EvergreenDan

To anyone wondering, this is Don's Little Bitter. When I made it, I had to double the rum (I think, there's uncertainty in my notes). I used Clement VSOP and gave it 5 stars. Zachary also loved it with St James. Given that our tastes usually align, you might try again with more rum. My Fernet-hatin' wife loved it too.

I'm going out on a limb and hypothesize that there is no such thing as a well-chosen 10 bottle bar in an actual person's home. Anyone who takes the care we're discussing descends into the bottle hell and has dozens of bottles or more. Yes, I mean you, reader. Or they have just a few bottles, enough to make "their drink" -- Manhattan, Scotch, Martini, Gin & Tonic, whatever. Or, more commonly, they have about 10 bottles, of which 8 or 9 are undrinkable crap, often dusty, perhaps old gifts or left over from some cooking / baking experiment.

Another Nongroni: 1 1/2 oz Gin 1 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano 1/2 oz Campari Huge expressed orange peel Very nice, if perhaps a bit polite. The Cocchi is more subtle than sweet vermouth (or Punt e Mes), so it dialed back the Campari considerably. I remain convinced that the Negroni is just about unsinkable.

I have been collecting brand recommendations from a variety of sources and have organized them. Recommended Brands on Kindred Cocktails. Robert Hess liked the list, so I must be doing okay. /obnoxious_self-prmotion

In the link Zachary posted, the graph of bar versus freezer ice is with -15*C ice of unspecified quantity, and does not specify the final dilution. At home, my ice is -10*F (-23*C), and I use a helluvalot of it. I also serve in a -10*F glass, usually with a large fresh -10*F cube. I take things out of the freezer at the last minute. I also think that the effect of surface water on wet bar ice is understated. I think there is a LOT of water there, and using more ice gives you more water. This is not true of cold freezer ice. Using more allows more chilling before melting begins. The combination of these effects is not so much to achieve a lower final temperature, but less final dilution -- or rather more control over the final ABV.

In case anyone else was wondering... 2 oz Tanqueray gin1 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth1/4 oz Campari1/4 Cynar13 drops Regans' orange bittersLemon pigtail twist

Following the advice here, I declared defeat and went with probably the most important French liqueur, Chartreuse. I tried several cognac variations, with both Chartreuse and various aromatized wines, but didn't find anything that I loved. So the Last Word it is. I consider it to be one of the world's best cocktails -- certainly top 100, maybe top 25. Thank you all for your help. P.S. Jaded in that I have already sprung some pretty "advanced" cocktails on them. Kir or Kir Royale just wouldn't cut it, for example.

Yes, I'd start by dialing back the lime if you'er using PF Dry Curacao. Am I the only one that finds a Pegu Club a little ... boring?

Scotch Negroni 1 oz Islay Scotch (Bowmore Legend) 1 oz Sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes) 1 oz Campari lemon twist If (and that's a bit if) you like each ingredient individually, you'll like the combo. After I made it, I realize that it is like my Bernet Frankenstein: sub Fernet for Campari and ditch the twist and ice/chilling.

Thanks for the link. And thanks for the offer to translate. I'm looking through them. I'm thinking that a Bijou with adjusted ratios might work. I'm going to play with that tonight. At least the Chartreuse is French.

Any ideas for a spectacular cocktail? I thought of the Champs Élysées which has a French name, plus cognac and Chartreuse. But it is from the 1930s and is kinda so-so, at least with yellow Chartreuse. I'm looking for an aperitif from this period. Something not sweet and interesting enough for a jaded audience. Thanks much.

I feel like I lit a firecracker, went away for a few days, and came back to a blown up city.

That little bottle of CAF is cute. It looks like a puppy with big paws.

Tonight's Nongroni: 2 oz Hayman Royal Dock Navy Strength Gin (yikes) 3/4 oz Punt e Mes 3/4 oz Luxardo Bitter 1/4 oz Zirbenz Stone Pine liqueur lemon twist rocks I was out of dry vermouth (and DrunkLad, I agree it could be more acidic), so I went with strength over beauty. Nice. I'd make it again. 2 oz of 57% gin is, um, a lot.

Yes. Use less sugar and/or more acid. Start with a Perfect Negroni (splitting the sweet vermouth 50/50 with dry). Or use more gin (try 2 oz gin with 1/2 oz each Campari and vermouth(s) -- you might need this on the rocks or a long stir. (Edit: Frog beat me by 4 minutes!) Here are four Negorini-like variants I tried to lessen the sweetness, which would also lean out the mouthfeel.

@Drunk - I didn't try your Campari variant, but rather the original Eyetalian Cocktail which uses Cynar. I sub'd Cherry Heering for Luxardo and a regular orange twist for blood. Very, very nice. It is a touch large and a touch sweet. I would consider using dry vermouth, even though you would give up some depth and its bitter contribution. There is a lot going on. I didn't taste it without the Peychaud's, but in all those flavors, I wonder if I would miss it. The bitter + cherry combo was highly enjoyable, with no cough syrup issues. I've allocated 30 minutes to put the bottles away.

Naming cocktails is very simple. You just have to adhere to the rich tradition of looking to the ingredients. Watch and learn: Contains virtual sweet vermouth. It's a ManhattanContains nut liqueur. Its a squirrel.Contains three or more fruit flavors. Its wild.Contains artificial flavoring. Its pure sex.Wild Squirrel Sex Manhattan Created April 1, 2013 by Zachary Pearson 1 1/2 oz Lemon vodka 1 1/2 oz Strawberry Vodka 1 1/2 oz Orange vodka 1 1/2 oz Raspberry vodka 1 1/2 oz Amaretto 3/4 oz Cranberry juice 3/8 oz Lemon juice 3/8 oz Simple syrup 1 ds Grenadine (as garnish) In a 16 oz. glass, build over wet ice in order listed, drizzle grenadine over top. Wave a bottle of sweet vermouth at the glass.

That is very cool. Wikipedia on DeKuyper

I saw Cocchi Americano in rose. Anyone know anything about it? Any good?

Ok, here's something you don't see everyday: Monkey Shoulder website I see it's blended Scotch made by William Grant. Interesting positioning -- hipster 20-somethings?

Yajna -- I'm with out on sweet vermouth. I often sub half sweet and half dry into recipes. Or use Punt e Mes which is much more bitter, helping to balance the sweetness. Ironically, I do like Manhattan's made just about any way. I don't know why I can enjoy a sweet Manhattan but not enjoy sweet anything else.

Like a vampire, this thread rises from the dead. Two (relatively) new favorites for sipping neat -- either after dinner or before: Amaro Sibillia and Amaro dell'Erborista. Both are fairly dry, a bit higher than average in alcohol, and piercingly bitter. They are simply a fantastic way to end a meal. Highly recommended for the fearless. Alas, both expensive and hard to find. I pulled them both out over the weekend at the end of a great meal. Using tiny glasses, its easy to pour yourself a bit. Then a bit more. And more.

@frog - That Cocchi Vermouth di Torino is quite sweet. That might be what tips you over the edge on a Boulevardier. That said, I agree that the 1794 is even better. You could try a Perfect Boulevardier to see if that makes it more to your liking. ... wait, you said "intensely bitter" like that's a bad thing.

Infusion, rim, or garnish? Glad to see you retrieved the bottle. I can sleep now.

The Aviation is challenging in just about every way. Sour. "Pine tree." Funky. Floral. It's no warm glass of Fernet, but it isn't a warm puppy either. But Chris, give the Martini a try every so often. It has the beauty of a soft-boiled egg - perfect and sublime.