Scott McIsaac

Delicious! Sweet and velvety, but not cloying. Based on Simon Sedgley's suggestion, I may try substituting Hogsworth (a craft blend of bourbons and aged armagnacs marketed here in the US) for the armagnac the next time I mix one. Will add another comment if I do.

Very orangey , but with a nice sharp bite. Excellent!

My favorite Manhattan is 2:1 whiskey to vermouth, with a barspoon of syrup from the cherry jar. After trying this, it's similar, but I think I prefer the cherry syrup to Cherry Heering. The absinthe does add a little extra zing, but I think I prefer angostura bitters too. This one's worth a try, but it's not going to replace my favorite.

My favorite Manhattan is 2:1 whiskey to vermouth, with a barspoon of syrup from the cherry jar. After trying this, it's similar, but I think I prefer the cherry syrup to Cherry Heering. The absinthe does add a little extra zing. Worth a try, but it's not going to replace my favorite.

I used Kirkland Islay whisky (which is suspected to be sourced from Caol Ila), St Germain, Kirkland XO cognac, and nearly 5 ml of absinthe. It's delightful.

Excellent! I used Carpano Antica Formula, which is a strongly flavored vermouth, so I lightened up that proportion just a tad. A new favorite!

I used Antica Formula vermouth and Fee Brothers mint bitters. Delicious blend of flavors, and maybe even one of my new favorites, although the mint was a touch strong. Are Fee mint bitters more intense than Bob's? In the next one I might use a drop or two less.

I made it with Monkey Shoulder, Carpano Antica, and Alvear Solera 1927 PX. I added 7.5 ml of water as Simon suggests, and liked it.

Variation:

2 oz Hendricks Flora Adora
1 oz limoncello
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/4 oz simple syrup (mint infused if you can find it)
6-8 large mint leaves
(Optional) 1 dash each Fee Bros. lemon bitters and mint bitters, or 2 dashes Bitterman's Boston Bittahs

A note on blending bourbon and rye: Triticale is a grain that is a hybrid of wheat and rye. Some distilleries are beginning to make whiskey from it. I've found that Dry Fly Straight Triticale whiskey makes a very nice Manhattan.

I make this with rittenhouse rye and martini rosso. 2:1 is perfect for me. And a generous splash of luxardo syrup goes in with the cherry. Together with the ango spice an orange zest this is a lovely cocktail for the colder and darker days.

I agree with the 2:1 ratio and the cherry syrup (I typically add about a barspoon). My favorite vermouth is Carpano Antico, and my favorite whiskey is Angel's Envy or Jameson Black Barrel, but to my taste these proportions work well with nearly any bourbon, rye, or Irish and nearly any red vermouth.

One of my very favorites. I use 2:1 whiskey to vermouth. The cherry syrup makes a noticeable difference. I happen to think Fabbri Amarena cherries are just as good as Luxardo, and as a bonus for this drink if you make it often, there's more syrup in the jar. My favorite whiskey is Angel's Envy, but I will use whatever bourbon, rye, or Irish is handy. My favorite vermouth is Carpano Antico, but likewise I'm pretty happy with whatever's available. I also prefer Fee Bros. Old Fashion Aromatic bitters to Angostura, but again, I use what's on hand.

Very nice! I made mine with Hayman's Old Tom, Courvoisier VSOP, Carpano Antico, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, and Fee Bros. orange bitters. My usual is a Manhattan, and I found this dryer, more fruity and more spicy. I happen to have have a bottle of Bols zeer oude genever, and based on some of the other comments I'd like to try substituting that for the Hayman's next time.

My favorite Manhattan is 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz red vermouth, a barspoon of syrup from the Luxardo or Amarena cherry jar, and a few dashes of Angostura bitters. I found that using the Cherry Heering instead of the jar syrup made it a bit heavier and richer than I prefer, but it was still tasty.

I'm not a fan of whiskey sours, of which this is a variant, and at first sip I thought I'd made a bad choice. However, as I sipped more of it, it grew on me. The mint, grenadine, and absinthe add a nice complexity of flavor. I did substitute commercial simple syrup for the 2:1 specified in the recipe, and that probably balanced it a bit.

I'm not a fan of whiskey sours, of which this is a variant, and at first sip I thought I'd made a bad choice. However, as I sipped more of it, it grew on me. The mint, grenadine, and absinthe add a nice complexity of flavor.

I used the proportions given in ounces -- 3/4 each of rye, cognac, and vermouth, 1/3 of Benedictine -- and it was lovely. A new favorite.

Nice flavors but a bit too sweet for my taste. Next time I might try adding a little more whiskey, and/or substituting a fruitier Irish for the sweeter bourbon.

This is one of my favorites, and the shortbread garnish is genius! But tonight I didn't have any shortbread, so I decided to experiment with an orange peel twist, and compare recipes where Cointreau or Drambuie were substituted for the Benedictine. Winner: Drambuie. Cointreau was a little too sweet.

This is one of my favorites, and the shortbread garnish is genius! But tonight I didn't have any shortbread, so I decided to use and orange twist and experiment by comparing Simon's recipe more or less as written with the same recipe substituting Drambuie for Cointreau. (I used Monkey Shoulder scotch and Carpano Antica vermouth, and spritzed the glass with a spray of absinthe rather than mixing in a dash.) Winner: Drambuie. Cointreau was a bit too sweet.

Note: for a cocktail colored reasonably close to Yale blue, use Empress 1908 gin and creme de violette.

Substitute Scotch and Drambuie for rye/bourbon and Benedictine, and you have a sweeter riff on David Embury's version of the Bobby Burns.