My word...what a delicious treasure! I bought a bottle of elderflower liqueur today and this was the first cocktail I decided to mix with it, as I like brandy and this sounded safe. It was more than safe. This is going into regular rotation. The elderflower adds a pleasant herbal aftertaste that make this an incredibly easy sipper.

I cut the amount of creme de cacao in half and added a dash of xoclatl mole bitters. Exquisite and easy!

If we are talking about the same Bethel Rd distillery it is actually in Paso Robles, CA. They are part of an awesome little distillery trail.

A really nice rum sipper... just a hint of tiki without using citrus directly. I used Diplomático Mantuano, Wray & Nephew, Taylor's Velvet Falernum, raw sugar 2:1 syrup, and of course Ango. I had some blood oranges on hand so used expressed a blood orange peel twist and dropped it in the drink. Delightful.

Quite the intense experience this one! Based on the comments I made it 2/3 and ended up also adding half a spoon of jar juice to aid approachability. Perhaps a longer stir would help, or a lighter rye. Not sure I’ll hurry back, but neither did I hate it.

I don’t think cane syrup requires you to process sugarcane, it means syrup made from unbleached cane sugar which you can buy at a grocery store. Since it doesn’t specify rich syrup, I would use a 1:1 ratio. This might account for the extra sweetness you experienced

Rather wet as the River Spree, for a Martini. But delicious.
I suggest cutting down the vermouths and the Curaçao by one third for the drier palates. And adding a dash of plum bitters. Garnish with a fan of plum slices if in season.

I added a dash of angostura and a couple of orange bitters and it just brought it to life.

How do I love this cocktail! I was making Ted Haigh’s version in the past, where he uses raspberry syrup and a some slight variations in the ratios, but this is MY FAVE as of today. I live in “berry-growing” country and fresh raspberries, as well as fresh grapefruits, are easy to pick. Go ahead, move to California!

It's like a more approachable, spring Last Word. It lacks in complexity compared to the classic but makes up for it by pushing the floral notes in Chartreuse and gin up to 11.

Just made this with my own homemade sloe gin. The sharpness of the gin and the lime juice work harmoniously, the Fernet adds herbal complexity, and the honey syrup brings out an almost peppery finish. Very nice indeed.

That sounds like a really well-balanced build. Splitting the vermouth between dry and blanc makes a lot of sense—it softens the edges without losing that crisp backbone from the rye. And homemade grenadine with a touch of rose water is hard to beat; it adds depth you just don’t get from bottled versions.

I’ve found the lemon version feels a bit rounder and more classic, while lime gives it a brighter snap, especially if you’re in the mood for something a little sharper. Either way, that combo of rye and vermouth keeps it elegant.

Now I’m tempted to revisit this with Carpano Bianco myself—thanks for the inspiration!

For reference, here’s the Death & Co Scofflaw recipe: https://www.cocktailarium.com/drinks/death-and-cos-scofflaw

I’ve run into the same thing when balancing stone fruit with sharper tropical flavors — passion fruit tends to dominate pretty quickly. One option could be boosting apricot character without adding more sweetness, like using a splash of apricot eau-de-vie or a small amount of apricot liqueur in place of part of the puree. That keeps the aroma up without thickening things too much.

Another tweak is switching the syrup to gomme or adding just a touch of pectin-rich apricot puree for body, so you get texture without losing balance. You could also slightly dial back the passion fruit’s acidity with a tiny bump in citrus or dilution rather than cutting its volume outright.

Honestly though, if the texture and overall balance feel right, you’re probably close — it may just come down to whether you want apricot to lead or play support. Curious what base spirit you’re pairing it with, since that changes how much the apricot can shine.

Fantastic drink, although I prefer the balance of the Death & Co. version:

1 1/2 oz rye
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz blanc vermouth
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz grenadine
1x dash orange bitters
lemon twist, discarded

I used homemade grenadine (Morganthaller recipe with a little rose water added), Rittenhouse, Dolin dry, Carpano bianco, Reagans' orange bitters

I'll have to try the lime version next.

Thanks Simon, I already have way too many bottles out in the garden and also in the house. I currently have 3 different Amari and was hoping not to have to buy a 4th. Oh well in for a penny...

Agreed. The hair-brained intensity of the Campari is integral to the classic negroni.

We think that this is what a La Vina becomes when it goes on holiday to, and lets its hair down in, Cancun. We notice that both Alex Day and Phil Ward have worked at Death & Co, so perhaps these two drinks are a sort of conversation between the two.

This is fantastic with Cynar 70! Gave it a long stir and added a couple of cubes to the serve as it was rather potent.♡

Nice! Seemed strange to try a minty drink on this ice cold night in NY, but it's working just fine. You'd expect all the mint elements to make it sort of one-note, but there's real depth to it.

Don't ask me why, but I felt like a different kind of bright note might be nice, and 2 drops of cherry bitters did the trick. But even as directed, it's a pleasure.

Didn't have Vanilla Bitters so used 2 or 3 drops of vanilla extract + angostura. Liked it a lot

Whoa boy is that basil heavy, which is a good thing. Personally think lime would be more my preference but do love the basil.

Safe. Do it.

Diluted the peaty with some blended as I couldn't see the need. So far (2 down) so good.

Reduced the gin dilution to 15ml (maybe) of vermouth but still really really impressed by this - basically - slightly orangey martini.