Ok, the first time reading the comments made me assess for a second. I really like the drink, and while I don't think it is a mess, I do not really see what all of the ingredients are bringing - specifically not seeing the nuance of the rye (I used Rittenhouse).

Ignoring that critique, the rum sets the base and the cognac fills in late. It's a fairly unique evolution that piques my interest.

Made this one with Lagavulin 11 year sweet peat (though I do not like it straight, it can work in cocktails) and Glendronach on the spirit side, regular Angostura and a dash of Fee's walnut on the bitters side. Perhaps due to the sweeter aspect of the peated Scotch, it is more balanced than I expected. I'd maybe add a [little bit of a] more aggressive Islay into the mix next time.

That said, the smoke does come through and adds a nice edge to this Boulevardier riff. I think this would work nicely with a cigar.

This one surprised me. I used a spiced/tiki bitters that I know has allspice in it as my only option (it also some other, tropical ingredients), and it was a great call for me. It added a slightly tropical edge to this whiskey sour.

For us, pineapple juice adds a wonderful flavour but can dull acidity and complexity. We think one can add a few drops of bitters to this cocktail to good effect. We usually go with grapefruit bitters but we're sure that others would work just as well.

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried some grapefruit bitters, but that didn't have the effect I hoped. I actually ended up adding a few drops of saline solution, and that made it a bit better. I think this one just isn't for me. I am fine with that.

Mine looks a little bit like the blue milk from Star Wars ;)

I actually made this one to specs, but it seems a little dull for some odd reason. Added it to my wish list to retry.

Anyhow, the acidity and sweetness are tamped down in the cocktail. I feel that at least one needs to step up to complete this one for me.

It has good bones; you just need to work on it a bit. I think the Fernet is a bit overpowering. Maybe lower the Fernet and increase the Aperol, or add Montenegro?

I read your comment in the recent comments and saw that I could make this cocktail. Plus I like Fernet and absinthe, so I went for it.

My initial though was that it was mostly fine. But the Fernet does tend to dominate things. As such, I agree with your assessment that it has potential and that the lowering of the Fernet would be the first adjustment.

The cherry dominates the front of this one, and I think my decision to use a barrel-proof bourbon (thanks to reason the Difford's selected it for cocktail of the day) helped a bit as there is a bite that forces through in the end. Wastn't sure what so little Luxardo would bring, but I think it does fill in at the edges by mid-taste.

I think I'd prefer a more whiskey-heavy ratio, but this grew on me. Though I think it could be almost too easy drinking with a regular proof bourbon.

For us, a good dash of grapefruit bitters woke this one up from its very pleasant slumber.

I tried another one, closer to specs (mainly I had to use Cocchi Americano as the dry vermouth). And it was pretty decent, but I liked my Apple Jack heavy version a little better.

But having your comment in my back pocket, I added a dash of grapefruit bitters to mine. It did seem to spackle some small holes I felt were in the cocktail - not changing it greatly, but improving it a bit. Thanks for the tip!

Ok, so I changed enough to likely make a new cocktail, but I subbed in lime juice for lemon and adjusted the ratios of the base spirits to be closer to 3:2 (vs 4:1). As such, the apple brandy really plays lead with the gin playing more accent in the back with the curaçao being more present there.

I looked for other cocktails, and I think maybe what I made is between this and a Star Daisy.

Had to Frankenstein the small amount of Falernum using lime juice, orgeat, and a ginger simple syrup for the entire drink (at least AI suggested that could work and it is a small amount).

I am actually surprised the elderflower liqueur doesn't power through. Sure, its floral notes are, well... noted. But the lime and, somewhat surprisingly, Peychaud's seem to counter it pretty well, allowing the bourbon to play a part. A sweet-tart, fairly balanced (maybe a lean to sweet in my version) cocktail.

I used some homemade raspberry liqueur that is almost certainly not as sweet as the proposed ingredient, so I added a scant bar spoon of simple syrup after a quick sip. This helped things, but a more expressive bourbon is needed (versus the Buffalo Trace I used).

The bourbon comes through nicely. But unless I mis-measured accidentally, the lime is presenting as out of balance. The specs don't seem out-of-whack, so maybe I did have my measurements off. I want to rate this a 3.5 bordering on 4, and need to give it another go to determine where it sits for me.

I didn't have any walnut liqueur, but went with a mix of cognac and walnut bitters. I should've added some sweet notes to get into liqueur range, and it's on me that the version was too bitter. So I did what I suggested, but the walnut had sort of taken over.

However, it was better and I can see this combination of ingredients, in near proportions to what is listed as making a nice, deep, cocktail. Oddly, the Cherry Herring could use a little boost in my bastardized version, but probably shows up better in a properly made version.

I feared my Allspice Dram had sat a little too long, so I was looking for cocktails to make, and this popped up. The spice in the Angustora dominates, as expected, but the dram fills in late, in a very pleasing way. My lemon wasn't the best, so I was a bit scant on it, and paralleled that with the grenadine. But I can imagine how a little more tart/sweet could make this even better.

Quite herbal beyond the sweetness, which I do think is at least somewhat necessary, but can see the debate between how much. The bitter grassy gentian liqueur needs a counter, but I can't tell with one try if the yellow chartreuse brings enough on its own. Might need to experiment.

So I tried making this without the simple syrup and it does seem a bit of a different experience than the one the other day. The herbal notes are more pronounced and the components are in nice balance. I added just a couple drops of simple and the Chartreuse came forward. Interesting.

In the end, I have my preference leaning towards having this a bit less sweet than the recipe calls for.

Quite herbal beyond the sweetness, which I do think is at least somewhat necessary, but can see the debate between how much. The bitter grassy gentian liqueur needs a counter, but I can't tell with one try if the yellow chartreuse brings enough on its own. Might need to experiment.

I had to try this after reading the comments on the cocktail that inspired it. I went with standard strengths for this one - Rittenhouse, Still Autsin, and a blanco Mezcal and this is a more balanced, a bit sweeter, and ever so slightly smoky version of the Purgatory cocktail.

I think it is more approachable, and has very tame spice and a bit of herbal that leans into the Mezcal. I sorta miss the spice but like the Mezcal addition. Maybe the cask-strength rye I used for the original or split rye and Mezcal, skipping the bourbon would be something I could explore for my own preferences.

I have found myself going a little more "wet" with my martinis, sometimes including a splash of Cocchi Americano. Overall, I tend to agree with the claim that those who have an aversion to larger proportions of vermouth might be those who don't realize it needs to be fairly fresh (and refrigerated to help with that). That said, I am pretty much in the 4:1 to 5:1 ratio most of the time.

Also, I have experimented with different bitters - grapefruit and celery being my current favorites to use.

I knew I would like this given the ingredients. I actually went with a spicy cask-strength local rye and the overall spiciness of the cocktail took center stage with the herbal notes playing at the edges and in the finish. Even with that, I got the impression the saline addition did round out the feel more than I expected.

It's not the prettiest of things, but pretty tasty. I like how the apple brandy an lemon interact with the herbal spicy aspects, but agree with other comments that the lemon could be cut back a little and be a little less assertive.

I was a tad bit surprised, but the Chartreuse seemed a little lost in the mix, or was playing a much more secondary role than I am used to it playing. The lemon came through more than expected. For my tastes, I think a little more Chartreuse could solve both of my problems.

Refreshing drink. For me the lime can be 5 ml less, decent cocktail though

Agreed - definitely a refreshing drink that maybe could have a little less sour. The gin, even at 2oz isn't carrying its weight, it seems to me. But it is very enjoyable and works quite well as a spring or summer on the deck beverage.