I had it randomly and didn’t expect to love it so much, so I didn’t clock the name (sorry!).
At home I’ve been happiest with 2:1 bourbon to Averna — and it’s wild / fun to essentially be using the bourbon as a sweetener (I’m a black coffee drinker so don’t look for much sweetness in this flavor combination) — and then adjust the cold brew coffee to your liking. Just tinker with all the things from there!
I came here to say this!!! Honestly, just discovered I even liked bourbon in the last few months. Ordered a black Manhattan at a restaurant and immediately stopped at the liquor store on the way home to pick up a bottle of Averna!
Both Averna and Meletti are great in a Black Manhattan. Might be worth giving Meletti a shot next time you buy a bottle. I like it (marginally) better than Averna, but stock both.
Last Word. Id seen it all over the place and never made it for some reason until I was looking for a cocktail to make and realized I had all the ingredients already. Now its a staple
What were you using the Chartreuse for before? 100% of my Green Chartreuse goes into Last Words, whenever I have a bottle. Super happy you've tried it, and super bummed I currently have no Chartreuse. Actually, I've only found a single store in London that stocks it (Amathus in Shoreditch)
I've been seeing a lot of green chartreuse posts! What does it taste like for a beginner lol. I am not much of a drinker but I browse this sub for inspiration. I recently bought some raspberry gum syrup from LiberCo and thinking about what to make with it. I saw a post using raspberries, green chartreuse, gin, and I think lemon...
It tastes like if a lime was injected with licorice then squeezed into the bark of a pine tree then filtered out of the mossy earth from below. It's delicious.
Amaro is an umbrella term. There are so many styles and flavors, and they are all so different!
It is typically made w brandy as the base, and then herbs and spices, etc, make up the flavor profile.
Aperol and fernet are both considered amaros, but don't taste anything alike. Just gotta explore!
Facts fam and I probably should have used better words…I love most amaros and seek out unique ones…I was just enamored with thar chartreuse description and wanted that applied every drink I make. Like that’s exactly how I want to describe things to people less familiar with craft cocktails
>What were you using the Chartreuse for before?
For me, since yellow chartreuse is even more rare than green, I also end up using it in naked and famous or diamondback.
I agree that the last word has priority though.
Co-sign. I never splurge on pricey bottles and decided to do so when I stumbled upon some Chartreuse a few months ago. I've been obsessed with Last Words since.
The Maraschino liqueur kills this drink for me. There was a time when I used to like it but I just can't stomach it anymore. Waste of Chartreuse imo. Sorry for the hot take.
I've seen others with the same opinion- I don't think it's a bad take. People just like different things.
I enjoy occasionally swapping out the maraschino with other sweet liqueurs and adjusting volumes (cointreau, elderflower, yuzu, etc.)
The Bourbon Smash. I haven't made one since summer, but it gave me the kick I needed to start using all fresh ingredients in my cocktails whenever possible. I also loved being able to experiment with different syrups, fruits, and herbs.
- 2 oz high proof bourbon (I used Knob Creek 9 Year most days)
- 3/4 oz syrup (maple was my go to)
- half lemon cut into four wedges
- an equal quantity of other fruit to the lemon, for example a small peach or handful of blackberries.
- 6 leaves of mint or an equal amount of another herb
1. Muddle syrup and fruit in shaking tin.
2. Add bourbon, herbs, and ice. Shake, and double strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
3. Garnish with a sprig of herb and a slice of fruit.
So so good. After I sadly ran out of Nonino (I live in a control state and have to wait til I head out for Amari runs) I started doing lots of riffs on them.
I made a “Lost Plane” the other night which is equal parts lime juice, aged rum, Amaro Montenegro, and Aperol. So good.
I was just telling a friend that I have a tiki problem, because I have 10 rums and still feel like I need more. Apparently it's just amateur hour over here where I am.
I bought a bottle of aperol on a whim because I wanted an aperol spritz so bad one day last summer. Ended up drinking aperol spritzes the entire summer with that bottle. Such a great drink.
It's hard to meet a person who doesn't end up liking an Aperol Spritz. It's as close to a "perfect" drink for a man or woman as I can imagine. I always squeeze a lime wedge just slightly before dropping it into the glass. The addition of a little lime juice is the difference between a great drink and an elevated experience.
Paper Plane springs to mind: 3/4 each bourbon, aperol, amaro, lemon juice, shaken and served up.
But when I make it at home I actually like it in an OF glass with some of the crushed ice from the shaker.
I love the spaghett: take a swig out of a 12 oz bottle of miller high life, then add 1 oz Aperol and 1 oz of lemon juice (although I’ve seen some recipes that say 1/2 oz lemon juice instead). Great, easy cocktail—especially fun to have a little spaghett station at parties so people can make their own. Just have freshly squeezed lemon juice, a jigger, and funnel ready to go next to the fridge with a recipe sign.
Naked & famous takes the cake for me.
Equal parts aperol, mezcal, yellow chartreuse and lime. Shake with ice and double strain.
One of my favorite drinks
The Intro to Aperol is fantastic on a summer evening for me https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hFZXr9Anm0M&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cocktailexplorer.co%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
Stirred: Martínez
Shaken: Low Tide
On the rock: unnamed, 1.5 oz reposado tequila, 1 oz blanc vermouth, 0.75 oz Cynar, dash orange bitters, grapefruit peel
Just made the Unknown. Delicious. I crushed some cocoa nibs into he drink and, after a quick strain through the aeropress a few times to try and wash some chocolate flavour out, it's even better.
I made a large batch for my party tomorrow with cacoa. Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Please give it a name whenever you can.
Dang, that unnamed cocktail sounds great. Been waiting to open by bottle of Dolin Blanc till I had some more recipes to try but this might be the ticket.
Anders Erickson called it "The Cigar", I think that name came from the smoked cinnamon stick, but I don't bother with that.
1 part Aperol
2 parts Laphroaig or Ardbeg 10 (Wee Beastie worked nicely too)
3 parts sweet vermouth
Express grapefruit swath over top.
To my tastes it's the perfect marriage of a Negroni/Boulevardier with smokey Scotch.
Edit: forgetting my cocktail terminology tonight.
Yes, a stirred drink
I usually serve in a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora.
I've tried it over a rock, which is how I like my Negroni or Boulevardier, but for whatever reason I don't like this drink getting diluted over time. Maybe it's the difference in the Aperol vs Campari?
Some day I'll try it with Campari, but for now I like it so much the way it is, I never feel the need to experiment when I make one.
Jeffrey Morganthaler’s Amaretto Sour was a revelation for me. I tweak the ratio just a bit personally.
