Does Cruzan work in this or would it be too molasses-heavy?
I do love the way the oloroso sherry comes through. The tequila and Cynar definitely brings an earthiness and body to the drink but the sherry takes it home by providing just the right amount of spices. It's a perfect autumn/early winter cocktail.
This is a cocktail where the garnish is really what makes it come together. Without the mint it's a delicious glass of funky wine but with the mint it really elevates the glass and becomes a proper cocktail. Be careful though, if you like sherry it will go down *easy*.
This is my kind of Tiki drink! It's fresh, complex and juicy without being overly sweet. To me the agricole plays fantastically with the pineapple juice and curacao, with the mezcal being present but not overpowering. Just a banger for anyone tired of the regular "Tiki flavor".
I kind of love that. The aged tequila, elderflower and Averna all work together with the mezcal and bitters working to just accentuate the other flavours. It's weird but it 100% works.
Accidentally used gin but it still worked fantastically. Love the hint of gin and the tart feeling on your tongue without it being sour.
I think the punsch is a bit subdued by the tequila. Next time I'll try 50:40 to see how that changes it.
It's like a strange mix of a Sazerac and a Cognac OF. I'm digging it though. I thought the raisins would make it a "raisin cocktail" but they go perfectly with the cognac (as they should, I guess). The coffee liqueur is fantastic as it adds just a hint of bitter chocolate on the finish.
I'd probably add like 1cl lemon juice just to balance out the limoncello sweetness. I used Jarritos Grapefruit soda, which is on the tarter side of grapefruit sodas, and still found it bordering on cloying from the limoncello. Aside from that it's a refreshing, "European" version of Paloma.
If you have a homemade grenadine I think it's worth to try the original recipe. It's surprisingly balanced for a century old drink, and really let's the grenadine show itself.
I made this with Talisker 10 and my lord is Islay scotch and Suze a great combo. They perfectly complement each other. The bianco is a bit distracting, though, so I might try it with dry vermouth next.
I'm honestly really surprised by how dry this drink was. I think the sugar is certainly needed for this one. It almost drinks like a martini. It's very nice though.
Once when I was a wee lad, early in my cocktail journey, I made this with simple syrup because I thought "what difference can honey do?" and I thought the drink was kind of meh. Didn’t make it again for quite a while because in my mind it was always a mediocre cocktail. Fast forward a couple of years and I can now see the errors of my way. The smooth honey is what keeps it all together!
This one really took me by surprise. I don't know why but from the ingredients and name I just had a feeling of "eh I'll give it a shot" but now that I've tried it it's a lot better than I ever would've assumed.
The real star of the show is the Pisco+Montenegro. It's a brilliant pairing and I'm surprised I haven't seen it before. If you have any sort of inclination for herbal/floral cocktails then you need to try this one out. The Pisco really dances across the palate but any distilled funkiness is kept in check by the bitterness from the Montenegro.
I like the vanilla syrup for what it does to the backend of the palate, but it also prevents the drink from becoming the fresh Spring drink it really could be. Next time I'll try it without the vanilla syrup just to see how it goes.
Just to be clear: the syrup is needed. It's specifically the vanilla kind I'm a bit divided about. Do not make this without any syrup.
This one really took me by surprise. I don't know why but from the ingredients and name I just had a feeling of "eh I'll give it a shot" but now that I've tried it it's a lot better than I ever would've assumed.
The real star of the show is the Pisco+Montenegro. It's a brilliant pairing and I'm surprised I haven't seen it before. If you have any sort of inclination for herbal/floral cocktails then you need to try this one out. The Pisco really dances across the palate but any distilled funkiness is kept in check by the bitterness from the Montenegro.
I like the vanilla syrup for what it does to the backend of the palate, but it also prevents the drink from becoming the fresh Spring drink it really could be. Next time I'll try it without the vanilla syrup just to see how it goes.
I think my current absinthe might just be bad. I usually like absinthe in various cocktails but the one I have just adds a bitterness that becomes even more pronounced the more you add to it. I'm sure the cocktail is good - it is actually quite balanced with my ingredients as well - but make sure to use a decent absinthe.
Only had Manzanilla sherry on hand and it worked splendidly. The salinity and acidity really brought out the candied orange from the Montenegro with just a hint of coffee.
This is one of those cocktails that needs the *exact* proper dilution. If it's not enough diluted then the Pisco is too heavy, if it's not diluted enough then it just becomes bland. If you hit the right spot then it's absolutely a glorious cocktail!
What a combination Calvados and Pisco turned out to be! I never had any doubts about St Germain and the wine, they were bound to play together, but never knew that Calvados and Pisco could play so well together.
Overall it's a great cocktail. Slightly sweet in the beginning which then dries up nicely on the end. The elderflower is clearly going to be a top note but every single ingredient gets to come out and make itself known.
I was a bit hesitant about this one, because it looked very simple, but I really shouldn't have been. It's a great cocktail, somewhere between a Gin Julep and a South Side. The split base between lemon and lime is genius. The lime brings out the mint without feeling sharp.
It's not super complex but it's interesting enough. I'm generally hesitant about scotch in cocktails because they tend to give off a malty note that sticks in your throat, but in this it really worked well. I think the cream especially helped keep it all together. Gin and scotch is a combination that is kind of underrated honestly.
Why would you shake this?
I felt shaking it helped to make it feel lighter. Haven't tried them side-by-side but I can imagine it would be a bit heavy if stirred.