EvergreenDan

Scan backbar / well for Campari. If found, then Negroni. Eat the inevitable orange slice, usually peel and all. If no Campari, then scan for some reasonable rye. If found, then Manhattan. Discard the inevitable fluorescent cherry. If no reasonable rye (and, no Canadian Club doesn't count), then Martini "with vermouth". If given a choice of gin, pick something high proof to compensate for the watery ice they are about to use. Eat the pathetic olive while pondering the age of the bottle of dry vermouth pulled from the back row of the back bar. If too scared to order the above, then "gin with a splash of tonic"? Ask for extra desiccated microscopic 16ths of a lime.

(re Peychaud's amaro) Ugh. Thanks for saving me. BTW the Contralto Bitter is very good. I haven't compared it side-by-side with Campari yet though.

I find tonic water -- even premium less-sweet tonic water -- to be too sweet without a fair amount of lime. I also prefer more gin than 1:3. There is obviously lots of room for personal taste. I never order a G&T in a bar unless I'm desperate. It will invariably be too sweet and too weak.

1L -> 750ml. I'm guessing the price didn't go down by 25%.

"Top" and "splash" are hideously-vague instructions. You are left to your own to interpret. Generally, I think about the typical glass that would be used and the volume of the other ingredients, plus any ice. For sparkling wine cocktails, you might differentiate between something like a Kir Royale, where a small amount of flavoring/sweetening (cassis) is used with a large volume of wine versus a cocktail where the wine is just used to add a effervescence (including mouth feel) and a small amount of acidity and wine aroma. The best bet would be to add a small amount of sparkling wine, taste, and add more until you are happy. Your pleasure is what really matters most after all.

Martini last night. I sniffed a few premium gins and ended up with Beefeater/Dolin. The purity and beauty of the drink gets lost with too many non-juniper botanicals. Maybe simple elegant drinks need simple elegant ingredients? On CensorHound, there was a discussion that Carpano Antica is too "much" for a proper Manhattan.

Just tried Roots Mastiha at a restaurant. Slightly sweet and syrupy, nose of eau de vie (primarily pear to me), fig-like finish. I enjoyed it. Since a bar got it in Boston, I assume it is available in stores, but I haven't seen it. It was the only thing in a long list of amari that I hadn't had. I was expecting something brown, sweet and bitter, so this weird clear eau-like liqueur was unexpected. I don't often drink something like this after dinner, and it is too sweet before, but it was definitely interesting. I suspect it could make a nice sour. There are limited Mastika recipes in Kindred Cocktails. I'm not sure how Roots Mastiha differs for other Mastikas.

It turns out that a "Manhattan" with Siggins' Fancy and Bonal 2:1 doesn't suck. No bitters. Not sure what would make it better.

Soooo .... no more Zucca in the US? Time to stock up?? That stuff is delicious, cheap (given the liter bottle), useful (goes with lots of things), and different (quite unlike other amari I've tried).

I confirmed that Bells and Whistles is excellent as written with Bourbon, rather than my whoops-rye.

Kyle Davidson's Bells and Whistles. Bourbon (rye, whoops), Bonal, and tiny amounts of apricot, Averna, and amontillado sherry. It was sublime with rye. Definitely will try bourbon as specified. The small additions and a backdrop of flavor and aroma. Rotation-worthy.

Peychaud's amaro. Anyone tried it yet? Similar profile to the bitters?

More fiddling: 1 1/2 oz Stiggins' Pineapple Rum 1/2 Vida 1 Cappelletti 1/4 dry Curacao 1/2 oz lemon 1 large grapefruit swath Very good, although the pineapple is a bit lost. Might try again, but with more emphasis on the rum. Need to find a good white agricole to try in lieu of the mezcal.

Tried again, but with 1oz Cappelletti and no simple. Very nice. I like the bitterness more forward, and there's still plenty of hogo and apricot. Next time, I'm going Stiggins'.

@FrogPrincesse I tilt against the crappy-name windmill most every day.

@Craig EMix your bitters with soda and maybe a bit of fruit puree or juice. "Clean" enough?

@FrogPrincesse Just a joke. That is not a manhattan anymore than a mai tai is a daiquiri.

Any bitters lovers visiting Portland, ME should try Vena's Fizz House. I asked mad scientist Steve to make me "something with amaro, no vodka, no beer". Out came Gunpowder Rye, Campari, Basil shrub, some other stuff, some bitters, shake-and-dump, drizzle of Montenegro. Delicious. We also had two fizzes. The Lumberjack Love was particularly successful. Huge selection of bitters on hand. Great place for something refreshing during the day (bring the kids), and still lots of interesting alcoholic options. There is an interesting shop there too.

Maybe LA's Normandie Club should consult a map of the boroughs of New York.

Rafa Unnamed: Used 3/8 oz Bruto Americano + 1/4 oz Vermouth Chinato + 1/4 oz Punt e Mes for the Cappeletti Aperitivo. Wife demanded a second round. Surprisingly, the Apricot didn't taste like a Jolly Rancher.

Bruto Americano acquired. I just sipped it neat. A bit more bitter than Campari, much less orange, much less citrusy, less alarming neon color. My first words were "fucking delicious". The only cocktail in Kindred Cocktails that uses it is the Strange Flower, with equal parts gin and Violette (plus bitter). I just don't think I can drink something with 1/3 violette, and the St George site didn't offer much inspiration, so maybe I'll try Frog's suggestion of a Negroni. It is, unfortunately, more expensive than Campari. EDIT: Dry Negroni with Hayman's Royal Dock, Bruto, Dolin Dry. Delightfully pale pink color belies a pretty kick-ass drink. Coriander comes out, which I don't recall much of in the gin. Odd.

Sub for Cappeletti Aperitivo? Aperol, maybe? Or a mix of things? Want to try Rafa Unnamed.

Tried the Pineapple Negroni with 1 oz Pineapple Rum 1 oz Contratto Bitter 1/2 oz Alessio Vermouth Chinato 1/2 oz Dolin dry vermouth Very nice. Not sure how it would compare to a more traditional Negroni template with the Pineapple Rum. The pineapple is pretty subtle with all the other flavors. Need to try the Pineapple Sazarac idea with Green Chartreuse.

@HungryChris Deborah has nice nails. That cherry scares me though.

My old pal Old Pal never gets any love. The ultimate guide above gave me the idea of equal parts gin (I used Sapphire East), Campari, Cynar, and dry vermouth (Boissiere). Lovely.