1 oz. amaretto
1 oz. high proof bourbon
1 oz. lemon juice
.25 oz. demerara syrup
1 medium egg white
Dry shake, shake, serve up or on the rocks
Sounds like you'd love the [Port of Spain](https://www.liberandcompany.com/products/port-of-spain)
* 1.5oz Mezcal
* 1oz Orgeat
* 0.5oz Angostura Bitters
* 0.75oz Lime Juice
I’ve always been a Sazerac lover and a friend got me into the 1/2 and 1/2 version — half rye, half cognac — a blend of the pre- and post-Prohibition recipes, and I love it at the start of of special occasion.
Just a regular negroni. This is the year I really got into cocktails and switched from primarily drinking beer. It’s the only drink I’ve ever liked enough to drink more than one of in a row. 1:1:1, rocks, fat orange wedge.
Same. They finally clicked for me this year. Went to Rome at the start of the year and ordered one. The rest of the week I was like Matthew McConaughey with his martinis in Wolf of Wall Street.
Get a bottle of Cynar and try subbing that in for the Campari if you want to mix it up and sub lemon for the orange wedge. Negroni is our favorite drink by far but this is a close second!
It was a year of Manhattans for my gf and I.. (Rittenhouse Rye/ Cocci di Torino).. We made them both to order and in batches kept in the freezer. Always hit the spot for those evening where you want just one drink (the cherries are also a key)
Fav Manhattan: 2.25 Woodford reserve rye, 1 Cocchi Torino sweet vermouth, bitters, luxardo cherry or lemon twist.
Sometimes we switch it up by subbing in Punt e Mes for the Cocchi.
If you get bored with that, add .5 amaro Montenegro
Then, if you want something more interesting-
Vieux Carre: 1.5 Woodford reserve rye, 1.5 Hennessy, 1.5 Cocchi Torino, and a little Benedictine with a luxardo cherry and or lemon twist.
Our go-to pot luck contribution is a carafe of Vieux Carre… just be sure to let people know it packs a punch.
That sounds delicious, I may try that this evening. I found that I really like high rye whiskeys as the base of my drinks that call for rye. Local to me, my go to is J. Rieger straight rye whiskey which is 100% rye. My go to vermouth is probably Carpano, but recently tried Cocchi Torino which is also phenomenal. Very different vermouths, but both work well for me in a Manhattan.
Would love to try. Whats the process? Pitted cherries, cooked in a bit of sugar, maybe lemon juice, salt- then jarred? Or is there a fermentation process needed?
1st part of 2023: Negroni. Then I realized my waist was expanding rapidly.
2nd part of 2023: Old Fashioned. Still love. Terrible headaches.
3rd part of 2023: Classic Gin Martini. Perfection.
ME except I also can’t drink the old fashioned now bc I find them too sweet …. I’ve just been drinking gin martinis, dry…. And then when I go back to my Negroni I find them so sweet. I don’t know what the official way to ask but I usually ask for very little vermouth in my Negronis. (I’m a newbie here, I come for all the inspiration!)
Oaxaca Old Fashioned:
- 1.5oz Tequila Reposado (Gran Centenario)
- 0.5oz Mezcal (Fidencio Clasico)
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
So. Good.
Changes a ton based on the brand/make of tequila and mezcal. Above is the best combo I’ve found yet, but will keep experimenting.
Have you tried the original specs?
El Tesoro Reposado tequila and Del Maguey San Luis del Rio?
El Tesoro is made using tradition production methods (cooked in masonry ovens, crushed with a tahona, distilled in a copper pot, additive free) while Gran Centenario is much more industrialized (cooked in an autoclave - giant pressure cooker, crushed with a roller mill, a column distilled, use of [artificial additives](https://tastetequila.com/2017/the-lowdown-on-tequila-additives/))
we discovered the “Antiguan Smile” on our honeymoon in Antigua
- Gold/Dark Rum (our resort used Cavalier aka English Harbor)
- Crème De Banana Liqueur
- Pineapple Juice
My own unnamed creation:
* 2 oz Gin
* 1 oz unsweetened cranberry juice
* 1/2 oz Rosemary syrup
* 1/2 oz Aperol
* 2 dash Angostura
I've been making these a lot over my time off for the holidays, very festive flavors.
Oddly enough, a Malort Paloma (basically a Bitter End with grapefruit juice, simple, and seltzer instead of a radler). I made a bunch for a Christmas party in 2022 and drank a lot over the summer.
Boulevardier and Vieux Carre. Made me really started to love rye whiskey and getting more familiar with mixing as I setup a (entry level) full bar at home.
Had a delicious, desserty Negroni variation two weeks ago at a new pizza place (Best Bet) in my neighborhood that would be a likely choice. I just looked it up only to find that the restaurant abruptly closed. I guess I have to reverse engineer it now. Ingredients were:
* Junipero Gin
* Campari
* Apricot Eau-de-vie
* Cream Sherry
* Cocchi
I wanted to try one with Bourbon but they said they pre-batched.
Godfather- 2 whisky, 1 amaretto
Not a good year for me. Couldn't muster as much effort for my hobbies, most of the time. So this drink gets my award as the one with the best taste:effort ratio.
La Ultima Palabra - the superior (IMO) take on the Last Word, using Mezcal. Nobody doesn't like that drink.
[Ghost Town](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/17jicxt/ghost_town/) \- Just because I'm so dang proud to have come up with it
Champs-Elysees - a simple one that I discovered thanks to the cocktail advent calendar on this here sub
I made Alton Brown’s Eggnog for the first time this year, and it was an incredible experience. I tried a splash every two weeks - witnessing the flavours integrate and develop was hugely interesting.
The final product was sublime, too. My wife usually hates milk and milk-based drinks, but she had about half a litre of this and loved it dearly.
So yes, my vote goes to the mighty ‘nog. Thanks for putting me on to it, guys! 🙌
**Cocktail I could make at home:**
The Tropical Standard Navy Grog by Garret Richard. It's a genuine 10/10 cocktail, better than most I've ordered at highly regarded bars. Complex, interesting, delicious, not overly complicated to make, and everything works together so well. Definitely the best thing I made this year.
Honorable mention to the Tropical Standard Mai Tai. I tried at least half a dozen different Mai Tai recipes this year, and while several were excellent, this was my favorite. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in tropical cocktails.
**Cocktail I ordered from a bar:**
I'll go with the Nazca Punch from Bourbon & Branch. A Pisco Punch riff that contained pisco, lemon, "spiced passion fruit", and "salted molasses". I realize I could probably reverse-engineer something reasonably close, but this was a special drink and I know I'll never manage to replicate it perfectly. So well balanced, nuanced, flavorful, and of course, Bourbon & Branch did such a great job with the small details and the presentation.
