A boozy sipper of a cocktail that's medium dry with honeyed richness. Gin-based with zesty orange freshness and sweet vermouth adding deep herbal complexity...
We followed Annabelle's lead and included 10ml of Amontillado...a better balance on the original for us. Then we made a second one with an added 10ml of Sake...it's this one that is our favourite variation on the theme. It seems to us that one of the characteristics that a cocktail must embody if it is to be called a 'classic' is a generous and open-hearted invitation to experiment with variation...this one certainly fits the bill for us.
I've made this a few times, and each time, it seemed like something was missing; it was always a little bit one-note. Tonight, I tried adding a barspoon of Pernod anisette, and the hint of liquorice and bitterness harmonized surprisingly well with the Grand Marnier. This might become a regular for me.
Tried this tonight and took a flyer as per comments below and upped gin to 2 oz. I found this to be well balanced. What I would like to try next time though is to sub out the Grand Marnier for Cointreau; I found the Grand Marnier to be a bit unctuous for my palate.
Nice but slightly too soft in taste because of the mellow and sweet orange liqueur and red vermouth. I added 10ml of dry Sherry just to balance out that sweetness.
Found it on the sweet side ( as commented by others below) but improved as it warmed up actually.. and with a few other experimental cocktails on board… this grew on me! A classic of it’s time - and today?!?