The Fog Cutter appeared earlier in Vic's 1946 "Book of Food & Drink." Same recipe as quoted above, with NO pisco. Smuggler's Cove replaces all of the cognac with a full ounce of pisco; this is kinda like replacing the rum with arrack, and I wrote off the Fog Cutter as a shipwreck the first time I made it. Not sure replacing just half the cognac with pisco is all that much better. Tonight I followed Vic more closely (NO pisco), cutting Vic's 2 oz rum to a less keel-hauling 1.5 oz and balancing the orange and lemon juice at 1.5 oz each (I might even go to 2 oz orange : 1 oz lemon). A much more deserving concoction to serve in an appropriate (or inappropriate) tiki mug!

It's complex and it's quite nice, but...not nice enough to be worth the drizzle of sherry and 4 (!) different base spirits and everything else on top.

Went with a 3 yr old white rum and Amontillado Sherry. For my taste ( and with all due respect to Mr. Bergeron), there is way too much going on here. But you are right Simon, it does pack a punch.

One of my favorites, just made one with fresh blood oranges and a cherry heering float, good stuff!

Loved this, but not a fan of Pisco or Sherry. So did use overproof Navy Rum for the float and (per the internet) used Glenfiddich Caribbean Reserve Whisky. It was great. Not sure how it is to the original recipe, but this mixture was outstanding. Was perfect on a warm June evening.
Thanks all.

For the home bar, Madeira is nearly always a good substitute for sherry — unless you finish the sherry bottle in a couple of weeks.
To simulate Oloroso, go for a fine rich or a sercial madeira.

If you don't have the sherry, can confirm that Appleton 12yo also goes great as a float