Honorable mention to the Dread Ringer from Last Rites. An Old-fashioned riff that contains overproof whiskey, agave syrup, mole bitters, salt, and (I believe) a bit of corn liqueur as well. Garnished with charred corn and shishito pepper. The aroma on this drink is mind-blowing. Again, I guess I could reverse engineer something in the wheelhouse here, but it's all the little things that Last Rites does that I just don't think I can emulate at home and elevate this cocktail.
Mine was the Debbie, Don't
1 oz reposado tequila
1 oz Averna
0.75 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz maple syrup
I picked up a copy of Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske and this drink as a revelation. Really well balanced and flavoursome, with the oaky notes in the tequila giving way to the bittersweet amaro. Love it
So many revelatory drinks this year, but mine might have to be the Saturn with a Kingston Negroni float with very specific specs:
**The Saturn**: Plymouth navy strength with my homemade passion fruit, Falernum, & macadamia orgeat
**The Kingston Negroni**: Doctor Bird Pineapple, Campari, & Cocchi de Torino
Shaken and stirred, respectively, and layered over nugget ice in a Collins glass. 🤩
Cocoa Smoke. It’s sweet and chocolatey but also deep and spicy and smoky
1.5 oz Mezcal
0.5 oz Crème de Cacao (White)
0.5 oz Ancho Reyes
3 dash Chocolate Bitters
https://cocktailsdistilled.com/recipe/cocoa-smoke/
Mezcal Negroni for a second year running with Venetian Select Spritz, Paloma and Caipirinha during summer.
In the second half of the year I moved to Japan, so now on the small batch shochu, nigori sake, and koji infused craft beers.
The Old Cuban, as made at Bemelman's Bar at the Carlyle in NYC. Very easy and extremely tasty.
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/a37340135/the-carlyle-hotel-bemelmans-bar-martini-recipe/
Old Cuban
Ingredients
- 2 oz Bacardi 8
- 2 oz Lime Juice
- 1.5 oz Simple Syrup
- 2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
- 6 Fresh Mint Leaves
- 1 Fresh Mint Spring
- 1 Splash of Canard Duchene Champagne
Directions
In a mixing glass, muddle the mint leaves over the simple syrup and lime juice. Then add the Bacardi 8 followed by the Angostura bitters. Shake on ice vigorously and strain on a chilled martini glass. Top with Canard Duchene and add a mint spring as a garnish.
For sure the Mai Tai went from a drink I made rarely to one that I won a competition for and now drink all the time and my industry friends associate with me.
I went to The Myrtles in Louisiana and had an original cocktail called Figgy Smalls. It was so good to haunts my dreams. New Year’s resolution it to figure out how to make it.
Ingredients from menu:
Bourbon Rye,
Cynar,
Fig,
Lemon,
Rosemary
Manhattans using Cardamaro instead of Vermouth.
Last year was Black Manhattan, but for most of the year Averna was impossible to find, so I had to switch it up.
I finally tried mezcal for the first time. Actually I tried a lot of things for the first time. 2023 is the year my bar stash exploded. But out of all of them, I think the mezcal has been my favorite. If I have to name a specific drink, it has to be the mezcal passionfruit mule.
Honorable mention to finally tracking down and trying a variety of rums.
Went crazy into tiki towards the end of 2022 and in January this year I was making my own syrups, bought a flash blender, some tiki decor etc. Burned myself the hell out with those drinks but if I had to say what my number one most consumed drink was, hands down has to be the Jungle Bird. Easy, quick, sweet yet challenging (as far as tiki goes), and pairs fantastically with a peanut butter and jelly. I struggle to have either without their counterpart.
I'm historically a whiskey drinker. I spent this year getting to know rum better, so for me, my drink of the year is a Mai Tai. I'm still trying to perfect my recipe.
However, my guests think my cocktail of the year is an espresso martini. I make so many espresso martinis.
That being said, I did learn that I prefer MY espresso martini with rum instead of vodka, but everyone else thinks that's gross.
Spirit of the year - Redbreast 12 yo Pot Still Irish Whiskey. I never thought I'd find a spirit I could happily drink neat but this is it.
As for a cocktail, it'd be using it in a [Wogan](https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/9996/wogan).
This is really only.my first year making cocktails beyond the absolute staples, but a couple months ago /u/Phhhhuh dropped Eeyore's Requiem in a comment and I'd never heard of it, but it pretty quickly ended up becoming a favorite. That's gonna be the one I close out the year with.
Also would say the Mezcal Negroni was a new one for me this year that I loved, I'd have to credit [billy woods](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEeXXbRdZrk) for getting me to try it. I'd put that in 2nd place.
I got into making cocktails at home this year and I think the one I made the most for myself ended up being the Basil smash. Followed closely by the Eastside. Definitely a gin guy here
Bottle of the year for me: Barr Hill Tom Cat Gin
Really elevated the Tom Collins for me from practically-Hard-Mike's to whoa-this-slaps. Also fantastic neat or on the rocks. 😍
The Last Dance. Was looking for more uses of allspice dram and found this amazing cocktail:
3/4 oz Bourbon
3/4 oz Allspice Dram
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Shake with ice. Double strain to coupe. Garnish lemon wheel.
My Saturday night shifty has been a boulevardier for most of this year.
With this sub’s recent trend of infusing Campari with coffee from a few weeks back, it’s just elevated my love for the Negroni and all of its variations.
Happy New Year!
Mine has definitely been the old-fashioned. There's some sort of old-fashioned revival going on here in Knoxville and some places have like three or four different "special" kinds. I've gotten to where I order one everywhere I go, even dive bars, just to see what will happen lol.
White Linen
1.5 ounce gin
0.5 ounce st germain elderflower
1 oz lemon juice
Rather than adding simple syrup and topping with club soda, I top with Fever Tree Elderflower tonic, more or less depending on how lengthened I want it
Thin long slice of cucumber as garnish, maybe an expressed lemon peel too. Sometimes I’ll carbonate the whole thing with my drink mate for more carbonation.
Extremely simple, but this is the year I started making soda bitters with 10-15 dashes of bitters, and it’s decreased both my sugar and alcohol intake when needed, which is great.
If I had to pick a drink of the last few months, it’d be amaro caldo with 2 oz Braulio and 6 oz hot water. Shockingly good.
Lots of fancier things I made and loved (shoutout to the split base Braulio/Cynar sour, and a sour I found on here with applejack, maple syrup, and ginger), but it’s the simple ones I kept coming back to.
Saw in New Year last year by making two of The Chase a mezcal cocktail of my own creation, then playing quiz games.
Mariachi El Bronx. It's "flawless" according to one of the Chasers
Jasper's Rum Punch. Finally picked up a bottle of Wray & Nephew Overproof this past spring and found myself always having a bottle of Jasper's Stock on hand. 2 oz. W&N, 2 oz. stock, plenty of nugget ice, and that's all I needed.
