I've had and enjoyed Penicillin to this recipe for years - BUT all this time never with the separate peated whisky (just increased amount of the 'base' whisky). I have kept some well aged peated single malts but never wanted to use them as cocktail ingredients.

I decided it was about time my bar included a separate decent but mixable peated whisky for such events (chose Smokehead on recommendation from a Scotch friend) & it is truly transformative. The peat turns this from 4-4.5 to a 5/5. Wow!

(More the fool me for never sacrificing some peaty single malt to find out all this time!)

I've had and enjoyed Penicillin to this recipe for years - BUT all this time never with the separate peated whisky (just increased amount of the 'base' whisky). I have kept some well aged peated single malts but never wanted to use them as cocktail ingredients.

I decided it was about time my bar included a separate decent but mixable peated whisky for such events (chose Smokehead on recommendation from a Scotch friend) & it is truly transformative. The peat turns this from 4-4.5 to a 5/5. Wow!

Having just recently picked up Abasolo to try, being a fan of Old Fashioneds and enjoying Nixta I was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately I found it unbearably sweet and unpleasant as a result. Not just slightly sweet; really cloying when made 1:1:1 with Abasolo/Nixta/Cocchi Americano; and I'm not someone who is averse to sweet cocktails in general. I re-made it yesterday with 2:1:1 proportions and this was much nicer, though even still I thought could do with a bit more whisky.

I was expecting this to be amazing - I particularly enjoy Fernet Branca (as well as all the other ingredients) - but was ultimately very disappointed. I tried with 1/3floz maple syrup and it seemed promising but much too sweet (drowning out the Fernet and even the whisky); with 1/6floz it was more balanced in terms of flavours but altogether not much there in it. I wonder whether it needs a peaty single malt instead of the generic Dewars 12 I keep for 'mixing' purposes.

I prefer with a touch less sugar syrup - about 7.5ml. Wonder about trying a hint of mint syrup instead?

I agree, I was surprised by how sweet this came out. I don't have any mint syrup but might keep some cane syrup and try adding a little Branca Menta for some minty herbal heresy!

Using Monin honey syrup (for practicality more than any insistence that this is what should be done) I reduce the honey syrup to 1/2oz otherwise this comes out much too sweet overall (and while a bitter/dry preference I would not describe myself as someone who dislikes sweet drinks per se).

I made the Negroni with Martini Riserva Speciale Rubino instead of Rosso and, already being someone who loves a Negroni, found it to be somehow even better. Now to see if Antica Formula instead elevates it that little bit more!

This has to probably be the single greatest thing I've discovered on Difford's Guide to date and agree with the comment from William Smith - this is much, much too good to be relegated to after-dinner only.

Nice but didn’t find banana flavour to be present, would say the lime was the dominant flavour.
Did use Difford’s daiquiri bitters.
Nice enough cocktail but a let down as banana not at all prominent.
Banana flavour more present in the blended recipe

I agree with you. I personally was not hoping for a banana-forward/sweet banana drink here; I love the plain Daiquiri and definitely wanted a Daiquiri first with banana undertones second, but the banana here was barely (if at all) detectable.

For me increasing the Banane du Bresil from 2/3oz/20ml to 1oz/30ml did the trick. I personally think with this the drink is identifiably and very pleasantly banana-tasting but without overwhelming the core of the Daiquiri or becoming very sweet.

The Giffard Banane du Bresil is magnificent (it actually smells and tastes richly of bananas, not artificial banana-sweet flavour) but I wonder if the proportion suggested is more suitable for lower grade/artificially flavoured and bright yellow banana liqueurs which I suspect might be more prone to overpowering the lovely rum and citrus? I have some Bols Banana liqueur lying around (very potent 'foam banana sweet' smell/taste) and should endeavour to test this theory.

If not making this with powdered sugar I've found that Gum syrup just gives that extra something over a sugar syrup and works really well this. Going further, even half-substituted for 5ml of Luxardo as in the Frozen Daiquiri found on this website seems to work very agreeably with this straight-up version without taking off the edge.