Matthew Coffey

I found the cocktail tart and dry, but a little thin, very much relying on the garnish for flavor. I added 2 dashes of cherry bitters and 1 dash of plum bitters to amplify the berry notes, which I thought helped fill out the drink.

I am surprised that the Hawaiian Stone Sour is missing from the list of Stone Sours. I assume that the lack of orange juice is the reason. Even though the Hawaiian Stone Sour is pushing the limits of the drink definition, it is my favorite. I prefer the bigger flavors and bite of fresh pineapple juice.

I found this far too sweet as written. The version on Kindred has twice the ratio of Bourbon to Amaro Lucano and Creme de Cacao. Those ratios create a much dryer drink with more space to appreciate the carmel and chocolate flavors.

My pet peeve with cocktail bars is using pre batched ingredients. I can understand it for extracting fruit juices before opening and liquors with infusions or washes, but I don't want a Word that came out of two bottles. I have experienced this most often in New York, but it seems to be spreading.