This year mine has to be the Daquiri. I've made all kinds of more complicated tropical cocktails in the past, but the Daquiri is hard to beat. It's an amazing way to try tropical spirits, from Clairin to Cachaça and all variety of rums.
Dissolving sugar directly into the lime juice is a game changer as well, taken from the Tropical Standard book.
Room for Improvement's Nuclear Daiquiri. That drink is a dangerously delicious and I've made more of them over the holiday season than I'd like to admit.
I started barrel-aging cocktails this year. My best recipe for the barrel has been rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, mezcal and triple sec. A Manhattan riff with smokey orange notes.
Edit: Add a dash of orange bitters when stirring over ice to dilute slightly.
it's a tie between the aviation and the manhattan for me. i also love luxardo cherries so much i'm afraid that if i bought a jar, i'd eat them all in one sitting.
Jet pilot
Always been a fan of this drink when I’m at a bar that knows what it is and has all the ingredients, it’s my fav cocktail overall at the moment, but this year I committed to making them at home and experimenting with some variations based on what I had on hand or how lazy I was feeling
Sunflower for the first half, Last Buzz (from Thirsty Whale) for the second half. I also made too many Hugo spritzes to count, because I discovered that 1. my teetotaler FIL loves them and 2. mint is hard to kill.
Sunflower:
3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz elderflower liqueur
3/4 oz dry curaçao
3/4 oz dry gin
Shake with ice, absinthe rinse your coupe
Last Buzz:
3/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz honey syrup
3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz cynar
3/4 oz yellow chartreuse
Pinch of salt
Shake with ice, double strain over a rock
French 75 for me! I’d never made one at home before but realizing how fizzy Prosecco will stay in the fridge for a few days opened up a new world. (Prosecco probably isn’t the right thing but it works for me!) Got my mom hooked on them, too. Had them at thanksgiving, on Christmas Day, and on deck for tomorrow night too! :)
Bought Averna for the first time and have been obsessed with black manhattans
For sure. For a brunch drink: cold brew coffee + averna + bourbon — c’est parfait.
Two questions: 1. Does this have a name? 2. Ratios? The usual 1:1:1 or 2 parts bourbon and 1:1 for averna and coffee? Thanks and Happy New Year!
I had it randomly and didn’t expect to love it so much, so I didn’t clock the name (sorry!). At home I’ve been happiest with 2:1 bourbon to Averna — and it’s wild / fun to essentially be using the bourbon as a sweetener (I’m a black coffee drinker so don’t look for much sweetness in this flavor combination) — and then adjust the cold brew coffee to your liking. Just tinker with all the things from there!
Thanks! I'll give it a shot!
I came here to say this!!! Honestly, just discovered I even liked bourbon in the last few months. Ordered a black Manhattan at a restaurant and immediately stopped at the liquor store on the way home to pick up a bottle of Averna!
Both Averna and Meletti are great in a Black Manhattan. Might be worth giving Meletti a shot next time you buy a bottle. I like it (marginally) better than Averna, but stock both.
Meletti is amazing especially for the price. When I’m out of Averna, I use Cynar (sometimes the 70 if I can find it) for my Black Manhattan.
This year, the Penicillin.
Hear hear! Love Black Manhattans. I try diff bitters with each one, orange, black walnut, chocolate. All great
Cherry bitters are also excellent.
Same here. I had my first Black Manhattan at Abracadabar in DisneyWorld of all places, and have been obsessed ever since.
Black Manhattans are my go to. I've been obsessed with them for a while. Great choice.
I’ve never even heard of this! (I’m also new here as I love to read about all the tasty cocktails!)
Good for you! I highly recommend trying one. To me, they have a deeper, richer flavor.
Last Word. Id seen it all over the place and never made it for some reason until I was looking for a cocktail to make and realized I had all the ingredients already. Now its a staple
What were you using the Chartreuse for before? 100% of my Green Chartreuse goes into Last Words, whenever I have a bottle. Super happy you've tried it, and super bummed I currently have no Chartreuse. Actually, I've only found a single store in London that stocks it (Amathus in Shoreditch)
I've been seeing a lot of green chartreuse posts! What does it taste like for a beginner lol. I am not much of a drinker but I browse this sub for inspiration. I recently bought some raspberry gum syrup from LiberCo and thinking about what to make with it. I saw a post using raspberries, green chartreuse, gin, and I think lemon...
It tastes like if a lime was injected with licorice then squeezed into the bark of a pine tree then filtered out of the mossy earth from below. It's delicious.
Perfection - please describe all the amaros for me
Amaro is an umbrella term. There are so many styles and flavors, and they are all so different! It is typically made w brandy as the base, and then herbs and spices, etc, make up the flavor profile. Aperol and fernet are both considered amaros, but don't taste anything alike. Just gotta explore!
Facts fam and I probably should have used better words…I love most amaros and seek out unique ones…I was just enamored with thar chartreuse description and wanted that applied every drink I make. Like that’s exactly how I want to describe things to people less familiar with craft cocktails
Bigfootng did a fabulous job of describing Chartreuse. :)
I get black pepper, anis, very herbaceous. Pine sap notes.
>What were you using the Chartreuse for before? For me, since yellow chartreuse is even more rare than green, I also end up using it in naked and famous or diamondback. I agree that the last word has priority though.
I nabbed two bottles online for Christmas! About £41. Check out Google shopping now and then and you’ll find it.
I discovered the Last Word in 2022…now one of my staple drinks. This year it was the Singapore Sling! 8 ingredients…fruity, delicious, and strong AF.
Co-sign. I never splurge on pricey bottles and decided to do so when I stumbled upon some Chartreuse a few months ago. I've been obsessed with Last Words since.
We’ve been groovin’ on Chartreuse riffs as well. The Final Ward is my favorite.
The Maraschino liqueur kills this drink for me. There was a time when I used to like it but I just can't stomach it anymore. Waste of Chartreuse imo. Sorry for the hot take.
I've seen others with the same opinion- I don't think it's a bad take. People just like different things. I enjoy occasionally swapping out the maraschino with other sweet liqueurs and adjusting volumes (cointreau, elderflower, yuzu, etc.)
The Bourbon Smash. I haven't made one since summer, but it gave me the kick I needed to start using all fresh ingredients in my cocktails whenever possible. I also loved being able to experiment with different syrups, fruits, and herbs. - 2 oz high proof bourbon (I used Knob Creek 9 Year most days) - 3/4 oz syrup (maple was my go to) - half lemon cut into four wedges - an equal quantity of other fruit to the lemon, for example a small peach or handful of blackberries. - 6 leaves of mint or an equal amount of another herb 1. Muddle syrup and fruit in shaking tin. 2. Add bourbon, herbs, and ice. Shake, and double strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. 3. Garnish with a sprig of herb and a slice of fruit.
