This is a mix of sweet and spicy on my palate. It has a warmth imparted from the herbal liqueur (I used Luxardo Del Santo), a little tang from the Triple Sec, some notes of spice from the bitters, and a sweet base from the cognac. It's got a lot going on with the feel and maybe too much for some, but it grew on me nicely. Would be the perfect drink in the midst of winter, by a roaring fire, in my imaginary country estate.

I just wanted a vodka cocktail that wasn't a straight-up Martini or doused with cranberry and this sounded good! I took John Hinjos advice below and added three or so dashes of orange bitters, and I think that gave a little extra punch to a cocktail that has a surprisingly mellow quality, despite the quantity of vodka. I used Effen vodka and Luxardo's Del Santo for the green charteuse-alike. Very easy to sip.

Truth be told, until today, I hadn't kept a bottle of absinthe in my bar. Most cocktails are very delicate about using it. The Duchess is a gem because there is a resounding confidence in putting 15ml of absinthe into a cocktail. And it works! With the duel vermouths, the absinthe creates a velvet texture and a very pleasing feel. I used an extra dry vermouth but how could that really matter when we are talking about such an absinthe-forward drink? The Green Fairy is strong in this one!

I had fresh watermelon, which is unusual, so as a responsible adult human the first thing I sought to do was add liquor. This was the cocktail I decided to try and...and it's fine? It tastes like an infused vodka. I muddled a couple of pieces because one didn't seem to be enough and then I added ice to my glass because the initial flavor wasn't appealing to me. As it mellowed with the ice, the watermelon flavor took charge and I enjoyed it a bit more. It was novel, for sure. Next time I might skip the sugar syrup and add a bit of grenadine.

Masterful! The switch to rye appeals to me hugely, even though I used a budget rye for this one (a George Dickel chill filtered). The rye keeps spice in the profile and the maraschino and herbal liqueur (I used Luxardo Del Santo) blend deliciously to create a bittersweet cocktail that I think is making it into my shaker on a regular basis. The mix just seems to work for my palate without making me consider any changes.

I like my Martinis dry but I never expected a splash of scotch to elevate the proceedings so nicely! Anything more than that little dose would be too much, but in these proportions it left me with a very pleasant, extremely tasty cocktail, even with the more basic Beefeater gin I had on hand.

I bought a bottle of Luxardo's herbal green liqueur to try out and this is the first cocktail I've made with it. I enjoyed it! A pleasant martini that I found utterly balanced. I did use an extra dry vermouth, but I don't think that harmed the herbal melody the gin and liqueur created. Also, a shoutout to that little dash of orange bitters; it pulled its weight in holding it all together. Instant favorite.

This is very, very Maraschino forward, which surprised me as I use Lazzaroni Maraschino and that tends to be a more subtle Maraschino liqueur. The brandy seemed drowned out amidst the gin and Maraschino, but that could be because I used an E & J VSOP (though I do enjoy it as a budget brandy!). I may try without the sugar syrup next time to see if that increases my enjoyment at all.

Far more moderate than I expected for a drink that is literally 1/2 Campari. The Montenegro softens the bitterness very nicely. I am a heathen who often will forgo the garnish if I don't have it to hand, but having tried this with the orange I fully agree that it is a required ingredient to this cocktail's odds of success.

I uttered a very dirty word sipping this cocktail for the first time.

Such a simple combination and yet so, so, so good! As a whiskey lover, this has catapulted into my Top 5. This has the perfect proportions, with the equal whiskies and the halved Amaretto. Balanced to a tee. Nothing fights, everything compliments.

My only disappointment was discovering that I had no almonds in the house. Which, I suppose, is just an excuse to buy some and make this again!

Oddly, this is a cocktail which I think would be better shaken and stirred. It seems to benefit from getting more air and being very cold.

I just tried this cocktail according to the recipe and loved it, but after reading your comment, John, I think I'm going to try it shaken and stirred next time! Cheers!

Ooh, this was a layered delight! I used Gosling's for the rum, Lazzaroni for the maraschino (and upped it to a full 10ml), and it was a balanced cocktail. The dark rum gave off heavy molasses while the averna added some spice to the mix, and the maraschino was the secret ingredient. I find it hard to enjoy cocktails with dark rum as it tends to dominate, but this was dang fine!

My goodness! I used an extra dry vermouth but a lower-end Corazon reposado and with the sugar syrup this turned out really, really sweet, but with a delicious profile. I didn't have a lime handy to express and I am sorely disappointed, because that little hint might have kicked this into the next level for me. Fantastic!

Increased maraschino to 15ml and it became legendary.

Great tip, thanks! I use Lazzaroni, which is a milder Maraschino, and upping the dosage was great as I could still detect it without it being lost by the Campari.

I really enjoyed the herbal and citrus flavors that mingled within this cocktail. The splash of Campari was a good touch to balance everything out with just a touch of bitterness. I did take Andy Parnell-Hopkinson's advice of upping the Maraschino by 5ml as my brand, Lazzaroni, is milder than Luxardo. It didn't overwhelm at all!

This is such a pleasing riff on a Manhattan. I think the split whiskey is a grand touch, as I used a mid-grade Evan Williams for the bourbon and Redemption for the rye and both are detectable amid the Montenegro. Sweeter than a typical Manhattan, but supremely drinkable and balanced. This one is going into my regular rotation.

I am desperately trying to find cocktails to use up a local Averna-esque Amaro and this turned out pretty good. I'm not rating it until I get back to it with a proper Averna, because the local blend has maple syrup and a super strong cinnamon taste. The rye finish is precisely right for a Manhattan though, so I suspect I'll like the proper cocktail once I can make it. I just need to finish this dang local stuff so I can clear it out of my cabinet...

The first time I made this cocktail, I was too light on the Angostura. I am stingy with my dashes. This is a character flaw. With my next attempt I upped it to a strong couple dashes and found it really refined the flavor of this charming sour.

It's winter here in Vermont and this is a summertime cocktail and I don't care because I want to be sitting on my front lawn playing horseshoes and drinking something like this.

It's a nice blend of tart and sweet, very well-balanced. I think it'd taste even better with homemade grenadine and fresh berries (raspberry, blackberry, or even blueberry or strawberry) as suggested. But it's winter and I make do with what I have. And it's still dang good.

I love a good Manhattan and always have Rye whiskey on hand, so what the heck, let's try this combo, said I! And I'm glad I did, as this was a delight!

I tend to use middle-shelf or even lower end Rye whiskey in my cocktails as I like my high-end stuff too much to drink as anything other than neat, but even with the lower grade Tincup I used, this was a treat. The vermouth dominated, but the Rye kept a pleasant, dry finish.

I did read the comments beforehand and added ice to mine in a rocks glass and it mellowed nicely. Will make this again. And likely again.

A light, herbal melody that hit the spot as a light cocktail I had while making dinner. Very sweet but the Campari helped it balance nicely. I'll make this one again!

I've always done my Sidecar to a simple 2:1:1 recipe, but I decided to try this variant and my goodness was it tasty and balanced! easing down the Triple Sec and adding sugar syrup made for a bigger divergence than I expected! I think this is going to be my new regular Sidecar go-to!

I love a whiskey sour and this variant was decidedly pleasant on the tongue. Reading comments first, I did up the Maraschino to 10ml (probably could have done a tweak more since I use Lazzaroni) but otherwise followed as listed and it was a nice whiskey sour with a soft finish. Very appealing!