Grant Lednor

I made this without the bitters as I just don't have them :(
This is a really nice cocktail (even sans bitters) although I can see how the bitters would balance the sweetness of the cordial. Having said that the Fino sherry goes a long way to balancing the cordial and perhaps upping the sherry slightly to say 20ml would compensate for the lack of bitters.

As a cautionary tale I share the sorry fact that I initially made this with Finnish Arctic Blue gin as we didn't have any London dry in the cupboard. I can attest that the recipe says "London dry" for a reason as Finnish Bilberries just do not marry well with Limoncello. On a happier note we have since made this with Tanqueray and what a difference that made! All up a nice riff on a dry Martini and something I will return to from time to time.

As a cautionary tail I share the sorry fact that I Initially made this with Finnish Artic Blue gin as we didn't have any London dry in the cupboard. I can attest that the recipe says "London dry" for a reason as Finnish Bilberries just don't blend well with Limoncello. On a happier note we have since made this with tanqueray and what a difference that made! All up a nice riff on a Martini and something I will return to from time to time.

I made this with the 2:1:1 and also tried the original equal parts. In the 2:1:1 I have to say Eugene has hit the nail on the head as the bourbon does indeed define the drink. In all honesty I found it to be a nicely balanced bourbon forward drink where the vermouth and the red bitter liqueur act more like exotic bitters than as negroni ingredients. For me I prefer the original equal parts but there's no denying the balance in the 2:1:1 is sublime.

I agree with Deyan - use a single malt of your choice and, as others have written, this is easy to drink, easy to make and isn't overly boozy. A great aperitif.

Normally a sweet Martini at 2:1 is not my preferred drink and I would be more likely to make a Perfect Martini if I wanted something in this genre. However, the use of a Maraschino cherry and Angostura Aromatic bitters as opposed to lemon peel and orange bitters intrigued me. Utlimately as others have suggested the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Made this with Johnnie Walker Black last night; worked pretty well. Has anyone tried it with a more opinionated scotch? Would be interested in how much the profile of the spirit remains.

We made it with a Speyside single malt (Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection Vat 01) and while that probably isn't the most opinionated scotch it's certainly different to a blended. In terms of profile the nose was still very much single malt whisky, but the taste and flavour in combination with the other ingredients was very similar to a Reposado. I would certainly make it again.