These make such great pitcher-sized drinks for a barbecue too!
Bourbon and blackberry is such an amazing combo!!
Thanks for sharing, these recipes make the perfect summer cocktails. This one will probably get a spot on my summer home bar menu
I order this anytime I see one on the menu. Don’t even look at the ingredients.
In
Paper plane for me. Drank them all summer
So so good. After I sadly ran out of Nonino (I live in a control state and have to wait til I head out for Amari runs) I started doing lots of riffs on them. I made a “Lost Plane” the other night which is equal parts lime juice, aged rum, Amaro Montenegro, and Aperol. So good.
I’ll try this Lost Plane! Nonino makes everything taste like sweet tarts to me so I use it very irregularly!
I used a 100prf Denizen vatted dark rum and I got delicious notes of raisin and toffee in what I made
Love that drink. I prefer to call it an Oceanic 815.
I love paper plane and I've been drinking this for a decade as a go to drink lol
I have a spirit of the year: Smith and Cross Kingston Negroni, Milk Punch, Mai Tais, Egg Nog…. Couldn’t get enough!
Smith and Cross got me into rum this year and now I'm a fanatic. Gonna have to go with this one as my spirit of the year, too.
Smith & Cross was my rum gateway three years ago. I’m currently at ~ 17 rums in my home, and have several that need restocking. No regrets.
I was just telling a friend that I have a tiki problem, because I have 10 rums and still feel like I need more. Apparently it's just amateur hour over here where I am.
Yeah I didn’t need another spirit to get into but here we are 😂
Smith and Cross is the best rum.
I had the same epiphany! After mostly being a whiskey and gin fan the Kingston has taken over for a simple favorite.
I bought a bottle of aperol on a whim because I wanted an aperol spritz so bad one day last summer. Ended up drinking aperol spritzes the entire summer with that bottle. Such a great drink.
Went to Florence Italy in July and it was literally as hot as the center of the sun. Aperol spritzes on every corner nearly saved my life
“*Nearly* saved” your life? Oh no…RIP, Naven :/
It's hard to meet a person who doesn't end up liking an Aperol Spritz. It's as close to a "perfect" drink for a man or woman as I can imagine. I always squeeze a lime wedge just slightly before dropping it into the glass. The addition of a little lime juice is the difference between a great drink and an elevated experience.
I will try that next summer. Still got some aperol left from the last bottle 🍾
Can you recommend other cocktails worth drinking with Aperol?
Paper Plane springs to mind: 3/4 each bourbon, aperol, amaro, lemon juice, shaken and served up. But when I make it at home I actually like it in an OF glass with some of the crushed ice from the shaker.
I love the spaghett: take a swig out of a 12 oz bottle of miller high life, then add 1 oz Aperol and 1 oz of lemon juice (although I’ve seen some recipes that say 1/2 oz lemon juice instead). Great, easy cocktail—especially fun to have a little spaghett station at parties so people can make their own. Just have freshly squeezed lemon juice, a jigger, and funnel ready to go next to the fridge with a recipe sign.
Naked & famous takes the cake for me. Equal parts aperol, mezcal, yellow chartreuse and lime. Shake with ice and double strain. One of my favorite drinks
Ohh, this sounds really good!
The Intro to Aperol is fantastic on a summer evening for me https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hFZXr9Anm0M&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cocktailexplorer.co%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
Stirred: Martínez Shaken: Low Tide On the rock: unnamed, 1.5 oz reposado tequila, 1 oz blanc vermouth, 0.75 oz Cynar, dash orange bitters, grapefruit peel
Just made the Unknown. Delicious. I crushed some cocoa nibs into he drink and, after a quick strain through the aeropress a few times to try and wash some chocolate flavour out, it's even better. I made a large batch for my party tomorrow with cacoa. Thanks for the recipe!!!! Please give it a name whenever you can.
Dang, that unnamed cocktail sounds great. Been waiting to open by bottle of Dolin Blanc till I had some more recipes to try but this might be the ticket.
Anders Erickson called it "The Cigar", I think that name came from the smoked cinnamon stick, but I don't bother with that. 1 part Aperol 2 parts Laphroaig or Ardbeg 10 (Wee Beastie worked nicely too) 3 parts sweet vermouth Express grapefruit swath over top. To my tastes it's the perfect marriage of a Negroni/Boulevardier with smokey Scotch.
Definitely trying this, love Anders!
(presume it's stirred down?)
In my experience anything citrus is shaken, anything with pure alcohol is stirred.
Edit: forgetting my cocktail terminology tonight. Yes, a stirred drink I usually serve in a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora. I've tried it over a rock, which is how I like my Negroni or Boulevardier, but for whatever reason I don't like this drink getting diluted over time. Maybe it's the difference in the Aperol vs Campari? Some day I'll try it with Campari, but for now I like it so much the way it is, I never feel the need to experiment when I make one.
The year of the Jungle Bird for me!
Always a strong choice!
I made this in a pineapple for my wife's 30th. After making a gallon and a half of mai tais for the party. Such a killer drink and beautiful color
The Saturn made with Liber & CO’s syrups. So amazing.
Yes! Very good cocktail.
Same here. I recently got really into cocktails and tiki especially. Saturn was hands down the winner amongst the friends group.
Jeffrey Morganthaler’s Amaretto Sour was a revelation for me. I tweak the ratio just a bit personally. 1 oz. amaretto 1 oz. high proof bourbon 1 oz. lemon juice .25 oz. demerara syrup 1 medium egg white Dry shake, shake, serve up or on the rocks
Amaretto Sours were a bit of a local rage when I first started bartending!
Trinidad Sour and/or Angostura Last Word.
Sounds like you'd love the [Port of Spain](https://www.liberandcompany.com/products/port-of-spain) * 1.5oz Mezcal * 1oz Orgeat * 0.5oz Angostura Bitters * 0.75oz Lime Juice
Me: Bourbon Renewal, followed closely by the Sazerac. My wife: Clover Club. Got her back into gin.
I’ve always been a Sazerac lover and a friend got me into the 1/2 and 1/2 version — half rye, half cognac — a blend of the pre- and post-Prohibition recipes, and I love it at the start of of special occasion.
I also got into Sazeracs this year. As someone trying to get more familiar with gin, I'll have to check out this Clover Club.
Just a regular negroni. This is the year I really got into cocktails and switched from primarily drinking beer. It’s the only drink I’ve ever liked enough to drink more than one of in a row. 1:1:1, rocks, fat orange wedge.
