Manhattans.

To say I was once addicted to that cocktail, which I was first introduced to at Model Milk — it was on the drinks list from the first day it opened — could be an understatement. My love was real. And strong. As were the cocktails themselves. Ahem.

Since the goal of this project is not to make old favourites but explore new options, that meant trying to find something else to do with the Averna.

A deep brown liqueur, almost cola-like in colour, Averna Amaro plays well with the bourbon and orange zest in the original Black Manhattan recipe. This Sicilian bitter’s recipe has, apparently, remained the same for more than 150 years. With notes of citrus zest, warming spices, cola and ginger, I get why I’m drawn to it.

And I was surprised at how versatile it appears to be — though most recipes seem to play up the citrus and ginger. I saw highballs with lime and mixed cocktails with tequila — even a traditional bourbon sour spiked with Averna.

With three lemons in the fridge and a bottle of ginger beer I’ve had since… I actually don’t know, to be honest… going with the Spicy Averna was an easy choice.

The heat of ginger and tart lemon do really well against the liqueur. And it was nice to not have to pull out the cocktail shaker.

This will do really well in the hotter days of summer. I am already predicting some tipsy afternoons on my balcony.

Spicy Averna

• 2 ounces Averna Amaro
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 4 ounces ginger beer*
• piece of candied ginger for garnish (optional)