EvergreenDan

Amaro CioCiaro is a gem. Cheap and a good sub for Amer Picon. Now available in MA (within the last few months, as far as I can tell). Tell us how you used it and how it was!

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You were smarter than I and planted it in a container. I'm starting to mow my mint.

Said aloud, it sounds like you've already had a few.

Rafadamahara Martini 2 oz Blueberry Vodka (Cold River, infused with Skittles (blue only)) 1 oz Blue Curacao 1 oz Blue Gatorade 1 ea egg white (blue chicken egg) Flamed orange peel, ignited with blue butane lighter flame Dry shake for 15 minutes until you turn blue, shake with ice, stain, straight up, garnish, blue sippy cup.

I'm no orgeat expert. I was thinking of something like the BG Reynold product, which (appearance aside), I very much like. I know that some find it too toasty. Does the MB product taste more like almond extract (e.g. Fee) or more like almond nuts (e.g. BG Reynold)? (I personally would call the former almond syrup, rather than orgeat.)

Fred's version sounds a lot better than the version in the video, which has 3 spoons of sugar, plus 5/6 oz of orange juice, plus 1/2 oz of sweet vermouth to only 2 oz of light rum. That's a lot of sugar. Oh, and if the bartender takes out a machete, I plan on running.

Heat wave coming to Boston. That orange-colored curacao gives it an alarming color. I don't get why stores stock the orange (or worse blue) curacao Senior Curacao and not the white. Well, actually I do understand, I just don't like it. Why didn't we kill the first person to color raspberry blue?

These things may be related. The Orgeat plays a surprisingly important role. And I agree -- this drink demonstrates how Angostura is more spice than bitter (bark than bite?). I love this drink.

Made these tonight, using a 50/50 mix of Aperol and Campari, plus the lime for the ice cube. It didn't freeze to a solid cube (as straight Aperol does), but more like a cube of slush ice. I served it in a lowball with a spoon/straw to use to mash it up. It is a very pretty and unusual drink, and delicious if you like basic Gin & Tonic and Campari flavors. I kept the gin in the freezer to help keep the cube solid for service. I also made some Pama / lime cubes, but my non-bitter-loving guest wanted Mojitos. Oh well, I'll drink them tomorrow with frozen cachaca. Frosun by Dan Chadwick, Kindred Cocktails 1 1/2 oz Aperol (or Campari, plus) 1/2 oz Lime juice (frozen into a cube) 1 1/2 oz Gin 1/4 oz Lime juice 1 1/2 oz Tonic water (chilled) In advance, freeze Aperol and 1/2oz lime juice. Shake gin and 1/4oz lime juice, strain into lowball glass, add tonic, stir gently, add cube, serve with straw or spoon for imbiber to use to break up cube. Starts as a straightforward Gin and Tonic, but the bitter orange flavor evolves. Sunny and fun.

Pisco might work. I made two variants tonight. 1 oz Rhubarb Tea 3/4 oz Batavia Arrack or Rhum JM blanc 3/4 oz Averna 3/4 oz lime juice 2 d Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit bitters (one very full dropper) I'm probably just go 1:1:1:1 next time. I think the Rhubarb will still come through, and it would certainly make a more memorable recipe. Of the two variants, I preferred the agricole and my wife like the Batavia Arrack. This is a nice drink, but I have to say that like, rather than love, Rhubarb Tea. I look forward to hearing other recipe ideas.

Adam, you clearly hate Americans. My "make crazy measurements rational" algorithm came up with: Cynar What I Mean? by Adam George, South Place Hotel, London. 1 1/8 oz Cynar 7/8 oz Sweet vermouth, Carpano Punt e Mes 1 t Maraschino Liqueur 2 oz Soda water 1 twst Orange peel

I agree: that doesn't look like enough acid. Rhubarb Tea (man, Rhuby was a much better name) has a floral character not evident from the list of ingredients. It doesn't stand up to large quantities of other bold flavors. I might try cachaca or an agricole for the rum -- grassy rather than hogo. With that much 80 proof Rhubarb Tea, it doesn't need additional overproof backbone. And I'd go with more lime -- maybe 3/4 oz to start. Another idea: try it in an Aviation variant, with gin, Maraschino and lemon, perhaps with a big dose of actually-bitter citrus bitters, like Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit.

