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Very good. I have Lillet, but no kina. So, I used just Lillet and made one of my ice cubes with tonic water. I think it added that touch of bitterness/astringence I was looking for.

An excellent cocktail and will definitely repeat, but ... reading comments on Quninquinis / Kina aromatised wines on Difford's Guide, at least for this cocktail, he prefers a 50/50 mix of one of the modern Kina Lillet proxies and Lillet Blanc. I made this using Sacred Amber Vermouth one of the modern Kina Lillet substitutes, and I think next time, I will forgo the Lillet Blanc and go with a full 1.5 oz of Sacred Amber Vermouth. For me, the Lillet Blanc contributed a little too much sweetness. I should add that I chose this cocktail to make use of Ferrand Dry Orange Curaçao which I recently acquired. After trying, I wanted more orange so I added a bit more which for me elevated the drink. Maybe that's a function of the Quina Lillet substitute I used?

Had to make do with Combier as I was out of Dry Curaçao. Added some orange zest. Fantastic none the less!

I really enjoyed this drink. Although now that I have read some history about Barney I would make it with a South African Brandy instead of a Cognac, and sipping and reflecting on whether he jumped or was pushed off the boat.
Sometimes the backstory on a cocktail takes it to the next level.

Retried with actual cognac, very rounded and smooth. At this point I think I prefer the bucolic ruggedness of Armagnac. This cocktail really reflects the choice of base spirit.

Riffing on Ashley and John’s comments, tried with Irish whiskey, which imparted a certain mellowness- have previously been using Armagnac.

Simon is pointing us towards Tempus Fugit Kina L'Aero D'Or, which may be great, but neither that nor Caperitif is available out here in the provinces. Found Bonal Gentiane-Kina aperitif locally and it has the bitter/herbal backbone to use in cocktails like this. L'Aero D'Or sounds like it has more orange-y flavors so I upped the Curacao to 1 tsp and used Angostura Orange bitters. Not too sweet and plenty of interesting flavors going on. My wife agrees that this one is a winner.

This is an amazing drink (top 5 for me), although I must admit I've never had the true thing. I haven't been able to find any Kina (supply chain issues for my local liquor stores in early 2023), so I instead used a bottle of Pineau des Charentes. I'm not sure how off that is in terms of flavor, but I assure you the resulting cocktail is excellent.

Would Cap Corse Blanc work instead of the Kina/Lilley combo?

I love these classic cocktails presented as they were designed. Very smooth with just the right amount of sweetness to be a good aperitif. All the flavours blend well together with just a slight hint of spice.

In a heatwave this seems to work rather well on the rocks with 1½ oz. soda water.

A little one dimensional from all the grape based liquors. Would try with Laird’s bottle in bond instead of cognac.

One of the best cocktails i've ever tasted

We used Dubonnet with Lillet Blanc. Nice slightly sweet floral and fresh.