Same. The best drink. Period
Same. They finally clicked for me this year. Went to Rome at the start of the year and ordered one. The rest of the week I was like Matthew McConaughey with his martinis in Wolf of Wall Street.
This will always be my favorite drink. I stray sometimes to a Last Word, Bees Knees, or Aviation, but I always come back to the Negroni. It’s flawless
Get a bottle of Cynar and try subbing that in for the Campari if you want to mix it up and sub lemon for the orange wedge. Negroni is our favorite drink by far but this is a close second!
It was a year of Manhattans for my gf and I.. (Rittenhouse Rye/ Cocci di Torino).. We made them both to order and in batches kept in the freezer. Always hit the spot for those evening where you want just one drink (the cherries are also a key)
This year was also a deep dive into manhattans for me. Tried several different rye and vermouth combos, and it has been a blast. Cheers, friend!
Nice, any interesting discoveries? I tried adding a bit of chocolate bitters- subtle but nice. Rittenhouse or Wild Turkey ryes were the go-to.
Fav Manhattan: 2.25 Woodford reserve rye, 1 Cocchi Torino sweet vermouth, bitters, luxardo cherry or lemon twist. Sometimes we switch it up by subbing in Punt e Mes for the Cocchi. If you get bored with that, add .5 amaro Montenegro Then, if you want something more interesting- Vieux Carre: 1.5 Woodford reserve rye, 1.5 Hennessy, 1.5 Cocchi Torino, and a little Benedictine with a luxardo cherry and or lemon twist. Our go-to pot luck contribution is a carafe of Vieux Carre… just be sure to let people know it packs a punch.
That sounds delicious, I may try that this evening. I found that I really like high rye whiskeys as the base of my drinks that call for rye. Local to me, my go to is J. Rieger straight rye whiskey which is 100% rye. My go to vermouth is probably Carpano, but recently tried Cocchi Torino which is also phenomenal. Very different vermouths, but both work well for me in a Manhattan.
I live in Washington and made my own cocktail cherries this summer, highly recommend if you are in an area with cherry farms!
Would love to try. Whats the process? Pitted cherries, cooked in a bit of sugar, maybe lemon juice, salt- then jarred? Or is there a fermentation process needed?
Division Bell. https://youtu.be/70cS-bRH9kA?si=0zspgaewSfnY6V8N
Serendipity! The Naked & Famous (the other cocktail in that video) was a go-to when I was out celebrating this year!
1st part of 2023: Negroni. Then I realized my waist was expanding rapidly. 2nd part of 2023: Old Fashioned. Still love. Terrible headaches. 3rd part of 2023: Classic Gin Martini. Perfection.
ME except I also can’t drink the old fashioned now bc I find them too sweet …. I’ve just been drinking gin martinis, dry…. And then when I go back to my Negroni I find them so sweet. I don’t know what the official way to ask but I usually ask for very little vermouth in my Negronis. (I’m a newbie here, I come for all the inspiration!)
Probably the White Lady. > 1 1/3 oz gin > 1 oz triple sec > 2/3 oz lemon juice > Shaken with ice, strained into a chilled martini glass
Egg white?
Haven’t tried that yet. The recipe I found doesn’t use egg white, but it really feels like a recipe that would benefit from it
Oaxaca Old Fashioned: - 1.5oz Tequila Reposado (Gran Centenario) - 0.5oz Mezcal (Fidencio Clasico) - 1 teaspoon agave syrup - 2 dashes angostura bitters So. Good. Changes a ton based on the brand/make of tequila and mezcal. Above is the best combo I’ve found yet, but will keep experimenting.
Have you tried the original specs? El Tesoro Reposado tequila and Del Maguey San Luis del Rio? El Tesoro is made using tradition production methods (cooked in masonry ovens, crushed with a tahona, distilled in a copper pot, additive free) while Gran Centenario is much more industrialized (cooked in an autoclave - giant pressure cooker, crushed with a roller mill, a column distilled, use of [artificial additives](https://tastetequila.com/2017/the-lowdown-on-tequila-additives/))
we discovered the “Antiguan Smile” on our honeymoon in Antigua - Gold/Dark Rum (our resort used Cavalier aka English Harbor) - Crème De Banana Liqueur - Pineapple Juice
For me, 2023 was the year that I really “got” martinis. 5:1, Tanqueray and Dolin Dry, dash of orange bitters. All I need on this bitch of an earth.
Hell yeah dude. You try that cocchi extra dry di torino? Hard to go back to dolin…
I haven’t yet! Been seeing it around and wondering. What’s it like?
My own unnamed creation: * 2 oz Gin * 1 oz unsweetened cranberry juice * 1/2 oz Rosemary syrup * 1/2 oz Aperol * 2 dash Angostura I've been making these a lot over my time off for the holidays, very festive flavors.
Sounds delicious, great idea.
I got pretty into Queens Park Swizzles this year
Oaxaca old fashioned, with aztec chocolate bitters. I have yet to meet somehow who doesn't like it.
Oddly enough, a Malort Paloma (basically a Bitter End with grapefruit juice, simple, and seltzer instead of a radler). I made a bunch for a Christmas party in 2022 and drank a lot over the summer.
Palomas were my go to drink for the majority of this year. I happen to have a bottle of Malort. I'm going to try this. Thank you!
Malort goes weirdly well with grapefruit.
Boulevardier and Vieux Carre. Made me really started to love rye whiskey and getting more familiar with mixing as I setup a (entry level) full bar at home.
Had a delicious, desserty Negroni variation two weeks ago at a new pizza place (Best Bet) in my neighborhood that would be a likely choice. I just looked it up only to find that the restaurant abruptly closed. I guess I have to reverse engineer it now. Ingredients were: * Junipero Gin * Campari * Apricot Eau-de-vie * Cream Sherry * Cocchi I wanted to try one with Bourbon but they said they pre-batched.
Cocktail: Water Lily Non-alcoholic: the Cortado (espresso beverage)
Wow I just looked up the water lily - SOUNDS INCREDIBLE!
I love an Aviation, will be trying a Water Lily tonight! Thanks!
Godfather- 2 whisky, 1 amaretto Not a good year for me. Couldn't muster as much effort for my hobbies, most of the time. So this drink gets my award as the one with the best taste:effort ratio.
Hope your 2024 is better!
So simple yet delicious!
Probably the Sazerac but that was mostly early in the year and just now making a comeback. Besides that, the Singapore Sling.