Lemon twist plus cherry garnish? I haven't seen that before. I can see it working with Perfect Manhattan.

Yes. And it's not a cocktail, but scotch neat. With these 4, you have something for every mood and occasion. I'm partial to Punt e Mes in these, and I too like a single huge high-quality olive.

Post #10, and I'm the first to say a Martini? Let's not argue about garnish, ratio, bitters, ice, glass, and so forth but, yeah, I mean gin. And plenty cold. And some non-trivial amount of vermouth.

I was out of (Carl) Sutton Cellars Brown Label, but I had a bottle of Imbue Petal & Thorn so I used that and pumped the lemon to 2 tsp (1/3 oz). Very nice. The Petal & Thorn comes through nicely. Maybe it should be called a "Little Thorny"? I might dial back the bitters a bit. Little Carl by Drink, Boston, MA 2 oz Cynar 2 oz Dry vermouth, Sutton Cellars Brown Label 1 t Lemon juice 4 ds Bitters, Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged 1 pn Salt (as garnish) Pour over hand hewn ice ball in double old fashioned glass, stir, top with pinch of salt Savory. Initial wine / vermouth gives way to savory Cynar flavors, acidity, and a lovely lingering bitter finish. Low in alcohol. A great drink to linger over.

This is a crowd-pleaser, but still interesting enough for you. Skip the Knob Creek and use a handle of Jim Beam or whatever. It will be a lot of squeezing, though. Bottled grapefruit juice might be compromise. Christmas in Kentucky by Alice Fay (Catering Sales Mgr) and Stefan Jarausch (Exec Chef, Oak Long Bar), Fairmont Copley, Boston 1 oz Overproof bourbon, Knob Creek 1 oz Aperol 1 1/2 oz Grapefruit juice 1/2 oz Lime juice Shake, strain, lowball, rocks Excellent. Quite accessible, despite a touch of Aperol bitterness and the bourbon base. Refreshing enough for summer; festive enough for Christmas.

No grapefruit, so faux grapefruit: 1 1/2 oz Wray & Nephew 1/2 oz Maraschino 1/4 oz Aperol 1/4 oz Campari 1 oz lime juice Fabulous, although I'd probably cut back the Marschino to 1/4 oz next time.

Orange. This fruit of cocktail death. Were oranges from the early 20th C much more tart, perhaps?

Voodoo Chemistry. Just like this drivel from The Atlantic, no less. Tuning Fork Drivel

You have the 7th suggestion. I know you do. Dig deep.

Not really. I would also go easy on the Maraschino in a Brooklyn -- I thought it dominated a bit. For Amer Picon, your choices include: Real Amer Picon (although its not the same as the historic ingredient)Toriani Amer (never had or seen it, but I've heard it's not a close match)Bittermen's Amer Nouvelle (Lacks the caramel coloring, but in this drink it wouldn't matter)Amaro CioCiaro (pretty close; now available in Massachusetts; available at DrinkUpNY.com)Amaro Lucano (not quite as close, but I'd use it)Amer Boudreau (a homemade infusion of orange and/or bitter orange peel in GNS, Amaro Ramazzotti, and Stirring's Orange Bitters; mine is VERY bitter, and I did diluted it with vodka to about 80 proof)Or a concoction of your own design -- something bitter, orange, and a bit spicy.

I made a Brooklyn last night, using my fortified Amer Boudreau. Quite good, although next time I'll start off slowly with the Maraschino. It overpowered the Faux Picon.

W&N Martini? (Rum shaken and strained between to tins, served in a conical glass filled to being convex, garnished with a lime twist, jerk seasoning rim.)