Cocktail Hacker

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.  Or so the saying goes.  So what does the distilled essence of a bushel-load of apples get you?  A damn fine cocktail and, near as I can discern, immortality.  The Honeymoon Cocktail is another drink where the fresh apple flavor of the calvados really makes the drink pop.  To make sure it really was the fruitiness of the calvados at work I mixed up a version using applejack instead.  And while it was still a good drink to be sure, it wasn’t nearly as interesting.  The apple flavor of the calvados is much stronger and much brighter than what you find in applejack and really makes the flavor profile of this drink much more complex.

I really can’t make any major suggestions this week for changing up the recipe.  In fact, I only have one.  The version from Vintage Cocktails and Forgotten Spirits was a bit off balance toward the sweet end of the spectrum.  The fix was uber simple though.  I bumped the lemon juice up to 3/4 oz and all was right with the world again.

Honeymoon Cocktail (Cocktail Hacker)

2 oz Calvados
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Orange Curacao
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until combined and well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

So, while I can’t suggest huge changes to the recipe, I can add a couple quick comments about the other ingredients.  First, to get it out of the way, I’m going to remind you to always use fresh lemon juice.  I know you don’t need the reminder, but it never hurts to refresh the fundamentals.  Second, the Benedictine.  Like ingredients in so many other cocktails you’re not going to be able to pick it out if you didn’t know it was there.  But, and it’s a big but, you will definitely notice it if it’s gone.  Third, and last, the curacao.  If you don’t have curacao I’m going to give you permission to use a triple sec instead.  Sure, you’re going to lose a bit of the flavor of the brandy base, but at 1/2 oz it’s really not going to be a huge loss.  Not to mention you’re using tasty calvados which is also oak aged.  So, like brandy, you’ll get those woody notes coming through as well.

So, there you have it.  Now it’s time for a quick summary to send you on your way.  The Honeymoon Cocktail is the second in a recent batch of seriously delicious calvados cocktails.  If you don’t have a bottle in your liquor cabinet I think it’s time you change that.  You can thank me later.

Note: Your immortality results may vary.  If at first you don’t feel them, have another drink.

Are you familiar with the idea of a mashup in music terms?  It’s when you combine elements of one song with elements of another and the result is a new, hybrid song.  There are tons of examples, but here’s one of my favorites to get you started, “Galvanize the Empire” by Party Ben.  With me now?  The Derby is what I would imagine the cocktail equivalent of a mashup would be.  Bourbon and sweet vermouth from a Manhattan.  Sourness and sweet from a Whiskey Sour.  Combine all these elements and you have the Derby.  And, like all good mashups, this one is harmonious and stands on its own.

Before I discuss the taste at length, let’s briefly talk about the changes I felt were necessary.  First, this drink as printed in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails is tiny.  I get that old school drinks were typically smaller than what you’ll find these days, but this one is tiny even by those standards.  So, I bumped everything up by half and I’m much happier.  Next the lime in the recipe overpowered the other ingredients a little.  So, when I did my quantity increasing I didn’t increase that one as much, though it’s a pretty minor decrease.  Ok, now let’s talk tastiness.

The Derby (Cocktail Hacker)

1 1/2 oz Bourbon
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
3/4 oz Orange Curacao

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until combined and well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Although I stick by my claim of a mashup, the flavor of this drink is definitely more in line with a Whiskey Sour.  Though, instead of bitters to add complexity here you have vermouth.  Certainly they add complexity and spice, but it isn’t as forward and bold as bitters can be.  Instead the sweet vermouth adds an undercurrent of flavor complexity.  I’d challenge you to tell me it was there without knowing, but the drink would be much flatter without it.  The lime juice as well changes up the flavor dynamic.  Ever made a Daiquiri with lemon instead of lime juice?  It’s a lot like that.  Finally, with my small tweak to the sourness level I find this drink to be really well balanced.  Overall this is definitely a super tasty cocktail.  You absolutely shouldn’t wait for the Derby to give it a try.

If you follow this blog you certainly know I’m a big fan of analogies and thought experiments.  I’d like you to engage in another one with me now.  Think back on a truly uninteresting cocktail you’ve had in your life (or meal if you prefer).  Do you have a clear memory of it?  I don’t.  In fact, it’s truly hard for me to remember uninteresting moments in my life.  Which actually makes perfect sense.  Interesting points are ones that we recall regularly and, quite likely, tell others.  Both of these actions cause that memory to get further ingrained in your brain.  The boring stuff just slips away.

