RADICCHIO & BALSAMIC AMARO COCKTAIL WITH HARRISON GINSBURG

It's a clear afternoon, and we're at Overstory, on the top floor of 70 Pine Street in Lower Manhattan, where a wraparound terrace frames the full sweep of the New York City skyline. Drinks have been poured — something bright, something sparkling — and Harrison is talking us through the thinking behind his latest cocktail.

"I wanted to make radicchio the star," he says simply.

As Bar Director of one of the city's most celebrated cocktail destinations, Ginsburg has built a program defined by seasonal produce, technical precision, and the conviction that what grows in the ground can anchor a glass as surely as any spirit. Radicchio Not Roses is exactly that kind of drink.

At its heart is a house-made Radicchio & Balsamic Amaro. Heads of mixed radicchio are torn by hand and charred — either under a broiler or with a blowtorch — before being combined with vodka, citrus peel, pink and white peppercorns, and a touch of balsamic reduction. The result draws loose inspiration from rhubarbaro-style amari, swapping rhubarb root for smoked chicory. Balsamic softens radicchio's bracing edge, lending a quiet sweetness and depth without pulling the drink away from its savory, structured character.

Radicchio itself is central to this story. A chicory native to northeastern Italy, it has been cultivated in the Veneto for centuries — prized for exactly the qualities that make it such a compelling cocktail ingredient: its assertive bitterness, its ability to hold up against bold flavors, and the way it transforms under heat. Charring concentrates its depth and draws out a smokiness that sits naturally alongside balsamic and bitter liqueur.

A Grapefruit Cordial made from Oro Blanco peels “mirrors the classic pairing of bitter greens and winter citrus,” Harrison tells us.

Lillet Rosé and Savoia Americano ground it firmly in the aperitivo tradition. A small measure of gin adds structure without taking over. Built tall with soda and finished with a single leaf of Rosa Del Veneto radicchio, the drink is fresh, lightly savory, and pleasantly bitter.

It drinks like a Venetian spritz reimagined through a produce-first lens — which, at Overstory, is exactly the point.

RADICCHIO NOT ROSES

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE COCKTAIL

.75 oz Radicchio & Balsamic Amaro
1 oz Savoia Americano
1 oz Lillet Rosé
.25 oz Neversink Gin
.25 oz Pamplemousse Liqueur
Soda Water
Rosa Del Veneto Radicchio, to garnish

FOR THE RADICCHIO & BALSAMIC AMARO

3 heads Rosa del Veneto Radicchio
2 heads Tardivo
1 liter vodka
250g granulated white sugar
300ml water
Peels from 1 Heirloom Navel Orange
Peels from 1 Oro Blanco Grapefruit
10 pink peppercorns
10 white peppercorns
3 oz Saba

FOR THE ORO BLANCO GRAPEFRUIT CORDIAL

600ml hot water
275g white sugar
Peels from 4 Oro Blanco Grapefruits
5g tartaric acid
5g lactic acid
5g malic acid
5g citric acid
1g kosher salt

METHOD

FOR THE RADICCHIO & BALSAMIC AMARO

1. Tear radicchio by hand into rough pieces and char under a broiler, on a grill, or with a blowtorch.
2. Combine all ingredients in a vacuum-seal bag.
3. Cook sous vide at 58°C for 3 hours.
4. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, bottle, and label.

No sous vide? Combine all ingredients in a sealed non-reactive container and let sit in a cool, dark place for 1–4 weeks. Strain, bottle, and label.

FOR THE GRAPEFRUIT CORDIAL

1. Combine sugar, acids, salt, and hot water. Stir until fully dissolved.
2. Add grapefruit peels and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours.
3. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, bottle, and label.

No acids? Substitute the juice from the 4 oro blanco grapefruits instead.

TO SERVE

1. Method: Build in glass.
2. Glassware: Highball
3. Ice: Pieces
4. Garnish: Rosa Del Veneto Radicchio

Menu Description: Aperitivo, Lillet, Gin, Radicchio, Grapefruit, Soda