Left Hand

A drink that always comes in handy. 

The Left Hand is a cocktail invented by bartender Sam Ross: A former bartender at the famed Milk & Honey bar and now owner of the Attaboy bars in Nashville and New York. In the modern cocktail game, Ross is a bit of a legend and is credited with the creation of heavy hitters like the Penicillin, Paper Plane, and Kentucky Maid while at Milk & Honey. Of course, in addition to Ross’s lineup, this former cocktail bar was known for churning out new modern classics like the Gold Rush, Greenpoint, Red Hook, and Bensonhurst. Although the Penicillin and Paper Plane have enjoyed the greatest fame, other cocktails from Ross’s repertoire like the Left Hand, should not be overlooked. 

The Left Hand was launched as part of the “Hand” series of drinks showcased at Milk & Honey. There was the Tres Hands (mezcal and tequila), the Smoking Hand (Scotch), the Right Hand (rum), and then the Left Hand. In Ross’s own words, this drink is “…a love child between a Negroni and a Manhattan.” Now, if you think about it too quickly, you might be tempted to think that a Negroni crossed with a Manhattan is simply a Boulevardier – a bourbon version of the classic gin Negroni. But things are never quite that straightforward with Sam Ross. 

At its core, the Negroni is an equal parts cocktail of Gin, Sweet Vermouth, and Campari. The Boulevardier, therefore, is an equal parts cocktail of Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, and Campari, while the Manhattan is all about Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, and Angostura Aromatic Bitters. And so for the Left Hand, Ross calls from Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, Campari, and bitters – but chocolate bitters instead of Angostura. Rather than an equal parts ratio, the Left Hand also follows the 2:1 Manhattan ratio of Bourbon to Sweet Vermouth. 
The resulting beverage is bitter like the Boulevardier, but with a smoother, tampered down flavor from the balancing sweetness. It’s a robust and complex drink that’s made for sipping slowly. One things for sure- The Left Hand is a cocktail that’s hard to shake off.