A citrusy Bourbon sour. Grenadine quality is indeed absolutely crucial. I made a fresh grenadine and even with an overpour, it was delicious, even if slightly too sweet. Again, make grenadine with fresh pomegranate juice. It is just truly worth it.
Loved this turning into a Margarita variation. Bright, but a little richer and sweeter than a typical Margarita, yet feeling vintage.
Fortaleza Blanco, Dolin Blanc and a mixture of Ango and lavender tincture. Delicious, sweet yet savoury. If it wasn't for a great 2:1 gin Martini, this would be my favourite Martini ever, no question about it. Spectacular.
Another delightful variation. A little less complex than my favourite, the Christine Wiseman recipe, but much more approachable for people less amenable to agave flavour. The Triple Sec comes through so much more.
Used a little more pomegranate juice. Quite complex and somehow simultaneously sweet and very dry. Definitely a Negroni variation, not for someone on their training wheels to one!
Made it with Appleton Reserve Blend and quite a bit more lemon juice (mixed mandarin, lemon and a tiny kiss of sugar syrup). Quite a delightful sour this way.
Really good, was a pure Apple Sidecar.
Basically a Manhattan. Bit surprised by the requirement of the new name, as this is the Manhattan, as classic as they come, even right down to proportions normally being equal parts. Delicious either way. I always surprise myself when it comes to Manhattans, as I find Bourbon Manhattans to be unbearably spirituous and earthy, whereas the more complex and less sweet rye Manhattans hit the spot!
Sacrilegiously, made it without the Mezcal. Areum is right in that it is normally a Sour with more Mezcal. In this configuration, it still works, at least for me. Maybe it's because of my wet palate, but I may not like it with the Mezcal. The honey and ginger round off the Tequila, turning it into a sweet digestif, and with the warming ginger, it also makes it soothing and spicy. But that's just me.
Finally made it properly, with the teaspoon of Mezcal. My palate has become drier since then and it really is much better than the 'digestif' version. The lime juice adds a delightful brightness to the warming combination. Still a bit behind the Penicillin though.
My new favourite fruit cup. The lavender (I used a combo of Ango and lavender tincture premixed) adds a new brighter dimension to the complex smokiness and earthiness of the drink.
Strong, spirituous and with a lot of power, though less floral.
Great martini, but definitely not dry. A hint of sweetness from the apple juice, but it is cut with the vodka and calvados. Since there are only a few ingredients, you must use the best ingredients you can afford. The Americano blanco adds the flavours you would have gotten from vermouth, but with an interesting twist.
Spot on review John! An apple martini which is simultaneously a sweetie and serious.
A decent young man indeed. Quite rich, with a ribbon of aromatic orange.
Tempted to think of this is as the Manhattan to have when you’ve only got rye to hand. For me the bittersweet/dry profile was pretty much identical to a Manhattan. Used Woodford reserve rye this evening, Bitter Truth aromatic bitters, de Kuyper apricot. Absolutely delicious.
Got to it finally. The Difford's version is so much nicer in my opinion. Now it's balanced and wonderfully fruity. Still spirituous.
I just noticed John's comment that Cocchi Dopo Teatro is recommended. I wonder how good it would be with that. Felt more like a digestif than an aperitif, and definitely not like a Martinez variation, still pretty nice.
Definitely feels like the review. No other notes. Pretty nice.
Very, very nice apple martini, with a good roundedness.
Tasty, but disappointing. I tasted sweet vermouth inspite of it being less than half of the apple liqueur.
Easy and straightforward. Can work with any kind of white wine. Perfect for a refreshing summer drink, perhaps even more than the Hugo because it's so much easier.
My favourite version of a Lemon, Lime & Bitters. But this cannot be considered an alcohol free recipe. Your own definition says it should be a maximum of 0.5%, whereas the alcohol content indicated is 2.13%. Still not a lot, but something that needs to be noted.
Nice, fruity and delicious. Could sit on the fence of 5* and 4.5*. Used Del Maguey Chichicapa which added even more layers of flavour, from savouriness and smokiness to sweetness and minerality.
Worked lovely with El Dorado 8. It's like a delicious cherry chocolate praline.
Seconded for the description. Even with using Appleton Reserve, it really does feel like that.
Nice and complex drink. Perhaps a more rounded Corpse Reviver, though I still prefer the brightness of the gin version just a little more.
Had no Rye, so went with Wild Turkey 101. Was nice and delicious, although I can see how the Rye would make it more challenging and complex. The sweet grainy whiskey pairs so well with the wonderful and rich fruitiness. I'd say that this would be a 4.5 to 5* drink for those not particularly into cocktails!
Retrying this with rye, this comment was definitely when my palate was wetter than now. Making it now with rye, it is pretty balanced (although on the sweet side), and this recipe would be too sweet with Bourbon. All in all, the rye version of Difford's Guide is the best Halekulani.