Kym Harding

I was surprised how good this is, even with a basic whisky like Naked Malt, plus Martell VS Cognac. I have been exploring (and liking) cocktails with cognac plus another spirit, and this is definitely going in my cocktail database.

I especially enjoy sour cherry cocktails, and the Fernet Branca adds complementary interest and complexity. Nice.

I’m going to try this again, and tweak it because I really liked it, but think I can do better. Unlike the review above, I found it too sweet, so added a touch more vinegar. It probably also depends on how ripe your tomatoes are. I also added Scrappy’s Fire Tincture which matched well and complemented the pepper. Next time I’ll cut back on the simple syrup, and carefully watch the balance.

I’m going to try this again, and tweak it because I really liked it, but think I can do better. Unlike the review above, I found it too sweet, so added a touch more vinegar. It probably also depends on how ripe your tomatoes are. I also added Scrappy’s Fire Tincture which matched well and complemented the pepper. Next time I’ll cut back on the simple syrup, and carefully watch the balance.

Fernet Branca can be a bit much to me, as I have a genetic sensitivity to bitterness - but I found this very enjoyable. Used Russell’s Reserve 90 proof.

More subtle than I expected, a very pleasant drink. I like to add Scrappy’s Fire Tincture to bring some bite to the ginger.

I didn’t find anything to enjoy here - I know that I’m more sensitive to bitter flavours, apparently due to my genes (like 20 to 25% of the population). I don’t know how it could be done, but it would be interesting if this could be taken into account when publishing cocktails.
I ended up modifying this to my tastes by adding Carpano Antico and a little more curacao.

One of my go-tos. I usually make it with something like Monkey Shoulder, but a variation with Wild Turkey Rare Breed, upping the orgeat, and a dash or two of Scrappy’s Fire Tincture really improved the booziness/complexity and could be my new favorite version.

If I’m honest, I always found Fernet a bit of a struggle, and Bourbon’s nowhere near the top of my list of favourite spirits, so there’s no reason why I would even try this cocktail much less enjoy it…. But for some reason I did try it, and oh my God, I like it, as in a lot! I don’t really understand why I often find 5ml of fernet is too much, but here x 6 that is perfect. It’s as thought the fernet and bourbon have combined to create something entirely different that tastes like neither

Yes, that’s it exactly - I’m very sensitive to bitter flavours, and Fernet’s bitterness is anything but subtle, but in this surprising combination, it really comes alive and works brilliantly.
I used Wild Turkey 101 - I suspect it would be even better with WT Rare Breed.

Light and refreshing. I too upped the quantities and served in a coupe. Yes, it is sweet, but for me the natural sweetness of an orange rather than candy-sweet. My wife found it slightly too sweet, fixed by adding a splash of Prosecco.

For me, Midori doesn’t have the character to act as main player, and this confirms it in my mind. Perfectly pleasant, but as soon as I had finished I wondered why I bothered. I like fruity cocktails as long as they’re not too sweet or not too simple. The lemon can be adjusted to deal with the sweetness, but there’s no real complexity here. 3.5 for me.