The Harvey Wallbanger is one of those uninteresting memories that I’ll probably quickly lose to the sands of time.  Sure, it’s not a bad cocktail at all.  In fact it’s quite tasty.  But, is it great?  No.  Let’s face the facts, this cocktail is a Screwdriver with a twist (pun fully intended).  That twist, the Galliano, really isn’t that much, either.  Galliano, if you’re unfamiliar, has a light vanilla and anise flavor; emphasis on the light.  It’s very nicely balanced, but doesn’t pack a huge punch.

Now, it’s interesting.  As I mentioned in the intro, my bottle of Galliano is, or should I say was, old.  At least 8 years to be exact.  Generally not a huge problem…might have lost a bit of punch..maybe not getting the real cocktail experience…crap, new bottle time.  My old bottle was of a 60 proof (30% ABV) variety that is now being phased out for the original, an 84 proof (42.3% ABV) version.  Is there a difference, yes, definitely.  The classic version (84 proof) packs more punch and has a stronger flavor.  Does it elevate this cocktail to greatness?  Well, no, not so much.  Still good though!  So, what’s the take away?  If you have a seriously old bottle of Galliano on your shelf consider getting rid of it.  Drinking, dumping, or tossing out the window is totally up to you.

Last note before I truly do move on.  The orange juice I used for this cocktail (Odwalla if you’re interested) was a little under-sour for my taste, at least for cocktail use.  So, I added a half ounce of lemon juice to the mix and found it much better.

Harvey Wallbanger (Cocktail Hacker)

2 oz Vodka
3 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice [Optional]
1/2 oz Galliano [84 Proof]

1) Combine vodka and orange juice over ice
2) Float the Galliano

So, there you have it.  The Harvey Wallbanger.  Good, sure, but not amazing.  If you’re planning to mix up some Screwdrivers in the future it’s worth trying this twist, but don’t go too far out of your way.

As I mentioned in my intro a couple weeks back (geez, has it really been that long?) any drink with 3/4 oz of bitters sounds intimidating.  I mean, come on.  You’re supposed to use these in dashes.  They’re cocktail spices after all.  As such, I expected this recipe to be like adding a tablespoon of pepper to one plate of eggs.  It’s really not that way at all, though.  Think of it more like an Indian curry.  You add a ton of spices, but the end result is still delicious and harmonious.

That said, like curry, the level at which the spice becomes overwhelming varies for each person.  For me 3/4 oz of bitters was too much spice.  I ended up dropping them to 1/2 oz and found the harmony I was looking for.  But, what about the other senses?

The aroma is striking.  The calvados gives the drink a great apple essence that is truly crisp and fresh.  It’s really impressive to me how well they’ve distilled down the purity of the apple and bottled it.  Delicious.  The flavor, while retaining the apple flavors, is more about the orange.  The bitters, the juice and triple sec all work together to create a great orange base flavor.  The brandy elements of the calvados round it all out.  This really is a fantastic cocktail that I will definitely be mixing up in the future.

Calvados Cocktail (Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails)

1 1/2 oz Calvados
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz Orange Bitters

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until combined and well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

But, I did have two weeks to work on this one.  And, while I’ve been crazy busy, I must have come up with more, right?  Oh, yes.  Well, a bit more at least.  So, let’s talk a bit about that base spirit again.  Due to the common apple origin, I figured applejack  was worth a go.  And it was.  Less of the apple flavor comes through, though.  While this version is good, the calvados is what makes it great.

Next, I tried a recipe variant that I found in the Joy of Mixology.  Interestingly, Gary switched it up a great deal.

Calvados Cocktail (Joy of Mixology)

2 oz Calvados
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Orange Bitters to Taste

Added lemon juice and orange bitters to taste with no notes as to what that should entail.  Then tweaking the levels of the triple sec, the orange juice and the calvados.  Interesting indeed.  Even with all the changes the resulting drink is also very good.  Not surprisingly, the flavor profile is much different.  I opted for 1/2 oz of bitters to keep the comparison as even as I could.  Were Gary to mix this drink up for me I think he’d go for less bitters.  The reason I say this is because with the additional sour from the lemon juice the bitterness is much less important to the flavor.  This version is certainly another awesome cocktail.  Should it really be called a Calvados Cocktail as well?  Hard to say.

