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Recent discussions on Difford’s Guide
Bywater
This spirit-forward, herbal and bitter-sweet cocktail was originally served without ice but dilution tames its fire to appeal to a wider audience as an...
George Jetson
12th February at 16:44
Followed the Original recipe as an up cocktail with a few changes. I flipped the proportion of Averna and Chartreuse and used 2x the bitters recommended. It cut down the sweetness for me and brought out more of that Amer Picon vibe. Also I immersed the expressed orange peel into the cocktail as a garnish and left out the cherry.
Mosquito
A short pisco-based Mojito
12th February at 15:37
Made it today straight up with an "Italia" Grape Pisco. Works very well with a little bit additional dilution.
Gin Basil Smash
Jörg, the creator of this cocktail, says, "Better too much than not enough basil in this drink". He also specifies that the basil is muddled rather than...
12th February at 15:25
I look forward to the day the rain finally stops pouring here in the UK and I can enjoy one of these in the sunshine ☀️
Mr Black Coffee Liqueur
Founded in 2013 by fellow Australians, distiller Philip Moore and designer/coffee-nerd Tom Baker. Mr Black is made with Australian wheat neutral spirit...12th February at 14:33
Top of the shopping list when making Espresso Martini
McKinley's Delight
A cherry brandy influenced Sweet Manhattan with extra complexity courtesy of a dash of absinthe
12th February at 13:27
Extra dash
McKinley's Delight
A cherry brandy influenced Sweet Manhattan with extra complexity courtesy of a dash of absinthe12th February at 13:26
As James I indicates, this really brings out the individual ingredients. The Cherry isn’t noticeable per se, more rounds the flavour and adds body. The sweet-astringent-aromatic interplay is great and incredibly moreish, reminiscent for me of a Bobby Burns (could muhduh a piece of shortbread right noo). I added an extra of absinthe for the effect. I had carpano in stock for the vermouth, but a vermouth amaro eg Cocchi dopo Teatro, could also be worth trying. A worthy addition to the Manhattan pantheon.
McKinley's Delight
A cherry brandy influenced Sweet Manhattan with extra complexity courtesy of a dash of absinthe12th February at 13:19
One for every penguin in Greenland, sorry Iceland.
Arbitrary Nature of Time
A fruity Boulevardier with cherry brandy moving it from aperitivo to late-night drinking12th February at 12:23
Just remade. Love how the Campari fruit and cherry work together! I think I’d be tempted to split the Base with half bourbon next time, just to tame the spice a little - I found the rye just slightly over powering its friends.
Arbitrary Nature of Time
A fruity Boulevardier with cherry brandy moving it from aperitivo to late-night drinking12th February at 04:32
Ooo I’d totally forgotten about this! Guess what I’m having for dessert tonight?! Was just pondering uses for that lovely fresh bottle of cherry Heering!
Arbitrary Nature of Time
A fruity Boulevardier with cherry brandy moving it from aperitivo to late-night drinking
12th February at 04:14
Thank you Kirk and Maks for creating this and of course Simon for bringing us this unusual offering!
Arbitrary Nature of Time
A fruity Boulevardier with cherry brandy moving it from aperitivo to late-night drinking12th February at 04:09
Whoa! What a spice bomb! Initially kept tasting cinnamon although I couldn' t taste it in Bitterman's Mole. Perhaps that combination of ingredients has some kind of Time Lord magical flavour amplification properties like say, inside the Tardis?
Haystack Cocktail
A zesty, bittersweet and sweet 'n' sour aperitivo to make you salivate. John didn't specify a garnish, and although a dried apricot doesn't particularly...12th February at 01:20
Follow-up - the quality of the Apricot Brandy definitely matters here. The first run I made used Giffard Apricot Brandy and it was delightful. I skimped on my second batch and got a $12 bottle of lower quality brandy and it threw the balance way more in the Suze direction. Use quality ingredients for this one.
Cherry Blossom
Shake with ice and strain into glass12th February at 00:29
I added just a mere drop of grenadine to make it look like a cherry blossom. Worked well. It is a nice Aviation variation.
Apricot Rickey
Light, fruity and refreshing, if a little on the sweet side12th February at 00:28
Did this with 1.5 oz Tanqueray, 1.5 oz Giffard Abricot, 0.75 oz lime juice, and a 5 oz of Fever Tree Club Soda. Quite well-balanced IMO: Gin and lime flavors up front, and the apricot comes in on the finish.
