Joseph Nelson avatar
Joseph Nelson

Joseph Nelson

United States

  • Premium Member
  • Commenter #74
  • Appreciated Commenter #69
  • Conversation Starter #191
Paisley Martini
4 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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.

Green Puritan
11 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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.

Grand Stand
4 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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.

Torino-Milano
3 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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.

Joseph Nelson

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!

Haut Relievo
9 Comments
John Hinojos

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.

Joseph Nelson

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!

Haut Relievo
9 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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!

Tequila'tini
2 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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!

Alfa-Romeo
4 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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!

Monte Manhattan
10 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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.

Black Manhattan
30 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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...

Fine & Dandy
5 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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.

Daisy Duke
3 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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.

High Ryeser
18 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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.

Amaryllis
Not yet rated
1 Comment
Joseph Nelson

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!

Sidecar
16 Comments
Joseph Nelson

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!

Joseph Nelson

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!

Parisian Sidecar
9 Comments
Joseph Nelson

My word...what a delicious treasure! I bought a bottle of elderflower liqueur today and this was the first cocktail I decided to mix with it, as I like brandy and this sounded safe. It was more than safe. This is going into regular rotation. The elderflower adds a pleasant herbal aftertaste that make this an incredibly easy sipper.

MonteNegroni
20 Comments
Joseph Nelson

I was prepared to dismiss this as too sweet for my taste, but allowing it to mellow with a large ice cube made it delicious to my palate. The Montenegro balances well with the vermouth. I think I might bring this one out when I have guests who don't enjoy the sharp edge of Campari!

Leghorn
Not yet rated
1 Comment
Joseph Nelson

How delightful! The blending of Aperol and Campari made for a refreshing bitter edge without being overwhelming, and the Bianco vermouth was a perfect way to keep this from being too dry and could not be subbed out without breaking this charming cocktail's profile in my opinion. This one is going into my rotation!

Almond Martini
5 Comments
Joseph Nelson

I'm a sucker for amaretto cocktails and I love variations on Martinis so this was an easy sell for me. I really enjoyed the sweetness and complexity, though I had no vanilla bitters (or Tonka bitters) to add. I did make a second one with the dry vermouth replaced with bianco to try the sweeter, more vanilla taste in the mix and it was so sweet it was almost a dessert Martini to me! This one's getting mixed again with either flavor profile!

Lost Plane
26 Comments
Joseph Nelson

I always keep a bottle of Goslings in the bar because it makes a nice shakeup from my normal rum, but I have never tried it as the base in a cocktail until now. Wow! What a recipe! My only alteration was to nip down the lemon juice to 15ml. Tart with complex notes from the Montenegro and a nice weight with the rum. Instant favorite.