Caspian Berggren

How is this good? I mean really, how is this good? The title is certainly fitting because by all metrics I feel like this shouldn't work yet somehow it does. The whiskey is so dominant that you need that increase of Montenegro to counterbalance it and this drink does it beautifully. The banana liqueur provides some sweetness and a finish of banana candy. It's lovely, no doubt about it.

Incredibly complex and interesting. First of all, you need to love Amontillado sherry to like this cocktail. It's obviously going to dominate most of it. The eau-de-vie is a great counterplay to it though, making it fresh and interesting. The chartreuse adds some herbal complex and sweetness which balances the whole experience. Not sure if I get the bitters too much but the absinthe provides a nice accent.

It's funny; this cocktail is recognisably tiki but tastes *nothing* like "classic tiki", and I kind of adore it for that. It's dark, almost coffee-like with the blackstrap rum, licorice tart and funky. If I didn't know what it was, and it was served differently, I could've almost argued it was more of a Louisiana drink. Nonetheless it's delicious and unique as long as you don't want the classic tiki experience.

It's like a grown-up slushie. It tastes of orange candy with just a hint of funk (used equal parts white Bacardi, Veritas and Three Star). Really delicious even if I can imagine people would find it too sweet if it was just shaken. Would probably reduce the sugar or remove it altogether if I didn't want to blend it. It's not really complex but dangerously drinkable.