I love the B&B Royal I love the herbaceous taste. I agree with previous commenter the champagne really doesn't bring much to the party. Tough to compete with strong flavor profile of the B & B. If it does anything, I think it helps smooth out the brandy and B & B.overall a great sipper in my opinion.

What a charming and simple cocktail! I always trim down the amount of lemon juice I use just because I find the lemons I have overpower every other ingredient, so I trimmed it down to about 15ml. Still super tart and grapefruit-y, but you could better taste the Campari and detect a more herbal tone. I loved it!

i really enjoyed this. i'm not a manhattan guy but this hit the spot. also tried making a perfect one but i think it's better with just sweet vermouth. tasted like cocafuckingcola but boozy.

The mezcal - cynar combination works brilliantly; with their smokey, vegetal notes supporting the fruity and herbal elements of the other ingredients. This is a mezcal riff with real body and depth.

This drink is very good but varies a surprising amount depending on the gin used, my favourite version uses navy strength gin with a specific focus on juniper extraction which produces a very light variation. (Peter in the navy Gin)

Made this for my very down to earth mother who announced that the last time she had one was a Raffles in Singapore no less (apparently there is Epstein-style photo evidence). She continues to surprise me - or is losing her marbles... cocktail was delicious!

It's okay, thank you!

More than the sum of its parts....punchy!

Great Tommys recipe. If you use Monin Coconut Syrup (10-15ml) instead of the Agave and rim the glass with a mix of salt and dessicated coconut, you get an excellent variation

Tried it with Benjamin's recipe and it is much better, though still not great. It just mushes into one another. Still a good low sugar driver's option. I think it is just that bit better with mandarin juice, which is what I used.

I thought there was too much grand marnier here, making the drink too strong and sweet. I replaced some of the grand marnier with dry vermouth and added a touch of orange bitters, and it worked very well.

Just need to call out, that we added the Daiquiri bitters as you suggested. It makes a massive difference. Well done!

Thanks, Manuela. Hopefully, now corrected.

We're working on a more affordable option.

I did adapt for the rums, and it kind of embodies Tiki/Modern Tropical Cocktails, so the name is appropriate. A lot going on, rich, quite balanced, a bit dark in flavour. I do have to say I am very slightly disappointed that I didn't get as much in terms of complexity and distinction of flavours. They kind of meld together. So good, really nice, but not great.

Remade it with real ginger beer, and pretty much the same.

I opened a bottle of Tawny Port and was looking for a cocktail to stir; landed on this one as the ingredients looked like a list of my favorite things. And it's perfect. 5 stars+

Hi Peter,

It’s been a while since you asked, but maybe this is still useful:

For blended aged Caribbean, my go-to is Appleton 8 y/o - it’s blended pot and column, affordable, and very flavourful. Also because I like Jamaican rum.

However, I don’t necessarily use that in recipes like this that call specifically for (Cuban) Havana Club 7. In those cases I use HC7 or maybe Diplomático Mantuano, because these are more oak forward and with less fruity/ pot-still character.

Thanks. I hope to visit Korea one day.

Thanks, Cass. I've reworded.

Are they really worth £33?

I made this with Aalborg Taffel Akvavit, Laird's Bottled-in-Bond, Dolin Rouge, & Yellow Chartreuse. I needed to make sure there was enough dilution to balance things with just enough caraway/akvavit on the back end. Apple was noticeable but balanced. Lots of herbal complexity. Very interesting "autumnal" drink, if looking for something seasonally appropriate.

Very tasty with my homemade sweet grass vodka. Yes it's on the sweet side but so's a cookie. All the flavors blend well together and are still discernable. Use plenty of zest to boost the lemon, and a bit more vodka and zubrovka doesn't hurt the balance either.

Yay! Made this with Amer Boudreau, Contratto Rosso, and Beefeater. A great new addition to my Favourites list. 😍