Join thousands of like-minded professionals and cocktail enthusiasts, receive our weekly newsletters and see pages produced by our community for fellow Discerning Drinkers.
I cannot get Tempus Fugit Kina L'Aero d'Or in my home state, either. I found a bottle by accident while buying wine on vacation at a wine shop in Walla Walla, Washington, a thousand miles from my home. You might try Bonal Gentiane-Quina Aperitif or Luxardo Bitter Bianco, both of which I like better than Cocchi Americano for this sort of recipe. And the recipe only has 2 oz of liquid in it as is, making it easy to add a bit more gin to dry it out. The 6:2:2:1 proportions work well, IMHO.
Got hold some Bonal and, yes, it really added herbal depth and bitterness to balance the sugars and richness of the Lillet and apricot brandy. Good stuff!
The Luxardo Bitter Bianco is my favorite bitter aperitif for Vespers, using Ian Fleming's 12:4:1:1 proportions (with equal parts Luxardo and Lillet Blanc). I find the Luxardo makes a brighter, crisper, more martini-like Vesper than does Cocchi Americano or L'Aero d'Or. Slainte!