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Poo Driver Cocktail

5.0

(10)

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Brown drink with a lemon sitting on blue surface.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie

“I love pranks, and I hate the status quo. This was the first brunch cocktail we put on the menu at Cafe Mutton, as a sort of flag to ward away people looking for mimosas or screwdrivers. It didn’t work—some people really love it anyway. And while it began as a joke, it’s one of my favorite drinks on our menu. Although the prune juice is a nod to the drink’s laxative reference in the name, I love its deep, rich flavor. Lemon juice cuts through the sugar in the prune, Fernet offers bitter contrast and icy freshness, and vodka makes it count. One customer told me, ‘It’s so intense! I could definitely only have three of these per week!’ I think that’s the perfect amount of Poo Drivers to drink in a week.” —Shaina Loew-Banayan

Cafe Mutton in Hudson, NY, is one of our 10 Best New Restaurants in 2022. Find the full list here →

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

Makes 1

2½

oz. prune juice

1½

oz. fresh lemon juice

1

oz. vodka

1

tsp. (scant) Fernet-Branca

Tiny pinch of kosher salt

Preparation

  1. Combine 2½ oz. prune juice, 1½ oz. fresh lemon juice, 1 oz. vodka, 1 tsp. (scant) Fernet-Branca, and a tiny pinch of kosher salt in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously until outside of shaker is frosty, about 20 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass. Do not be afraid.

    Editor’s note: Head this way for more of our favorite vodka cocktails →

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Reviews (10)

Back to TopTriangle

  • Agree with other reviewer: too much lemon. Could recipe be using mild lemon like Meyer lemons perhaps? Anyway, couldn't really taste much else. Will make again but with no lemon or to taste to see what the drink might actually taste like.

    • Doug Johnson

    • Gainesville, Fl

    • 9/27/2022

  • Way too much lemon, unless perhaps prune juices have varying degrees of strength. IF I try again, I'll add lemon juice to taste, which I'm guessing will be about 1/2 oz.

    • Anonymous

    • 9/26/2022

  • I disagree with the name. I would call it the Grimace.

    • Anonymous

    • Chicago

    • 9/20/2022

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