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The Moondog Sour drinkby mixologist David Wolowidnyk, bar Manager at West Restaurant in Vancouver

When David Wolowidnyk, bar manager at West restaurant in Vancouver, received a request for an Amaretto Sour with a modern twist, he was inspired to experiment with the original recipe, attributed to a protégé of Leonardo da Vinci.

The result: a version of the sweet-and-sour cocktail he could call his own.

Along with Disaronno amaretto, the almond-flavoured liqueur that has been produced in the Italian town of Saronno since about 1900, he added Bacardi eight-year-old rum and Falernum, a sweet and hazy Caribbean syrup with flavours of almond, clove, ginger and lime zest (it's available in most West Indian food stores). A dash of Moondog bitters gave the new drink its name.

"The Falernum syrup gives the drink a rich mouthfeel, while the Bacardi complements the acidity in the lemons," says Wolowidnyk, an award-winning mixologist who is co-founder and director of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association.

The Moondog Sour

1 egg white

1½ oz Bacardi eight-year-old rum

1 oz Disaronno Originale

1 oz lemon juice

½ oz Falernum syrup

1 dash Bittered Sling Moondog bitters

Method

To make the drink, separate the egg white into a shaker, then add the remaining ingredients.

Dry shake to emulsify, add ice and shake again to chill.

Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe glass and serve.

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