FrogPrincesse

(From the Sazerac thread) And here is the Armagnac version, which is equally as delightful. For this one I used Bas-Armagnac Delord Napoleon, Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao, demerara simple syrup, Angostura/Fee/Regan's orange bitters, Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe. The Delord Napoleon is so-so on its own (especially compared to the 25 year...), but works great in cocktails.

Chowhound is doing Death & Co as their cookbook of the month. Lots of great-looking drinks!

One, One, One (Thomas Waugh) with Krogstad aquavit, Beefeater gin, Dolin white vermouth, Regan's orange bitters (no garnish). A play on the Martini, with the caraway and anise notes from the aquavit shining through.

I've had that one before. Same gin and same exact ratios too. It's good.

Sipsmith is a traditional London dry, with juniper and citrus as you'd expect. There is some sweetness in the beginning (coriander, almond) and floral notes (orris root), and a juniper/peppery finish. It just tried it side-by-side with Beefeater which has more pronounced juniper and lemon. What I like with Sipsmith is that it has a lot of flavor but also restraint; it's not wild like New World gins. It's good to sip on and makes a fabulous Martini. Gorgeous label too. Regarding the rhum agricoles, La Mauny is not as amazing as La Favorite or Neisson, but it is only 40%. It's a bit less flavorful and the flavor is less deliciously vegetal, with more burnt rubber notes. I would still take it any day over most molasses-based white rums.

Revisiting the classics. 10:3:2 Daiquiri with La Mauny rhum agricole Sazerac with High West Double Rye, gum syrup, Peychaud's and Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe Sipsmith Martini à la Death & Co with a 2.5:0.75 ratio and Dolin French vermouth, Regan/Fee/Angostura orange bitters.

Lindsey's Whimsy Shim (Lindsey Baird in the Art of the Shim) with sherry, dry vermouth, amaro Montenegro, Benedictine, allspice dram, Angostura bitters. Despite all the modifiers, the sherry still dominated the drink. It was not bad but I can't say I am a huge fan.

Craig - Very impressive. I made myself a Nolita last night with Beefeater gin, Campari, St. George Nola coffee liqueur, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Regan's orange bitters. Coffee, chocolate, and orange. I don't like the St. George coffee liqueur as much as the House Spirits one, but it worked great in this cocktail.

What is everybody doing for Negroni Week?

Craig, Cocchi vermouth di Torino is a regular sweet vermouth. The Torino style is actually the most common style of sweet vermouth; see Martin Doudoroff's vermouth 101 for more info. To me, Cocchi VdT feels a little more subdued than other sweet vermouths I tried, but still has a great amount of complexity. Its chocolate notes work great with Fernet for example (it's fabulous in a Hanky Panky). Diffords has pretty detailed tasting notes here.

A very simple Manhattan variation where I substituted part of the sweet vermouth for Byrrh. The rationale is that Willet 2-year + Cocchi vermouth di Torino is a little austere and I wanted a small burst of (slightly bitter) fruit. The Byrrh has bright red berry notes. 2 oz Willet 2-year rye, 3/4 oz Cocchi vermouth di Torino, 1/4 oz Byrrh, 2 dashes Miracle Mile forbidden bitters, brandied cherry.

A Man About Town (Victor Pelegrin via Fred Yarm) with Willet 2-year rye, Aperol, amaro Montenegro, Dolin dry vermouth, Regan/Fee/Angostura orange bitters. A bit sweet at first and then a lot of interesting flavors develop (saffron, orange, etc), with the rye dominating the finish. That one was gone in no time.

Fred Yarm of cocktail virgin slut merged the recipes for the Manhattan and the Sazerac, two of my favorite cocktails, in his Merchants Exchange Manhattan. I made my rendition with Willet 5-year rye, Cocchi vermouth di Torino, Peychaud's bitters, and St. George absinthe.

I like Beefeater, Tanqueray or Junipero for more juniper, and St. George dry rye gin for a more unusual savory take on the Negroni.

Amazing to see that Jordan Silbert, the founder of Q Tonic, started this thread. There are a bunch of ideas in the New York Times today - Tequila & Tonic, Mezcal & Tonic, Rum & Tonic, White Port & Tonic, and even Calvados & Tonic!

There are various versions of the drink, slightly different tequila/lime/orgeat ratios (2/0.75/0.75 in the Bartender's Choice app or 2/1/0.75 in the Lush Life book), some with orange or rose water, grated nutmeg, etc.

It already does.

Infante (Giuseppe Gonzales) with 7 Leguas blanco tequila, lime juice, homemade orgeat. This really brings out the savory/peppery character of this tequila.

I had a delicious Eastside variation this weekend at Ironside, a seafood bistro in San Diego. They call it a Skubic Diver (it's an homage to Michael Skubic, the distiller of the gin) - Old Harbor San Miguel gin (a gin made in San Diego heavy with fresh botanicals including lime, cucumber, cilantro, and sage), basil eau de vie, lime juice, celery bitters, cucumber, and sea salt. A fine libation to accompany a platter of oysters. (That's an equally fabulous Mai Tai in the front)

Bloody Nail (Zachary Nelson via Gaz Regan), drawing its inspiration from two classic scotch-based cocktails, the Rusty Nail and the Blood and Sand. Monkey Shoulder blended scotch whisky, Drambuie, Luxardo cherry liqueur, Regan's orange bitters.

A very nice twist on Audrey Saunder's Little Italy - Jason Schiffer's Brown Bitter Stirred with rye (Willet 2-year), sweet vermouth (Cocchi vermouth di Torino), Cynar, Clement Creole shrubb, aromatic bitters (Angostura). The Creole shrubb adds a brightness that is pretty great.

Campari Martini!

I don't own it but you can order a copy directly through the bar's website.http://www.69colebrookerow.com/publications

It's a different/more recent book.

Punt e Mes works great. The little extra spike of bitterness can be a good thing with an assertive gin. My neighborhood bar/restaurant uses it by default in Negronis (with Tanqueray) and made me a convert. I also like Dolin red (herbal, dry, and not as not " in your face" as other red vermouths) and Cocchi vermouth di Torino (deeper, richer flavor with chocolate undertones). The only vermouth I stay away from is Carpano Antica Formula. Too sweet for Negronis.