Jack Reid

Luxardo Albicocca & Hayman's. Made this and the Charlie Chaplin. This tasted slightly sweeter and the gin wasn't as prominent. My wife preferred the Charlie Chaplin but I prefer this version. Either way, they are both very good drinks.

Luxardo Albicocca & Hayman's. Made this and the Right Charlie. This tasted slightly more tart and the gin showed through more. My wife preferred this version but I preferred the Right Charlie. Either way, they are both very good drinks.

Exactly what it says on the tin. Decently well balanced and not a bad drink, just not inspiring in any way.

I hate it (and love it) when Simon has already said exactly what I had it in mind to say. Simple it certainly is, and that is in no way a disparagement. I have to confess there was a moment, on first tasting, when "hmmm, do these flavours really meld" did cross my mind. But, as it happens, they do. No regrets. Well done that man.

I don't particularly like London dry gin, or Campari, or tonic. But this is somehow a very well balanced drink with only a subtle bitterness; and I like it, more than a little. Made with Gordon's London Dry, Campari (28.5%) and Fever Tree Premium Indian. What is balancing out the bitterness?

Made mine with Arrette Repo, Domaine de Canton, Hella Ginger bitters, and saline. A Margarita with subtle ginger notes: tastes exactly as you imagine it will. Which is great as far I--lover of Margaritas and of ginger--are concerned.

I'm not a huge Chartreuse fan, but this is a great drink. Tangy lime with herbal depth, and an obvious alchohol backbone without any burn.

Looked a bit too sweet on paper so used Mr Black (an extra dry coffee liquer) and bumped the volume up to equal the Baileys, Disaronno, Havana Club 3 Yr & single cream I used. Got the rum, the Irish cream, and the coffee and cream up front (but none overpowered the rest). Got the almond as a subdued aftertaste. Still a 5 on booziness but at least a 4 maybe a 5 on the sweet/dry scale. I'm well pleased.

Mixed with Gordon's London Dry, (French) Dubonnet, Luxardo & Campari. Once again, Simon has nailed the description and I can but second it: a quality boozy dry drink, more of a pre-dinner drink than post.

Mixed with Gordon's London Dry, (French) Dubonnet, Luxardo & Campari. Once again, Simon has nailed the description and I can but second it: a quality boozy sour drink, more of a pre-dinner drink than post.

With home made grenadine (and Gordon's London Dry) this came out very slightly pinkish at best. Although my grenadine is not a vivid as commercial syrup there is only 15/110 ml of red ingredients here so I think there is a mistake with the picture. That said, the drink was lovely: light, creamy, mild gin. The 5 & 5 scores are bang on. Will certainly be having this one again.

Made this with Martell VS. I didn't get a thin pink line. The Peychaud's stayed mostly central and mostly on top/in place of the foam. I expect I was overly cautious. Still, a cocktail stick spread it out and the drink was really nice. I don't do much floating because I generally prefer my flavours mixed but in this case the distinguished flavours worked really well.

Made this with Arette Repo and Disarronno. Really liked it. I got the chocolate, the nuttiness, and vanilla, salt and pepper notes from the Tequila. Very nicely balanced on booziness and sweet/sour.

Made this with Appleton Signature Blend and Mr Black. I got rum, distinctly seperate from very dry coffee, and the cream was all but unnoticeable; it didn't hang together in any way. I added 10ml of 2:1 sugar syrup and gave it a dry shake and that improved it significantly. Next time I'd try Kahlua (and shaking all three ingredients up front).

Trying to think of something new to say. Can't really. It truly is a wonderfully well balanced drink, with a depth of flavours.

I disagree, slightly: I think the cherry dominates. Not overpoweringly, but I'll drop it to 20ml if I make it again (which isn't unlikely).

Mixed as per recipe, with Arette Repo and Martell VS. There are so many variations on the Margarita. This one is simple (a compliment), and pleasantly tart. I could easily drink several.

Made this with Woodford Reserve + Mr Black. Got the bourbon but not particularly strongly. Got the ginger but not too much that it dominates. Got a nice bit of tartness from the lime+pineapple+CO2. Didn't get much of a taste of the pineapple but it adds a nice foaminess/tartness and I'm not sure an overt taste would have fit particularly well. It's a nicely balanced drink. I'd put this at a 6-7 on the gentle-boozy scale, and 6-7 on the sweet-sour scale.

I'm not an Absinthe fan, so I didn't particularly enjoy this but I have to say I was surprised at just how well the Absinthe, chocolate and cream went together. The booziness (7) and sweetness (5) ratings above are spot on. Definitely worth a try if you like absinthe. Even if you don't, this does tame the anise flavor quite a bit.

It turns out I overestimated how much I like anise, which left me with nearly a full bottle of absinthe to get through and not much enthusiasm for the project. This drink is OK though, so I have hope. I agree with John Hinojos about the sarsparilla taste. It's a decent hot summer's day drink.

I can't say this is a great drink, but it is perfectly fine. Suited to a hot summer day I would say. A bit gingery. A bit Cognacery. Evenly balanced sweet vs. sour. It tastes on the gentle side of neutral (but it contains more alcohol than that).

This is really well balanced. Some sweet, but not too much. Some sour, but not too much. Some spirit, but not too much. I could all too easily knock several of these back very quickly.

I was using homemade grenadine and it didn't come out nearly as colourful as the picture (but even with something lurid, 7.5ml is not a lot so I doubt anyone will get much colour). It's a very pleasant summery drink though. Well balanced and slightly tart.