Surely too low proof to flambé? Especially swirled rather than floated. Didn't ignite for myself. Good digestif though after a three course meal and espresso. Working better than the single measure of Calvados did.

Made with an Armagnac and a vintage orange liqueur (de kuyper) I picked up at auction. Tasty stuff.

Love a bamboo. Punch above their weight. This is supposed to be served up though right? Not on the rocks?

Awkward Oz measurements so used ml - a bit less boozy using the ml measurements - is it the same ratio? Anyway, love a Gibson. Thankfully the parents had cocktail onions hidden in the fridge. Presumably from my stay last Xmas!

Absolutely fantastic.

I never comment but this is absolutely phenomenal. Admittedly I can't taste the Kirsch but my bottle of G. Miclo has been open a long time. This is no bad thing however, as when it was fresh I really didn't like it! Don't know why but I prefer a great many cocktails on the rocks (like here) rather than up.

Thanks Simon. You had myslef, my liver and my Dr very worried for a moment! Definitely a great feature though. Tracking units for cocktails is a pain.

Please tell me these new (are they new) alcohol unit breakdowns are wrong... Otherwise I've massively been underestimating my intake! 50ml of 40%abv spirit is 2 units. So this seems unlikely to be 4.4 units!

Simon - can you expand on your reasoning for frequently splitting your orgeat with plain simple syrup? It seems counterintuitive. I honestly can't taste the orgeat in such small quantities. Why not just have 10ml of orgeat since it's essentially flavoured simple? Seems unlikely to bully anything.

Hmm, the 15th edition gives a wildly different spec for this drink. 30ml, 22.5, 22.5, 22.5, which gives a vastly different (stronger and inferior!) drink.

A perfect example of why Mezcal does not play well with others. Its pungent smokiness overwhelms all the other ingredients. This cocktail tastes like a forest fire.

Completely agree Howard. Punt e mes is the biggest bully of a vermouth there is. Maraschino is a bully. Peychauds are a bully. I couldn't taste anything but the mezcal either. Bit pointless.

Shaken? Never ever shake a martini. Was not expecting that here! As we all know, it is to be stirred. Shaking waters it down and makes it cloudy.

You don't deserve the downvotes Alex. A shaken martini is an abomination, no matter what James Bond says. That said, it is better than no martini and still likely better than most common cocktails.

Very smooth. Notes of fruit. Used Bushmills Original. Great for evening sipping.

Same John. Perfect digestif after a greedily eaten Indian feast.