Recent discussions on Difford’s Guide

Avery Garnett’s Avatar Avery Garnett
20th September at 16:56
If you'd like a fruity gin highball, this is completely fine. That's all I have to say about it.
Jonathan Bonsey’s Avatar Jonathan Bonsey
20th September at 15:54
It’s my first foray into the use of orgeat. It is a tad sweet but a little boost of the lemon would resolve that. I found it balanced and enjoyed the vodka x triple sec x lemon interaction . The orgeat pulls it together with the fragrant mouthfeel. I will make it again.
Jonathan Goldthorpe’s Avatar Jonathan Goldthorpe
20th September at 15:30
Deliciously fresh and fruity with a lively balance of the apricot and the elderflower as a contrast.
Florian Ruf’s Avatar Florian Ruf
20th September at 14:34
Delicious cocktail, although I find it is a bit farfetched to see it as "Paper Plane" variant. IMHO it needs a bit balancing as it is on the sweet side.
20th September at 13:56
Caju caipirinha are incredible, love to chew on the caju meat after having my drink!
Simon Sedgley’s Avatar Simon Sedgley
20th September at 13:26
No ginger syrup so we substituted Giffard Sirop Cannelle (cinnamon). Worked just fine.
Simon Sedgley’s Avatar Simon Sedgley
20th September at 12:35
Delicious. For us, Orange Colombo worked well as the aperitivo, along with the garnish, as a lovely complement to the lemon juice.
Peter Barth’s Avatar Peter Barth
20th September at 12:03
I'm not so sure about the use of Amaro Lucano for the amaro part. Might retry with Amaro Formidabile or Amaro Nardini. The deep smokiness is a treat however.
A J Wilson’s Avatar A J Wilson
20th September at 11:14
Love a Paper Plane as-is, but felt obliged to try my own Mr. Potato Head variation. Because this one goes dark, I’m calling it a Stealth Bomber:
0.75oz Wild Turkey 101 (50.5% - I think I would bump to 1oz if using regular strength bourbon)
0.75oz Zucca
0.75oz Montenegro
0.75oz lemon juice
Express a grapefruit swath over the top and discard.
A J Wilson’s Avatar A J Wilson
20th September at 10:50
This one proved too sweet for my palate - a bit like drinking a jar of strawberry jam. Admittedly, the vermouth I had to hand was alla vaniglia style (Carpano Antica Formula). I might try with a dry vermouth, which would bring it closer to a Brooklyn. Has anyone given that a go?
Andy Parnell-Hopkinson’s Avatar Andy Parnell-Hopkinson
20th September at 06:38
Well balanced viz. St. Germain not as overpowering as expected. Fernet does its magic again.
Andy Parnell-Hopkinson’s Avatar Andy Parnell-Hopkinson
20th September at 06:29
Genius. Right in so many ways eg easy to remember, easy to explain to barmen, not too boozy, and very, very tasty. Can't imagine why no one has done it before but full marks. Actually, deduct half a point for the name. No Wodehouse or Waugh reference? Surely you can do better than that, Jason.
20th September at 05:23
I used Phantoom Distillery's Spirited Apple Orchard, Alpine sugar-free apple cider mix, and DaVinci cinnamon syrup--it turned out HOLY SMOKES good!! Tartness on the back end, the perfect light cinnamon note, and apple flavor that knocks your socks off! One of the best cocktails I've had in recent memory. It's definitely a keeper!
Graeme McPherson’s Avatar Graeme McPherson
20th September at 04:23
Wonderful. The lime garnish is subtle but really makes this cocktail pop.
Theo Clark’s Avatar Theo Clark
20th September at 02:42
This was such a miss for me. I couldn't taste a single ingredient that wasn't the one ounce of sugar syrup. I didn't even get the burn from the whopping 1.5 Oz of overproof Wray & nephew. First time in a while I've just poured a drink out, I can get hungover with Waaaay better drinks than this.
Gary Walther’s Avatar Gary Walther
20th September at 01:42
A fascinating and intense drink. It is definitely more than a sum of its parts. It starts with cocoa and coffee notes which leads to some rum funkiness and then on to orange flavors. It mellows nicely over time with some dilution from the ice. I think someone would be hard pressed to guess the ingredients. I made with Smith and Cross rum.
Justin Aniello’s Avatar Justin Aniello
20th September at 00:08
Think I need to use a subtler bourbon because although I can just barely get the benedictine, everything mostly gets washed out by the bourbon. Which is unfortunate because I love chocolate bitters.
19th September at 23:17
This is an excellent and refreshing summertime cocktail. As one who prefers drier cocktail options, I have leaned into making this now with dry apricot eau-de-vie instead of an apricot liqueur. While Harry Craddock didn't really specify whether he meant eau-de-vie or liqueur when he gave his recipe for this cocktail, I tend to believe that "apricot brandy" at this time would have meant eau-de-vie. Nevertheless, both versions are great!
Ryan  Madden’s Avatar Ryan Madden
19th September at 22:41
It really does look like a glass of rust. lol
19th September at 22:40
Very nice as is, but a little sweet for us. We tried 5ml less of Chartreuse and triple sec, then added 10 ml vodka.
Ryan  Madden’s Avatar Ryan Madden
19th September at 22:38
I really liked the drink. I tried it both with 1.5 oz of angostura and 1 oz of angostura. I found 1 oz worked better for me; 1.5 oz prevented me from tasting the other ingredients.
Steven Jepson’s Avatar Steven Jepson
19th September at 21:44
What can I say after Calvin Grant's description.
I used a less smoky mezcal and found this was just perfect.
One of those drinks you got a bottle of Old Tom Gin for.
Steven Jepson’s Avatar Steven Jepson
19th September at 21:31
Had to make my own version of this using Pear Liqueur and 1/12 Ancho Reyes Liqueur.
Swapped the Celery for Bobs Coriander bitters.
Definitely on a return a very drinkable Gin Sour.
Benefited from just the dash of absinthe - hardly worth the extra glass for the discard but I NEVER throw out absinthe.
L L’s Avatar L L
19th September at 20:57
I used Casamigas and let it warm up. Just gorgeous.