Wicked Behavior

What Each Ingredient Brings

Bourbon

The base and the anchor. Bourbon's vanilla, caramel, and oak give the drink its weight. Without it the modifiers would have nothing to work against. Choose something with enough body -- a lighter bourbon will get lost behind the pineapple and elderflower.

St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

Florality and a faint stone-fruit sweetness. A quarter ounce is the right measure: present enough to register, restrained enough not to perfume the whole drink. St. Germain has a tendency to dominate if you tip too far.

Aperol

Gentle bitterness and orange. Aperol is less aggressive than Campari -- it softens the drink's edges rather than asserting itself. The orange character rhymes with pineapple and lemon. It is the ingredient that keeps this from reading as sweet.

Pineapple Juice

The tropical acid driver. Pineapple brings both sweetness and acidity in a way that citrus alone cannot. It gives the drink its fruit-forward opening and its tropical character. Fresh is better; bottled works in a pinch but often tastes cooked.

Fresh Lemon Juice

Structure. Lemon's clean acidity sharpens the pineapple and lifts the whole drink. Without it, the sour would be soft. Always fresh -- bottled lemon juice is flat and oxidized and it shows.

Honey Syrup

Sweetness with character. Honey has floral and wax notes that simple syrup lacks. It rounds the acids without making the drink feel sweet. Make it equal parts honey and warm water -- too thick and it will not integrate cleanly in a cold shaker.