Classic cocktail · Guided recipe
Broadway Smile
Start makingSloe gin brings the sugar and the dark fruit, Campari brings the bite, and orange liqueur sits between them keeping the peace. Ruby to the point of opacity, and a good deal more bitter than the name lets on.
In the glassSloe gin · Triple sec / Cointreau · Campari
See exact amounts
What goes in
Ingredients
Set up before you pour
Use a coupe glass.
The stem keeps your hand away from a cold drink, while the rounded bowl makes an up serve easy to sip.
- Standard size
- 200 ml6¾ oz
- Ice & serve
- Chill it first; serve without ice.
- If you don’t own one
- Use a small martini glass or stemmed dessert glass.
- cocktail shaker
- strainer (or a small sieve)
- jigger or measuring spoon
- Sloe gin22 ml
- Triple sec / Cointreau22 ml
- Campari22 ml
From bottle to glass
Method
- 01
Measure into the shaker Pour 22 ml sloe gin into your shaker
Sloe gin
- 02
Measure into the shaker Add 22 ml triple sec / cointreau
Triple sec / Cointreau
- 03
Measure into the shaker Add 22 ml campari
Campari
- 04
Ice the shaker Fill the shaker with ice
- 05
Seal and shake Seal and shake hard
- 06
Strain cleanly Strain into a chilled glass — no ice
- 07
Finish the drink Finish it — add an orange slice
Know your drink
About the Broadway Smile
About that sloe gin
Sloes are blackthorn berries, far too astringent to eat, traditionally picked after the first frost and steeped in gin with sugar for a few months. Cheap bottlings skip the fruit entirely and use flavoring, which is why one brand tastes like cough syrup and another like plum skins and stones. Check the label for real fruit before you buy.
Common questions
Broadway Smile FAQ
Is there a decent substitute for sloe gin?
Sloe gin carries plum skin and a faint almond note that nothing else quite copies. Cherry Heering comes closest in weight, though it reads darker and sweeter, so pull the Campari back to 18 ml. Chambord is too jammy. Homemade sloe gin beats any supermarket bottling.
Why does mine taste harshly bitter rather than fruity?
Bottled sloe gin ranges from 15 to 26 percent and from candy-sweet to nearly dry. A dry, high-proof one leaves Campari with nothing to argue against. Either change bottles or push the triple sec to 30 ml and let the drink take on more water before you strain it.
Does the orange slice matter, or is it decoration?
It does real work. Bitterness reads sharper when nothing sweet reaches your nose first, so citrus oil over the surface softens the opening sip. Squeeze the slice lightly across the top before you drop it in, or use a wide swath of peel instead.
How strong does this land?
Everything in the glass is a liqueur or a low-proof spirit, so it finishes near 20 percent once chilled, closer to a fortified wine than a Negroni. The bitterness hides how much sugar and alcohol are in there, which is exactly how people get caught.
What ingredients are in a Broadway Smile?
A classic Broadway Smile calls for 22 ml (0.75 oz) Sloe gin, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Triple sec / Cointreau, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Campari. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.
Is a Broadway Smile shaken or stirred?
A Broadway Smile is shaken. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.
What glass do you serve a Broadway Smile in?
Serve a Broadway Smile in a chilled coupe glass, well chilled — this drink is served without ice, so a cold glass keeps it cold.
Sharpen the technique
Skills used in this recipe
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