Esquire #1
Bourbon and orange - sounds simple but is simply tasty11th February at 23:25
I tried this to use up some bourbon that I didn't care for, and it worked fairly well with the orange. It needs more bitters, though.
Black Manhattan
A classic Manhattan with amaro in place of sweet vermouth. Heavier in style and with distinctive bitter chocolate and light spice11th February at 21:48
Anyone got a tip on where one might find the cute Luxardo branded cocktail sticks (as pictured)? I've got nice stainless ones, but having something fun and recyclable/disposable would be a nice addition to larger size cocktail parties (and a step up from cheesy colored toothpicks).
Looks Familiar
I defy you not to love this herbal bittersweet tequila-laced concoction11th February at 18:32
I need to report this! You will BURN IN HELL!
Joke)))
Joke)))
End of the Road
Originally designed to be served straight-up, but I prefer this punchy, Negroni-esque cocktail over ice, mellowed by a little additional dilution11th February at 14:56
Waste of good ingridients. I was suspicious of mixing three strong flavours and unfortunately result was as horrible as I thought. Cough medicine.
Randy Sangaree
Named after the London rhyming slang for port and brandy, its base ingredients. The love interest comes courtesy of orange and vanilla11th February at 14:04
Camus world be a great choice here. Great suggestion!
Randy Sangaree
Named after the London rhyming slang for port and brandy, its base ingredients. The love interest comes courtesy of orange and vanilla11th February at 13:50
This was much better than I expected! The grand Manier and port play really nicely off each other. A fun and very tasty follow up to the classic brandy Sangaree which I just enjoyed. My cupboard yielded forth homemade vanilla sugar approx half a spoon, and pure vanilla extract several drops; dissolved both in the cognac then added to the mixing glass. Hovers somewhere between Jaffa, Christmas desserts and jujube lollies, tho there’s enough booze to keep it fresh and dry. I’m giving 4.5 stars.
Bronx
A fairly dry, complex cocktail. Generous sweet vermouth and orange juice make the Bronx less bitter and fruitier than many of its era, but still challenging...
11th February at 05:17
Hi Simon,
A couple of fast things.
Just to confirm the source, the article citing the bar in The Bronx is from the NY Times on December 21st, 1921 (not Miami News, plucked off of the wire a few days later). As for the Philly connection, I've always felt that Mr. Sormani took his hometown cocktail with him down to Philly and laid claim to a popular cocktail. All in all, I tend to side with you and lean toward Curley O'Connor as the creator and Johnny Solan as the modifier, adding more juice and gin to the augmented Martini variation. Mr. O'Connor created more than a few that made the rotation in his day so I think it a safe bet that this was one as well.
Lastly, you might want to add the 'Maurice' to the alternates - a standard Bronx with a few dashes of Absinthe. One of my favorites and one that we offered on occasion at the hotel. Cheers!
A couple of fast things.
Just to confirm the source, the article citing the bar in The Bronx is from the NY Times on December 21st, 1921 (not Miami News, plucked off of the wire a few days later). As for the Philly connection, I've always felt that Mr. Sormani took his hometown cocktail with him down to Philly and laid claim to a popular cocktail. All in all, I tend to side with you and lean toward Curley O'Connor as the creator and Johnny Solan as the modifier, adding more juice and gin to the augmented Martini variation. Mr. O'Connor created more than a few that made the rotation in his day so I think it a safe bet that this was one as well.
Lastly, you might want to add the 'Maurice' to the alternates - a standard Bronx with a few dashes of Absinthe. One of my favorites and one that we offered on occasion at the hotel. Cheers!
Rhubarb Gin And Ginger
Sour rhubarb notes with ginger zing11th February at 02:48
Interesting! All I can find in my area (SE Massachusetts) is rhubarb and ginger gin, not plain rhubarb gin, but I guess the rhubarb ginger gin would work well in this cocktail, anyway!
100 Year Old Cigar
Stirred down and spirit-forward, so suited to late-night sipping. This cocktail has broader appeal when served on-the-rocks in an old-fashioned glass...10th February at 23:26
Good idea. I’m going to take your advice next time I make one.
100 Year Old Cigar
Stirred down and spirit-forward, so suited to late-night sipping. This cocktail has broader appeal when served on-the-rocks in an old-fashioned glass...10th February at 23:25
I like this. I used Lagavulin 16, a favorite for the Scotch component. I made one for an acquaintance who is a cigar guy. We had this with a cigar and he was quite happy.
Can’t say more than that.
Can’t say more than that.