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.

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.