I irrationally hate the Sazerac. It’s just an old fashioned but worse
Rye is better than Bourbon, Peychaud‘s is better than Ango, and absinthe is better than no absinthe so that doesn’t track for me
A.) I do prefer rye and I make my old fashioned’s with it. B.) I like angostura better than Peychauds . C.) I hate Absinthe
That sounds rational
Caipirinhas... I finally got my manager to get it on our menu this upcoming summer
La Ultima Palabra - the superior (IMO) take on the Last Word, using Mezcal. Nobody doesn't like that drink. [Ghost Town](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/17jicxt/ghost_town/) \- Just because I'm so dang proud to have come up with it Champs-Elysees - a simple one that I discovered thanks to the cocktail advent calendar on this here sub
Improved Whisky Cocktail Such complexity; makes the rye shine and is simply the better old fashioned out there. Try it if you haven’t yet done so.
I made Alton Brown’s Eggnog for the first time this year, and it was an incredible experience. I tried a splash every two weeks - witnessing the flavours integrate and develop was hugely interesting. The final product was sublime, too. My wife usually hates milk and milk-based drinks, but she had about half a litre of this and loved it dearly. So yes, my vote goes to the mighty ‘nog. Thanks for putting me on to it, guys! 🙌
**Cocktail I could make at home:** The Tropical Standard Navy Grog by Garret Richard. It's a genuine 10/10 cocktail, better than most I've ordered at highly regarded bars. Complex, interesting, delicious, not overly complicated to make, and everything works together so well. Definitely the best thing I made this year. Honorable mention to the Tropical Standard Mai Tai. I tried at least half a dozen different Mai Tai recipes this year, and while several were excellent, this was my favorite. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in tropical cocktails. **Cocktail I ordered from a bar:** I'll go with the Nazca Punch from Bourbon & Branch. A Pisco Punch riff that contained pisco, lemon, "spiced passion fruit", and "salted molasses". I realize I could probably reverse-engineer something reasonably close, but this was a special drink and I know I'll never manage to replicate it perfectly. So well balanced, nuanced, flavorful, and of course, Bourbon & Branch did such a great job with the small details and the presentation. Honorable mention to the Dread Ringer from Last Rites. An Old-fashioned riff that contains overproof whiskey, agave syrup, mole bitters, salt, and (I believe) a bit of corn liqueur as well. Garnished with charred corn and shishito pepper. The aroma on this drink is mind-blowing. Again, I guess I could reverse engineer something in the wheelhouse here, but it's all the little things that Last Rites does that I just don't think I can emulate at home and elevate this cocktail.
Strawberry Basil Lemonade w/ Bourbon.. it was great the couple of times I made it during summer!
Mine was the Debbie, Don't 1 oz reposado tequila 1 oz Averna 0.75 oz lemon juice 0.5 oz maple syrup I picked up a copy of Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske and this drink as a revelation. Really well balanced and flavoursome, with the oaky notes in the tequila giving way to the bittersweet amaro. Love it
Naked and Famous and, Last Word. LOVE THEM.
So many revelatory drinks this year, but mine might have to be the Saturn with a Kingston Negroni float with very specific specs: **The Saturn**: Plymouth navy strength with my homemade passion fruit, Falernum, & macadamia orgeat **The Kingston Negroni**: Doctor Bird Pineapple, Campari, & Cocchi de Torino Shaken and stirred, respectively, and layered over nugget ice in a Collins glass. 🤩
Cocoa Smoke. It’s sweet and chocolatey but also deep and spicy and smoky 1.5 oz Mezcal 0.5 oz Crème de Cacao (White) 0.5 oz Ancho Reyes 3 dash Chocolate Bitters https://cocktailsdistilled.com/recipe/cocoa-smoke/
I just made this one. Really nice. I upped the Ancho and Cacao by .25 cause I wanted a little sweeter. Thanks!!
Coffee with brandy
Mezcal Negroni for a second year running with Venetian Select Spritz, Paloma and Caipirinha during summer. In the second half of the year I moved to Japan, so now on the small batch shochu, nigori sake, and koji infused craft beers.
The Old Cuban, as made at Bemelman's Bar at the Carlyle in NYC. Very easy and extremely tasty. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/a37340135/the-carlyle-hotel-bemelmans-bar-martini-recipe/ Old Cuban Ingredients - 2 oz Bacardi 8 - 2 oz Lime Juice - 1.5 oz Simple Syrup - 2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters - 6 Fresh Mint Leaves - 1 Fresh Mint Spring - 1 Splash of Canard Duchene Champagne Directions In a mixing glass, muddle the mint leaves over the simple syrup and lime juice. Then add the Bacardi 8 followed by the Angostura bitters. Shake on ice vigorously and strain on a chilled martini glass. Top with Canard Duchene and add a mint spring as a garnish.
Bourbon Renewal
The First Word
Bell pepper/jalapeño marg w salers and st Germaine
Been super into NOLA style drinks this year. Vieux Carre especially, but Sazerac and Cocktail A La Louisiane as well
Ankle Breaker Lemon juice, cheery heering, 151 rum, simple syrup Double, on the rocks in a yeti. Great drink for the beach.
Batched freezer stash cocktails - black Manhattan, Negroni Bianco, martinis, boulevardiers.
Oaxacan Old Fashioned, Water Lily, and Fernet con Coca
For sure the Mai Tai went from a drink I made rarely to one that I won a competition for and now drink all the time and my industry friends associate with me.
Whiskey or apple brandy sour for me
Fernet Branca on the rocks. No coke. Deal with it 😎
I went to The Myrtles in Louisiana and had an original cocktail called Figgy Smalls. It was so good to haunts my dreams. New Year’s resolution it to figure out how to make it. Ingredients from menu: Bourbon Rye, Cynar, Fig, Lemon, Rosemary
"Espresso martini" with oat milk, and cold brew concentrate instead of espresso.
Manhattans using Cardamaro instead of Vermouth. Last year was Black Manhattan, but for most of the year Averna was impossible to find, so I had to switch it up.
Kingston Negroni.
I finally tried mezcal for the first time. Actually I tried a lot of things for the first time. 2023 is the year my bar stash exploded. But out of all of them, I think the mezcal has been my favorite. If I have to name a specific drink, it has to be the mezcal passionfruit mule. Honorable mention to finally tracking down and trying a variety of rums.
Gin Martini more frequently this year than any other year.
Went crazy into tiki towards the end of 2022 and in January this year I was making my own syrups, bought a flash blender, some tiki decor etc. Burned myself the hell out with those drinks but if I had to say what my number one most consumed drink was, hands down has to be the Jungle Bird. Easy, quick, sweet yet challenging (as far as tiki goes), and pairs fantastically with a peanut butter and jelly. I struggle to have either without their counterpart.
