Chris Dimal

Feels slightly like a Canchanchara Old Fashioned. Not great (the lime adds so much more), but it is good.

Rich, tangy, and deeply flavoursome. You definitely need to get the balance of ingredients and dilution right. Good limes are a must, as I quickly found out! My first experiments with Pussers rum are, as they say, most satisfactory 😊.

There really is a particular tang to this drink. Very dry and intense when with a strong rum.

Delicious. A true vintage Martini. I did express a lemon peel and then discarded and I think it made it just that little more complex.

Waiting for my Peychaud's Bitters, but so far, best Rusty Nail recipe.

Not that good with the Tennessee Whiskey. I recommend splitting the Bourbon and Rye equally instead. You get a much more complex Old Fashioned with the rye and the honey intermingling delightfully, while the Bourbon just adds that right richness.

Absolutely delightful, perfect swizzle. I doubt anything can top this. I used a blend of Old Monk, OFTD and Appleton Reserve Blend to simulate somewhat of a complex yet potent Demerara Rum. The Falernum and brown sugar make it delectable and warming, yet refreshing and complex. Deserves the 5* no doubt and I think you can experiment with the rum or rums!

Deliciously chocolate-y, honey and then agave. The Tequila Blanco is absolutely apt and just balanced. A Reposado would make it too sweet.

Okay. Pretty sweet. A suggestion which made it way better (though still not excellent) is to add chocolate bitters. Reigns in the sweetness and makes it way more biscuit-y to me. Maybe a thing to do is to remake it as an Old Fashioned variation with a split of Bourbon and Cognac, 15ml only each of dark Creme de Cacao and coffee liqueur, finally 2 dashes of chocolate bitters. I think a significantly better drink can come out of that.

Wow, what a cocktail! I am not normally the biggest fan of kiwi or anise, but this was impressively delicious. Everything comes through in such a balanced fashion, from the Cachaca to the apple. I did just mix 2:1 sugar syrup to absinthe (La Fee Parisienne is way too anise forward anyway IMHO) to approximate a pastis/anise liqueur.

I enjoyed a lot of head-to-head testing on vermouths and Negronis. I find the Cocchi Storico much more complex and use it in most cocktails that expose the vermouth. OTOH, the Carpano is my choice for a Negroni (my notes):
Excellent bitter(sweet) with the Cocchi Storico, layered, orange glints and notes. Even better with the Carpano Antica Formula, which gives a more harmonious drink.

Interesting. I do have to point out that Carpano Classico is not the same as Carpano Antica. The Classico is what I mean as close to Cocchi Torino. They both have the vanilla, raisins, cocoa, spice and bitterness general profile.

It honestly could benefit from a plain soda. I did use a pineapple juice-sugar-soda mix (because I don't have pineapple soda and there isn't any near me), but it came out too sweet. The Orange Curacao, Benedictine and cherry liqueur are what stand out here. For me, The Educated Barfly's recipe is the best for the Singapore Sling.

I’ve never actually seen that for sale in Australia! Haven’t looked online tho..

Yep, best to look online. It is based on (apparently) the recipe for the very first vermouth ever, with Giuseppe Carpano apparently being the inventor of vermouth as a commercial category of aromatized wines. It kind of tastes like a mix of a typical (if a bit rich) sweet red vermouth, with the vanilla and dried fruit aspects reported of Carpano Antica, but not as intense. I also had Cocchi Torino and they end up being very similar in terms of taste.

Interesting. The image looks almost identical to the bottle in front of me, other than the word ‘oaky’ has been replaced with ‘refreshing’ and 37% abv.

Hi John, the image which used to be there was VERY different to the current one. Please use this link from Web Archive to see what the picture used to be. A very rare and unusual label was on the website, which is why I was so curious.

Yeah quite fruity indeed. My version is a bit sweeter as I ran out of apricot brandy liqueur by about 2.5mls or thereabouts. Still nice and tasty though. I have to say, the Bourbon does feel slightly invisible.

Added 5ml more of lemon juice and had proper proportions. The Bourbon still feels ever so slightly invisible, but more balanced and more than deserving of its 4* rating.

Simple and lovely. Apple through and through. The gin really elevates it, an inspired addition compared to the previous version with just vodka.

What is this? An OLD MONK CRAFT COCKTAIL?! (sorry for the caps, I was genuinely stunned to see an Old Monk cocktail which is supposed to be good). I duly made it with Old Monk rum as a result and it is... good. Not great. Could veer into too much sweetness at times, with the bite of the vermouth Amaro just about giving some balance. The molasses, treacly quality definitely comes through, alongside the herbaceousness of the rye.

I am now honored beyond belief that this drink of mine has made it into the Hall of Fame! Thank you Simon! Cheers everyone!

And what a deserved spot it is. It is for sure my second favourite Margarita, after Christine Wiseman's! Citrusy, refreshing and has that hint of spice especially at the finish.

I didn't have Italicus/any other Rosolio, but I did make a mix of Triple Sec, Tatratea Citrus Tea liqueur (which has a little bit of bergamot vibes) and Limoncello. I should remake this with a Tequila Blanco. Too sweet with the Reposado I had. Not that it is bad, if anything, it is delicious nonetheless.

I used only ginger liqueur and a fudged up ginger 'bitters' (combined a dash of ginger syrup with Ango). Pretty good, spiced flavour. Should add a little more ginger syrup the next time I make this. But definitely doesn't need 10ml of it alongside the liqueur.

Delicious, I think this might be a bit better than a normal Cosmo. The agave adds substantial character but it still feels a little less dry than the normal Cosmo.

Tastes do grow, but vermouth doesn’t last very long even refrigerated. As for bourbon. If you’re new to bourbon and are going sweeter, maybe try Angel’s Envy. It’s very smooth. My recipe for you would be 1.5 oz angels envy. 1 oz fresh opened sweet vermouth. 2 dash bitters. A hefty spoonful or two of cherry syrup from the jar. Stir really well. Throw a cherry or two in the final product for garnish. The vermouth type also can make a difference, but you’re right that does get a bit technical here. Which is why I suggest stirring well and throwing in extra cherry to mellow out and blend the overall flavor profile. Cheers! 🥃

Hi Amarette, thanks for the insights and sorry for the late reply. As it turned out, it was just all about tastes growing! I found this recipe to be a little too sweet and I actually prefer a High Ryeser (1:1 Rye Manhattan without any syrup).

A lot of people prefer carpano as the vermouth. Could make the difference for you. Sweeter and more full bodied. You could try one in a bar before deciding to invest in the big bottle. Rye and carpano is def a favourite for me.

It kind of did, but not in the way you think! I unfortunately couldn't find Carpano Antica, but I do have Carpano Classico and I think it is the best overall sweet red vermouth. It does all jobs perfectly and makes for a delightful Manhattan.

Chris, I think Manhattans are better balanced with a 2:1 ratio of whiskey to vermouth, rather than the 3:1 suggested here. I also like them with a bit more syrup from the cherry jar -- maybe a barspoon. I don't know what you were using for ingredients, but better ones will of course make a better drink. No matter what brand of vermouth you use, it needs to be fresh. Vermouth goes stale after a few months once it's opened, even if you keep it in the refrigerator.

Hi Scott, it's been a while. It turned out to just be my palate; trying this again with Maker's Mark and Carpano Classico, it is actually nice, but a bit too sweet, even with a 1/2tsp syrup. My preferred is now a High Ryeser (1:1 Rye Manhattan).