So there you have it.  It was a busy two weeks for me but, thankfully, there were tasty cocktails to keep me going full steam.  If you’ve got a bottle of calvados gathering dust on your shelf you owe it to yourself to mix this drink up.  Either version.  They’re both tasty.

I expected this drink to basically be a Manhattan with an additional bitter bite from the Campari.  There is certainly truth in that view, but it’s also lacking.  The Boulevardier is delightfully bitter like a Negroni.  And, while the vermouth and bourbon flavors hint toward a Manhattan this is something deeper and, in a strange way, brighter.  The orange flavor of the Campari really shines through.  The result is a drink that is deep in its complexity but fruity and bright at the same time.  In case it’s not clear by now, I really enjoyed this cocktail.  If you’re a Manhattan lover you absolutely need to give it a try.

Despite my love, I do have some tweaks to suggest.  First, let’s look at the whiskey.  Captain McBoozy dropped a comment on my intro post for the week pointing back to a drink he had come up with.  Turns out his recipe is a Boulevardier with a bit more bourbon.  In addition to his fortuitous discovery he also had some great comments on the whiskey to use.  His suggestion, in summary, is to go big or go home.  Specifically try a bourbon, or other whiskey for that matter, that’s high proof.  Naturally, I had to try it for myself.  I started the week with Bulleit and was definitely not disappointed.  Bulleit is 90 proof, so high, but not super high.  Next I pulled down a higher proof whiskey, specifically Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey (94 proof).  The Captain’s head was definitely in the right place with this one.  The additional proof helps cut some of the sweetness of the Campari and vermouth.  If I had some on hand I would have loved to go even higher, maybe some of the 105+ proof bourbons out there.  Next time perhaps.

Now to the other tweakable ingredient, vermouth.  I started with Cinzano.  And, in all honesty, I’m not trying to piss you off McBoozy, it’s just what I had in the fridge at the time.  Like with the Bulleit I wasn’t disappointed, but from the adamant, shall I say, ravings of the Captain, I picked up a bottle of Carpano Antica.  Holy crap.  The man is absolutely right again.  Carpano makes you realize what really amazing sweet vermouth is all about.  Problem is, it’s pricey, like $35+ a bottle pricey.  So, I’m going to leave it with this.  Use whatever sweet vermouth you like.  This drink is going to be good.  However, if you feel like splurging, pick up a bottle of Carpano.  It will elevate this drink from good to wonderful.

Last note.  As I mentioned above the Captain bumps the bourbon up to 2 oz in his recipe.  I really like this change.  It cuts down on the sweetness of the drink a bit.  You could even bump it up a bit more to 2 1/2 oz to go even drier.  Though, if you’re increasing the whiskey and going with a high proof spirit, be careful.  You’ll become intimately involved with the floor quicker than you’d like.

The Boulevardier (Captain McBoozy)

2 oz Bourbon (High Proof)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica)

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Stir until combined and well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

There’s no doubt that the lawmakers got a lot of things wrong during Prohibition.  The bartenders, on the other hand, were right.  The Twelve Mile Limit definitely exemplifies that statement.  The drink is well balanced, extremely flavorful and, overall, tremendously pleasing.

In this week’s picture I decided to share a bit of my insanity in the form of my cocktail notebook with you.  So, on that note (pun fully intended), I’m going to let my notes do some talking about this drink.  “First off, the color is incredible, a deep burgundy red.  Really looks very regal.”  And that it absolutely does.  This drink uses a lot of grenadine, at least in comparison to the amount you typically see in cocktails.  I, of course, reached for my homemade hibiscus grenadine.  The result is a deep red that is truly striking.

“The aroma bears the rye and brandy very nicely.  The rum is a bit lost however.”  Again, very true.  Though I think there are a couple reasons for the rum getting a bit lost.  First, the rum I picked at first (Flor de Caña) is very smooth, but also quite light.  This drink definitely needs a bit more boldness.  So, to change it up I tried Wray and Nephew Overproof for the next mix.  Wrong answer.  The alcohol flavor was much too bold.  For try number three I reached for a rum recommended by Rum Dood for this drink, Montanya Platino.  The fact that Montanya is a Colorado rum is just icing on the cake.  The Dood was definitely right, this is a great rum for this drink.  Though it was still a light for my tastes.  So, let’s talk about that second point.  I think the rum can be bumped up a bit.  For my preferred recipe (below) I increase the rum to 1 1/2 oz which brings its flavor more to the forefront.

