Matt Piacitelli

A nice sour - I didn't have Difford's Falernum and tried a 5 ml Velvet Falernum/5 ml 5 yr El Dorado mix. That probably hamstrung the cocktail - while it was tasty and a bit tart, it didn't have much breadth in the taste. If I am able to get some Difford's Falernum I will definitely revisit this cocktail.

Separated brom the Mastiha Sour recipe by a little sweetness and a dash of Bolivar bitters - both are very good and refreshing but I liked this just a bit more. I think the bitters add more interesting and complementary flavor notes to the already delicious combo of mastiha and (sweetened) lemon juice.

Very similar to the Mediterranean Sour - this is slight more tart/less sweet, and has no bitters. The mastiha works very well with the sweetened lemon, and is delicious, although I do prefer the addition of the bitters in the Mediterranean Sour a bit more. Both are very good, and you will certainly enjoy this version if you don't have the Bolivar Bitters called for in the Med Sour recipe.

A great cocktail - and winner of the Best Name of 2026 (so far)! The herbal notes of the Genepy and Braulio work wonderfully with the botanicals of the gin. This is the rare cocktail where the Maraschino notes are far in the background (you could possibly make this without Maraschino at all) (I did mix the ingredients and let them rest in my refrigerator for ~30 min before pouring over ice - maybe the Maraschino notes are more volatile?)

I used Plantaray 3 Star - a very nice highball - simple and refreshing. Also note that this easily takes a dash or two of bitters - this is a great way to highlight the way different bitters (e.g. Bolivar, Tiki, Jamaican, Daiquiri) will impact the flavor of a cocktail.

Nice, but I think it is overly sweet, with the whiskey falling short of asserting itself.

Heat from the rye is moderated pleasantly by the sweetness of the port and liqueur, and the apricot flavor is clearly present but not overbearing. A nice Manhattan variant.

Gin, jager and bitter - you taste all individually and then together - very nice for dedicated fans of Negronis and bitter-leaning cocktails.

Delicious - faint background of rum, with marachino much more prominent, plus nice lime tartness. Just a bit on the dry side (despite the syrups added).

Like smoky water - very clean on the palate, but with prominent smokiness (not overwhelming, but it is dominating). Sake is present in the distant background, and Italicus is not notable. I think that maybe 10-15ml of triple sec (e.g. Dry Curacao) would be a nice substitute - boosting the citrus. Maybe also using lime bitters in place of margarita.

Very nice - a great way to enjoy sake! I used blanco vermouth (I prefer it to dry vermouth). A showcase for the sake flavors while keeping enough gin to remind you it is there, is more flavorful (and less boozy) than straight gin, and more clean on the palate than straight sake.

An unexpected flavor combo - if you like mezcal and are looking to push the envelope this is something you should try. Mezcal is the dominant flavor here, with the creme de cassis in a supporting background role. The lime juice gives some brightness without really impacting flavor, and the ginger flavor notes complement the mezcal and cassis (IMO).

Lime and tequila are great combination! But adding ginger beer detracts from this, and while not bad, it isn't as good as I hoped.

Made with JF Haden's Mango liqueur and Jarritos mango soda: Nice fresh mango at first sip, with tequila and lime emerging shortly afterward, and the tequila lasting into the finish. A decent, refreshing mango based highball.

An unexpected and interesting combination - not appealing enough to be a favorite but it is good. Quite sweet - the amaretto and hint of banana start the taste, with the cynar bitter following with the smoky mezcal. Mezcal lingers in the finish as all else dr0ps off quickly.

Very basic, but I like the combo. Made with Kahlua - so a bit syrupy and sweet, but the tequila boozy heat dissipates the stickiness quickly.

Cynar flavors with applejack heat - a good sipper/shot.

Amaretto dominates, of course. Coffee notes are very nice background though. I used Mr. Black to try to reduce the sweetness - but the amaretto still tilts this strongly to the sweet side. Overall it is a very nice shot.

Lemony brightness and peppery basil - a great flavor combination. The rum provides a nice, neutral canvas for these flavors, with the mastiha complementing the basil.

Very delicious - sweet cocktail that leans into the honey and orange. The lemon juice works well with the Cointreau to present a fresh, bright orange flavor that works very well with the honey. The distinctive notes of tsipouro are drowned out by the orange and honey, IMO, and I used blanco vermouth (so maybe that removed a dimension?) - regardless I thought it was a delicious (and slightly boozy) cocktail.

Delicious and simple! Very approachable and appealing flavors. I wonder how subbing in honey syrup in place of the rich simple would work - would it be similar to a Bee's Knees ?

A very nice whiskey sour - the mezcal adds a little smoke (very little, but enough to notice), the orgeat and lemon work well together to make tangy and sweet. The Lucano amaro is hard to find with all the other strong flavors, but I'm pretty sure it is working to boost the orgeat.

I agree with other commenters - the mezcal is too heavy. Maybe a 40/20, or 45/15 rye/mezcal split instead? There is some heat and spice from the rye, and the amaro notes are present (but struggle to emerge from behind the mezcal). Suze takes a cocktail that seems a bit sweet (rye) in the beginning and quickly steers to a modestly bitter finish - very nice!

I tried again using 45 ml rye (100 proof) and 15 ml mezcal - still a smoky cocktail, but the rye, Lucano amaro and Suze are all much more prominent. I can't find the bitters - there is an awful lot going on in this cocktail so I think the bitters may be extraneous. As modified - a nice cocktail, but still not a favorite.