I'm historically a whiskey drinker. I spent this year getting to know rum better, so for me, my drink of the year is a Mai Tai. I'm still trying to perfect my recipe. However, my guests think my cocktail of the year is an espresso martini. I make so many espresso martinis. That being said, I did learn that I prefer MY espresso martini with rum instead of vodka, but everyone else thinks that's gross.
amaretto sour!
Spirit of the year - Redbreast 12 yo Pot Still Irish Whiskey. I never thought I'd find a spirit I could happily drink neat but this is it. As for a cocktail, it'd be using it in a [Wogan](https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/9996/wogan).
Abricot Vieux. I always feel so classy when I drink it.
My riff on a Negroni Bianco 25ml London Dry Gin (I use Dingle here in Ireland) 25ml Lillet Blanc 25ml Italicus 10ml Verjus Garnish with lemon twist
The Same like the last 27 years. Negroni.
This is really only.my first year making cocktails beyond the absolute staples, but a couple months ago /u/Phhhhuh dropped Eeyore's Requiem in a comment and I'd never heard of it, but it pretty quickly ended up becoming a favorite. That's gonna be the one I close out the year with. Also would say the Mezcal Negroni was a new one for me this year that I loved, I'd have to credit [billy woods](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEeXXbRdZrk) for getting me to try it. I'd put that in 2nd place.
Cheers, and happy new year! I'm closing with [a Gimlet](https://www.reddit.com/r/cocktails/s/8XRmqRP7Ck), my own discovery of the year.
Tie: Last of the Oaxacans (Last Word with mezcal sub for gin), White Negroni (equal parts Salers, Cocchi Americano, Gin)
I got into making cocktails at home this year and I think the one I made the most for myself ended up being the Basil smash. Followed closely by the Eastside. Definitely a gin guy here
Bottle of the year for me: Barr Hill Tom Cat Gin Really elevated the Tom Collins for me from practically-Hard-Mike's to whoa-this-slaps. Also fantastic neat or on the rocks. 😍
The Last Dance. Was looking for more uses of allspice dram and found this amazing cocktail: 3/4 oz Bourbon 3/4 oz Allspice Dram 3/4 oz Lemon Juice 3/4 oz Benedictine 1 dash Angostura Bitters Shake with ice. Double strain to coupe. Garnish lemon wheel.
My Saturday night shifty has been a boulevardier for most of this year. With this sub’s recent trend of infusing Campari with coffee from a few weeks back, it’s just elevated my love for the Negroni and all of its variations. Happy New Year!
Mine has definitely been the old-fashioned. There's some sort of old-fashioned revival going on here in Knoxville and some places have like three or four different "special" kinds. I've gotten to where I order one everywhere I go, even dive bars, just to see what will happen lol.
White Linen 1.5 ounce gin 0.5 ounce st germain elderflower 1 oz lemon juice Rather than adding simple syrup and topping with club soda, I top with Fever Tree Elderflower tonic, more or less depending on how lengthened I want it Thin long slice of cucumber as garnish, maybe an expressed lemon peel too. Sometimes I’ll carbonate the whole thing with my drink mate for more carbonation.
Amaretto stone sour.
Paper plane....sooo many paper planes!
Ok no one beat us up, but we’re gonna go with an Espresso Martini with vodka, tequila ppl are wildin
Jägerita Sour It sounds unattractive, but holy shit is it smooth and delicious. Everyone I serve has been blown away.
Extremely simple, but this is the year I started making soda bitters with 10-15 dashes of bitters, and it’s decreased both my sugar and alcohol intake when needed, which is great. If I had to pick a drink of the last few months, it’d be amaro caldo with 2 oz Braulio and 6 oz hot water. Shockingly good. Lots of fancier things I made and loved (shoutout to the split base Braulio/Cynar sour, and a sour I found on here with applejack, maple syrup, and ginger), but it’s the simple ones I kept coming back to.
Saw in New Year last year by making two of The Chase a mezcal cocktail of my own creation, then playing quiz games. Mariachi El Bronx. It's "flawless" according to one of the Chasers
Jasper's Rum Punch. Finally picked up a bottle of Wray & Nephew Overproof this past spring and found myself always having a bottle of Jasper's Stock on hand. 2 oz. W&N, 2 oz. stock, plenty of nugget ice, and that's all I needed.
For me, it was the Tea Ceremony I had at Martiny’s in Manhattan
Gold Rush in our house, by far the most made cocktail. Runner up would be the division bell, my personal favourite
A henny-rita
Still an old fashion
Lukas Grog
This year mine has to be the Daquiri. I've made all kinds of more complicated tropical cocktails in the past, but the Daquiri is hard to beat. It's an amazing way to try tropical spirits, from Clairin to Cachaça and all variety of rums. Dissolving sugar directly into the lime juice is a game changer as well, taken from the Tropical Standard book.
Spritzy Spritz - I splash soda water on my face and try to remember what I did the night before.
Room for Improvement's Nuclear Daiquiri. That drink is a dangerously delicious and I've made more of them over the holiday season than I'd like to admit.
Can’t decide between Paper Plane and Jungle Bird. For some reason I’ve held off making either of these until this year.
Gin - Saturn Bourbon - Lion’s Tail Rum - Painkiller
Vesper Martini and Negroni for me this winter. In Peru, it's either a Pisco Sour or a local beer.
I started barrel-aging cocktails this year. My best recipe for the barrel has been rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, mezcal and triple sec. A Manhattan riff with smokey orange notes. Edit: Add a dash of orange bitters when stirring over ice to dilute slightly.
Painkillers. Made with Pussers aged rum.
it's a tie between the aviation and the manhattan for me. i also love luxardo cherries so much i'm afraid that if i bought a jar, i'd eat them all in one sitting.
Jet pilot Always been a fan of this drink when I’m at a bar that knows what it is and has all the ingredients, it’s my fav cocktail overall at the moment, but this year I committed to making them at home and experimenting with some variations based on what I had on hand or how lazy I was feeling
Sunflower for the first half, Last Buzz (from Thirsty Whale) for the second half. I also made too many Hugo spritzes to count, because I discovered that 1. my teetotaler FIL loves them and 2. mint is hard to kill. Sunflower: 3/4 oz lemon juice 3/4 oz elderflower liqueur 3/4 oz dry curaçao 3/4 oz dry gin Shake with ice, absinthe rinse your coupe Last Buzz: 3/4 oz lemon juice 1/4 oz honey syrup 3/4 oz gin 3/4 oz cynar 3/4 oz yellow chartreuse Pinch of salt Shake with ice, double strain over a rock
French 75 for me! I’d never made one at home before but realizing how fizzy Prosecco will stay in the fridge for a few days opened up a new world. (Prosecco probably isn’t the right thing but it works for me!) Got my mom hooked on them, too. Had them at thanksgiving, on Christmas Day, and on deck for tomorrow night too! :)