Tennis fans will spot the similarities between Second Serve and the new-generation tour leaders. Fino sherry and Amaro Montenegro. Spain and Italy. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. On the court, it’s clash of the titans. In the glass, it’s an unlikely, but perfectly balanced, doubles pairing. At 0.9 standard drinks, a second Second Serve may not be out of the question, especially, when the final goes to a fifth set.
Second Serve was created by Dan Greenbaum at the beloved venue Attaboy in New York, and inspired by Rome With a View, a cocktail created at Milk & Honey, the bar that originally occupied the Attaboy space. Curiously, Rome With a View was inspired by Triumph of Pompeii, which in turn was inspired by Rome is Burning. Where are we going with this? Originality doesn’t matter when the cocktails are this good.
Attaboy has no menu, and they serve bespoke, bartender’s choice cocktails according to the patron’s preferred base spirit. Second Serve is ideal for this format. The range of flavour profiles available from fino sherry and Amaro Montenegro is diverse, and they will all blend and contrast differently, allowing you to shape the cocktail to suit any palate.
Second Serve is a well-rounded percentage player – even as a bubbly aperitivo, it isn’t trying to hit an ace. The soda and fresh lime make it refreshing, while the sherry and amaro deliver complexity to taste. Our version is dry and clean, with a carefully balanced bitter-sweet profile, and some citrusy oomph for good measure. There’s a saying in tennis, ‘you’re only as good as your second serve’.
