James Brooke

As "sampled before 1st May 2011", the rating has dropped off.

Ah, I didn't realise that ratings dropped off after a period of time. That makes sense though and seems like a wise precaution incase formulations change.

I'm surprised there is no Diffords rating for this when there is a review and tasting notes.

Many thanks for letting me know, James. I've now fixed the Singapore Sling link.

Wow, that was quick. Keep up the great work.
By the way, I really enjoyed listening to the podcast you did with Tris Stephenson, the Curious Bartender 👍🏻

Hi Simon, the link to the Singapore Sling from this page seems to me broken, at least for me. I get a page not found error page.

According to Beach Bum Berry’s book ‘Grog Log’, the recipe for the Painkiller is
120 ml unsweetened pineapple juice
30 ml orange juice
30 ml Lopez coconut cream
75 ml navy rum or dark jamaican rum
Shake juices, Lopez, and rum with plenty of crushed ice. Pour unstrained into a tall glass or Tiki mug. Dust with cinnamon and nutmeg. Garnish with a pineapple stick, cinnamon stick, and orange wheel.

Thanks for sharing, James. "Half fill a glass with broken ice and add" suggests the Mee-Ho-Loong was served over cracked ice.

Yes, indeed, a cocktail like the Sloe Gin cocktail in terms of ingredients but not method or proportions.

I've found a recipe for a cocktail like this that dates to between 1853 and 1942. These were the years that the Mi-Ho-Loong or Shanghai Volunteer Corps existed. Their cocktail was a quarter of a Gill of Sloe Gin, an eighth of a Gill of dry vermouth and a dash of Orange Bitters.
https://chinarhyming.com/2016/11/03/shanghais-mih-ho-loong-cocktail/

Sorry! Should be fixed this time. I've cleared our cache.

Yes, that's it sorted now 👍🏻

Thanks for bringing to my attention, James. Now corrected.

It still says ice-filled for me. I’ve cleared my cache and refreshed, but maybe all the servers haven’t repopulated yet?

A very nice drink, but I don't think the Nick and Nora glass is supposed to be ice-filled!

Thanks, James. There was quite a lot to correct on this old page. Sadly, I can't find a photo.

No worries, I am sure we all know it is meant to say New Grove Very Old Mauritius (with the r) Island Solera Rum.

A question many of us have asked!

I think we may have found the answer here:
https://www.rumrevelations.com/sugar-list
and the explanatory notes here:
https://www.rumrevelations.com/post/added-sugar-in-rum-list-update

So the answer is the Ron Zacapa Centenario XO has between 19 and 25 grams of sugar per litre.

At least according to the testing carried out by ALKO, the Finnish liquor monopoly.
There is also this piece, which helps to put sugar lists into context.
https://www.rumwonk.com/p/the-problem-with-rum-sugar-lists

Simon, I think I’ve spotted one of the very few typos on your site in the title of this page, there is an ‘r’ missing!

Doesn't this have rather a high level of “dosage or added sugar?(possibly caramel, but not E150a which is very bitter)

A bit on the sweet side for me.
I tried it again using 50ml of London Dry Gin and 20ml each of the Triple Sec (Cointreau) and Blue Curaçao (De Kuyper) and a lemon zest twist expressed over the drink and dropped into it and that is much more to my liking.
I suppose it is no longer a Blue Riband though.

I’d love to know the original, “unbalanced”, version of this cocktail!

Could be. Grand Marnier is golden while Cointreau is crystal clear.

Except that Cointreau goes cloudy when mixed with any amount of water, as it does when mixed with ice which melts. If you want a clear drink don't use Cointreau.

Did Victor Bergeron really spell “tooth” with a U instead of the second O?

Is this really served in a coupe glass? That looks like a Nick and Nora glass to me.

Hi James, they’re both quite different to Amaro Nonino but of the two the Averna is closer.

Thank you. I thought that might be the case.
That brings up the question of how many different amaros one needs in order to cover all the amaro styles? I suspect the answer is too many for my storage space and budget!

Please can someone give me some advice. I don't have Amaro Nonino, but I do have Amaro Montenegro and Amaro Averna. Which one would be better as a substitute in this cocktail?

I’m surprised Difford’s Guide doesn’t also feature the Harrovian cocktail, from the Savoy Cocktail Book, as Harrow is supposed to be the rival school to Eton!

I'm curious and confused as to why, when you click on the link for "Rosso/Rojo (antica-style, sweet, fruity) vermouths 0" you don't get Antica formula or Cocchi Vermouth di Torino listed, but 10 other Vermouths are listed?