Sterling Diesel

Sunset In Sedona

1.5 oz (45ml) Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon
.5 oz (15ml) Ancho Reyes
.25 oz (7.5ml) Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 dropper full / heavy dash of Angostura Bitters
2 drops saline 4:1

Stirred down in mixing glass, strained onto a big cube of ice, lemon expressed and discarded, cherry upon request

Anyone else love it as is, but considerably more with a muddled jalapeno? 2-3 full droppers of Bittermans Hellfire shrub would be great in this.

An absolute gem for those with an adventurous palette. Dark and brooding, while simultaneously light, delicate, and bursting with layers of flavor.

This is sooooo good, im forever grateful that you've created such a fantastic repository of cocktail recipes / knowledge. Thanks a million Simon (and your crew) 🙏

Anyone else tried this with fresh pink grapefruit instead of lemon?

Longest named cocktail I've encountered. I'll be sue to add to Difford's Guide ASAP. Thanks, Sterling.

It calls for 100+ proof, I couldn't fit that in the original comment though.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :-)

If you haven't tried it, id recommend "Growing Old and Dying Happy Is a Hope, Not an Inevitability" as a contender for your list of best Cynar drinks

2oz cynar (regular, not 70)
1 oz. rye whiskey
3-5 lemon peels
5-7 drops of 4:1 saline
Express lemon peels so the oil goes into mixing glass, then add them to the glass itself for a regal stir. strain up into an absinthe-rinsed coupe, lemon peel expressed and used as garnish. From Maksym Pazuniak and Kirk Estopinal at the Cure bar in New Orleans

Absolutely. Difford's calls it an Irish Chocolate Oranj'tini, but I call it a Scrambled B-52 cocktail.

Thank you for the info Alexander, of course Simon has it listed though id somehow missed it. I love the Scrambled part, gonna have to use that next time.

Many thanks, Garry. As I say in the review above, it's better shaken. Stirring all cocktails that don't contain juice is a recent bartending law and one that's sometimes best broken.

Ever throw it? I love it shaken but the throw makes this already fantastic beverage all the better. (Just my 1 cent)

This summer ive taken to infusing the gin with 1 honeydew and half a cantaloupe for a few days, its dangerously quaffable this way.

Simon when you make agave syrup, is it 2:1, 1:1, or what?

Anyone else make this with 1 oz of each, shake it, and double strain it into a coupe glass with a quick zest of nutmeg? I think the frothiness is great, makes for a very enjoyable drink.

Rather than reducing the other ingredients, it's easier to increase the volume of the raspberry syrup. Using your 2:1:1 recipe, you'll need 50% more raspberry syrup, i.e. 22.5ml (3/4oz) instead of 15ml (1/2oz). Comparing the finished cocktail to one made with a commercial syrup such as Monin, you'll find the vibrant colour from the homemade syrup more striking than the difference in flavour. I hope all the mums approve.

You're the best, ill report back soon, thanks again :-)

Thanks for pointing out - the history was a little confused so I've added to this and hopefully made clearer. I'm not sure that anyone knows who created it!

Simon, would you happen to have a recipe to share for a fresh raspberry syrup that would work at this 15ml quantity?

I'm prepping for a 200 person, 3 hour event for Mothers Day and want this to be the star. It's just me so I want to make a syrup for speed but am unsure the right proportions.

Three days in a row now my delivery was off so not much time for me to dial the recipe in, but its for sure coming tomorrow.

My plan is 2:1:1 , raspberry/sugar/water. I'll make simple, macerate the berries, blend the berries in, let it sit overnight and pass it through a sieve morning of.

Any helpful info or guidance would be greatly appreciated. (As I am for all the other fantastic info I've leanred from you)

Dang it! I just used up my Meletti!

Buy another, you won't be sorry you tried this :-) then maybe get some Del Maguey and enjoy a Mezcaletti - 1 oz Del Maguey Vida Mezcal
1 oz Meletti
2 dash Orange Bitters , stirred, served over a cube like an old fashioned, with a lemon peel expressed over it

Is this safe to barrel age at room temp in a 1 liter cask?

A great riff on the Paper Plane if you want something jucier to quench your thirst on a hot day

Cardboard Plane
1 oz. bourbon (regular Four Roses is great, i especially love it with 1792)
0.75 oz. Cointreau
0.5 oz. Amaro Meletti
0.75 oz. lemon juice
0.5 oz. grapefruit juice

Add all ingredients to a tin and shake hard on ice. Double strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with a grapefruit peel. (I prefer it with 2 drops of 4:1 saline)

From the Lions Share in San Diego California

I used to make this often for people that "didn't like" mezcal, it was always great seeing their smiles after this drink won them over.

A superb winter time sipper, though I prefer it at 7.5 ml for the 2:1

I would say go easy on the seasoning on the garnish, as it can overwhelm the drink, but really a great cocktail. I've been looking for uses for chile liqueur and this is going in my rotation.

1.5 Elijah Craig Small Batch
.5 Ancho Reyes Chili
.25 Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 dash Angostura
Stirred down like an Old Fashioned, strained onto a large cube.

I hem and haw between a lemon or an orange zest expressed gently onto the drink, both are great, depends on the person which I choose.

This is often what I make for people that know they "don't like gin". Most leave loving it, the rest just really like it. Great stuff, thank you. :-)