Used a locally produced dark-ish rum with a pretty strong character, and no cinnamon or rim of any kind, which it definitely did not need, IMO. The rum I used was strong enough to balance the additional sweet from the sugar syrup pretty well. Overall I liked this one, and I'm glad to finally find something to use amaretto in that isn't overpowered by its flavor. The rum/amaretto combo works really well.
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She's a boozy one! It's good as written but not mind-blowing. What I really like about it is it's very gin-forward, so the gin you choose will very much affect the character of it. The overall balance of sweet, aromatic, and sour is good. It supports the gin's character.
Really interesting layers to this one. I've had negronis but not often enough to have a clear sense of what one tastes like to compare to this. I used Roku gin, as that's usually what I have on hand. This cocktail has a good burn that lingers for quite a while afterward and a nice bitter character that's multi-faceted and not overpowering.
I typically avoid margaritas because in the States they're a) the about the most common cocktail you can find, and b) oversaturation leads to people getting "creative" with them to try to stand out.
This recipe is excellent: as basic as it gets and exceptional because of it. Well-balanced in sweetness, tartness, and the essence of tequila coming through -- a very refreshing cocktail. And simple to make at home because it doesn't require crushed ice. This will be a regular for me.
I made this but included around 7 mL (just under 1/4 oz) of lemon juice, mainly because I tend to put lemon juice in everything. And it was really good. Not enough sour to be noticeable but I think it adds to the balance of flavors, and the salt rounds out the body of the bitter/smoke/slightly sweet character.
Hmmm, interesting. Not sure if I like it just yet. May need to tweak the citrus a bit to balance the very strong rum flavor (used Kraken). Alternatively, I may try a different rum and see how that goes. It's definitely worth experimenting with, if only to have a good option for something with rum as the primary spirit.
I made this but substituted Leopold Bros. Apertivo for the Campari, which increased the bitter level somewhat (as LBA is quite a bit more bitter and less sweet than Campari, which I'm not particularly a fan of). However, I like bitter elements in food and drink, and this combo, with the sweetness of the sugar syrup, balanced out perfectly! It's a surprisingly multi-layered taste experience, with the bitter, sweet, and sour swirling around each other to create a full-bodied mouth explosion.