Player Piano Cocktail: Is it Worth the Hype?
We’ve been seeing a trend of the player piano cocktail across the internet- but what is it and how does it taste?
Ingredients
Instructions
STEP 1:
In a cocktail shaker add lime juice, Rhum Agricole, St. Germain, Aperol, Tiki Bitters, and a generous scoop of ice
STEP 2:
Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled cocktail glass of your choosing
STEP 3:
Garnish with a lime or drink as is
Disclaimer- Must be 21+ in order to make this recipe
The player piano cocktail was invented around 2012 by bartender Colin Shearn’s. Shearns was working at the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. in Philidelphia, right in Rittenhouse Square. The establishment is a subterranean bar featuring craft cocktails. Colin Shearns was set on making an equal parts cocktail that was delicious. Often times bartenders find it difficult to balance such strong flavors when they are all going in as equal parts.
It should be noted that the original printed recipe of the player piano cocktail didn’t have tiki bitters in it, but when a fellow bartender went to recreate the equal parts cocktail 8 years later Shearns mentioned that he believed it did have 9 drops of bitters.
I found the player piano cocktail to be the perfect balance of fruity with mellow bitter notes coming from the Aperol and tiki bitters. The lime juice added the perfect amount of acidity and the St. Germain which usually stars in any drink it is featured in took a back seat and really helped bring out all the other flavors.
I had a bit of trouble finding certain ingredients like Rhum Agricole so I’ve gone ahead and provided links below. You can find all the ingredients you need on Drizly.
For a Delicious Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Option Read: Ultimate Guilt-Free Spicy Margarita Mocktail Recipe
When I first read the player piano cocktail recipe I was skeptical. Any cocktail I had tasted before this one that was equal parts of everything I didn’t enjoy. It was always too much of something and not enough of something else. I can confidently say that that is not the case with the player piano cocktail, it has the perfect balance of everything. Next time you aren’t sure what cocktail to make or what drink to order at the bar, give the player piano cocktail a try.