Vera Lycaon

Didn't know what to expect going in given the unorthodox list of ingredients, but the earthiness and light smoke of the scotch and the Drambuie harmonize perfectly with the fruitiness the passionfruit and calvados bring. "Rusty Nail meets Pornstar Martini" isn't a line that would've sold me on this, but it is an accurate description and it nevertheless works incredibly well.

To get something more in line with the 19th century experience, I like to make these with two heavy-handed bar spoons of straight up honey thoroughly stirred into the juice, and white rhum agricole. Very tasty.

Not necessarily *more* than the sum of its parts - but between the chartreuse, chocolate, rum, lime and pineapple, that in itself more than suffices to make for a tasty and interesting tipple. A solid four and a half stars.

I hope I'm not 4 years too late, but as a fellow vanilla and coffee lover, I LOVE this!

Thank you! I haven't actually made one of these in almost that long, this was a very early recipe of mine - all the more excuse to make one now (and in the proper glassware, at that) and take an updated photo.

Dry - but not as bone dry as the proportions would have you think. Almost like a tiki counterpart to a Corpse Reviver #2. I like it.

For a julep, isn't this supposed to have... well, actual mint?

Personally I very much prefer this in the same style as a whiskey smash - which is to say, with double the agave syrup and half a lime, cut into quarters in the shaker. The tequila and mint honestly need the acidity to balance things out.

Ballantine's Finest, Tia Maria and Angostura cocoa bitters, along with what little syrup stuck to my bar spoon after lifting the cherry out of the jar - earthy and fairly dry in a way that highlights the common ground between the scotch, coffee and chocolate, but with just enough sweetness to round them out. Lovely!

Oh, this one's good - muddling your cardamom pods well is key however, make sure to crush them open (depending on your muddler, you may have better luck using the handle side like I did). Used Havana Club 3 Years instead of my El Dorado 3 by accident and added a dash of Peychaud's to stand in for the daiquiri bitters, need to try with the other rum soon.

So simple, and yet lovely. Desserty, but not at all cloying. Truly a forgotten classic.

Didn't nix the sugar syrup, did add two dashes of cocoa bitters per people's tips here. Scotch, lime and chocolate make for odd bedfellows - but it works, and I like it.

Made this with Abuelo 7 Años and a decent but not too pricy prosecco. Decidedly in the general area of a mojito or Queen's Park swizzle flavor profile-wise, but a completely different drinking experience served short. Lovely!

Had neither ginger liqueur on hand nor the time and energy (or fridge space!) to make honey ginger syrup; opted for two spoons of straight honey and two slices of heavily muddled, fresh ginger instead. Unusual, refreshing - but above all, wonderful. The peated scotch (used Laphroaig 10 Years) and the ginger pull it into completely new territory from a scotch sour.

Had to improvise on this one after *finally* obtaining some cream of coconut (not exactly a grocery store staple where I live) since I don't own a blender, but this was delightful. Choice of rum feels somewhat important here, judging by the comments - though El Dorado 3 years certainly wasn't the most authentic choice, it did a handsome job balancing the pineapple, coconut and lime for me.

Much better with lime, IMHO.

Made this with Clément Blanc 50% - wonderfully funky, refreshing. Feels appropriate to call this Martinique's answer to an Old Fashioned.

Made this with Abuelo 7 Años - an absolutely *delightful* take on a rum sour. A buttery smooth base, with spices, bitters and liqueur coming together to really elevate it; definitely making these more often.

Substituted sugar with an equal amount of (slightly less sweet) cane syrup after reading the reviews here, as well as bumping up the lemon just a notch to match the lime. Wonderfully refreshing; need to see about making more of these during the summer months.

Tried this with Menard VSOP and a flamed orange twist - went down *very* easily. Smooth; a wonderful, fruitier alternative to its whiskey based counterpart.

Skipped the margarita bitters (don't have any) along with the salt, and opted for a salt and chili powder rim (would've used Tajín if I had any lying around) instead. Delectable, definitely a new favorite.

Update, now that I actually have Tajín: even better with that for the rim.

A personal favorite, as far as Martinis go - best with the orange bitters, a lemon twist and stirred until you get bored before straining it out.

Tried, definitely needs more lime juice - double the spec, at a bare minimum. Potential for more, but certainly requires retooling.