First of all, I completely disagree: THIS IS NOT a Last Word riff. Are we saying that every single cocktail that has 4 ingredients in equal proportions, one of them lime/lemon juice, other one a strong spirit, is a Last Word riff? DEFFINITELY NOT. This one is a very different cocktail. In my (modest) opinion, what make this drink different is the use of two amari. Said this, I didn't have Nonino in hand, and a populr AI suggested Averna. Moreover, it suggested different proportions and bitters. So I went with :
1.75 oz bourbon (Buffalo Trace)
1.25 oz Aperol
1 oz Averna
1 oz lemon juice
2 dashes of Regan's bitters ( its election over Angostura orange, Scrappy's, Fee Brothers, Fee Brothers Gin Barrel Aged, Bitter Truth)
Excellent cocktail! And please, I'm a Last Word lover, and this cocktail has anything in common at all. Love U all, cocktail lovers
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I've much enjoyed this despite using an inferior mandarine liqueur. This time a dash each of Scrappy's Original Lime and Cardamom bitters added needed complexity. Still seeking the Mandarine Napoleon which is surely a lot better than Morey.
I tried your idea of Lime & Cardamom bitters, and have the original Mandarine Liqueur. Very Nice! I was careful with cardamom, you know it's very domanating and could tebd to overpower the drink