Gary Walther

A fascinating and intense drink. It is definitely more than a sum of its parts. It starts with cocoa and coffee notes which leads to some rum funkiness and then on to orange flavors. It mellows nicely over time with some dilution from the ice. I think someone would be hard pressed to guess the ingredients. I made with Smith and Cross rum.

Tasty, but on the bitter side. To make something that's more balanced for the Tiki palette I've found that swapping the Campari for Select and using brown sugar syrup instead works wonders.

I also used Select Red Bitter but went with the 3/4 oz from the original recipe since I don't mind the bitter. This is a good place for a "funky" rum. I used Smith and Cross. I kept everything else the same as Simon's recipe. Very good!

Wow. So much going on, but so well balanced. A great interplay between ingredients. As with several other comments, I used a rich Aquavit which I got in Norway. Adding this one to my favorites!

I just revisited this cocktail for the first time after posting it several months ago. I found it well integrated and refreshing. It is definitely vermouth forward which I really like. I'll have to keep this in my regular rotation.

Well balanced cocktail with nice spice flavors.
Made with homemade banana peel syrup which is subtle and not too banana-y.
To Make Banana Peel Syrup:
In a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup diced banana peel (peel from 1 large banana) and 1/2 cup cane sugar. Cover and allow to sit overnight at room temperature. The sugar will extract water from the peel, which will dissolve the sugar, eventually forming a syrup. Strain.

The banana peel syrup is quite nice and easy to make. I would do half the recipe. The syrup has more of a tropical flavor than strong banana flavor (although I just strained and didn't blend) and would probably be nice in other Tiki drinks.

Beautifully balanced...instead of the olive oil garnish, we pre-rinse our glasses with a just a dash of olive brine.

After seeing this comment, I decided to try a rinse of my smoked olive bar syrup. I didn't have Old Tom gin, so I thought a bit of sweetness would help my regular gin in that department also. I did at least have bianco vermouth and green Chartreuse. Well, it was not exactly the recipe, but it was an excellent, well balanced drink. Time to get some Old Tom gin I believe.

I didn't have Cynar, but substituted Zucca Rabarbaro amaro. A complex cocktail that softened some as it warmed up. Based on the comment on pairing with cheddar, I tried it with a nice alpine cheese and nuts, and it was very good indeed. I'll definitely make again.

I have always liked the Reanimator (equal parts Amaro Nonino & Rye), so I used Amaro Nonino here along with Del Maguey Vida. I think the combination is great. I added a dash of orange bitters as suggested by another reviewer plus a grapefruit twist. Delicious.

I have always liked the Reanimator (equal parts Amoro Nonino & Rye), so I used Amoro Nonino here along with Del Maguey Vida. I think the combination is great. I added a dash of orange bitters as suggested by another reviewer plus a grapefruit twist. Delicious.

We found it a bit flat and tried a dash of chocolate bitters…it was great!

What a difference a dash makes! I added a dash of chocolate bitters about 1/4 in to the drink and it added a much richer/fuller flavor. If I come back to this one, I will definitely include a dash of Peychaud's and a dash of chocolate bitters. A nice after dinner drink.

I love a Last Word, but I really liked the combination of whisky, Chartreuse, and lime flavors! I used a light blended Scotch instead of the Irish whiskey and dry vermouth instead of Cocchi. My version needed a bit more body (Cocchi would have taken care of that). A bit of Luxardo would have been a nice addition for me. I think it is time to get some Cocchi and try the proper recipe!

I like sherry drinks on occasion with dinner instead of beer or wine. This one went very well with Asian cuisine. I would think this one would be nice with appetizers or any place you would have a dry sherry. The 1/2 tsp of Scotch changes the flavor significantly.

After reading an article on Perfect Manhattans possibilities on the Wine Enthusiast site, I tried this variation that I think is really terrific. I really liked the way the lemon + briny flavors worked with the rye and vermouths.
2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura
Expressed lemon twist
Cocktail Onion (or green olive)