Twelve Mile Limit (Cocktail Hacker)

1 1/2 oz White Rum (Go Bold)
1/2 oz Brandy
1/2 oz Rye
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until combined and well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

A couple quick notes on this recipe.  First, by adding more rum I’ve pumped the alcohol content up to 2 1/2 oz.  That puts this drink solidly into the formidable foe category.  So, like most formidable foes, be cautious in your consumption.  Second, that extra 1/2 oz also lessens the depth of the red color a bit.  I’m okay with that.  Adding more grenadine is an option, but I’d rather not have that additional sweetness, so I go without.

A final bit of discussion, the Three Mil(l)er.  I tried it and I’d like to call shenanigans on myself.  This drink is certainly related to the Twelve Mile Limit and it may have come before, but the relationship is more that of an older cousin than a parent.  I mixed up the Three Miller recipe from the Savoy.  It’s much drier than the Twelve Mile Limit, but that’s to be expected since the only sweetener is 1 tsp of grenadine compared to 3.  The lemon juice flavor is really only an accent; at 1 dash you don’t even pick up the sourness.  Lastly, with 1 1/2 oz of brandy and 3/4 oz of rum this drink is all about the brandy.  It’s the center of the aroma and the flavor.  So, while related to the Twelve Mile Limit, this drink is a completely different beast.  Still worth trying though.

Ted Haigh questions the logic of naming this drink the Park Avenue in Vintage Cocktails and Forgotten Spirits. “Note, if you will, the tropical character, invoking Carmen Miranda strutting down a Palm Beach boulevard.  As I say, the names of this and the Palm Beach Special preceding it, were obviously switched at birth.”  Definitely on the mark.  Although this drink holds a Gothamesque name, its flavor definitely is more reminiscent of the tropics.  So, what is that flavor profile exactly?  Complex, but still light and fruity.  The pineapple is the dominant note in the aroma of the cocktail but isn’t as much the star in the flavor.  In the flavor you’re first going to notice the flavors of the vermouth and hints of the gin coming through at the forefront.  The pineapple and curacao round it all out really nicely.

Gin is the base spirit in this drink, and it’s important to pick the right one.  I started, as I usually do, with Plymouth.  I found the resulting cocktail to be very smooth, but lacking the level of gin in the flavor that I’d like.  So, I decided to give a bolder gin a try next.  Wanting to try a gin that’s more main stream and, quite frankly, a little less expensive, I decided to mix the next one with Gordon’s.  Interestingly, I found that even with a bold gin the flavor didn’t come through as much as I expected.  And, regarding this gin choice specifically, I found it a little funky.  Not necessarily bad, but not quite what I’d like either.  I also wanted to try another recipe I had found in the Difford’s Guide so I decided to continue the gin experimentation (ginsperimentation?) with that.

Park Avenue (Difford's Guide #8)

2 oz Gin
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Curacao

1) Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice
2) Shake until combined and well chilled
3) Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

I wanted to keep with the bold gin plan so I pulled Tanqueray off the shelf for the first mix.  Since the vermouth is decreased in this recipe, I expected it to be more of a background flavor.  It really isn’t at all, though.  You get the herbal notes and with the increased curacao you get a bit more orange flavor as well.  Through it all the Tanqueray stood up great.  This is definitely my favorite of the two recipes.

Finally, since this drink has strong tropical flavors I decided to try a gin that has more of a citrus forward flavor profile while maintaining the juniper as well.  The clear choice to me was Beefeater.  It’s a nice mix of juniper and citrus and works great in this recipe.  While not as bold as Tanqueray this gin is still stands up great to the other strong flavors.  Through all the tastings this week, Beefeater rose to the top as my gin of choice for this drink.

The Park Avenue, while a bit oddly named, is quite tasty.  It has topical flavors but uses vermouth and gin.  Definitely not a combination you’d immediately think would work well, but it definitely does.  If you’re a gin lover and looking for something a bit different give it a go.  Or, if you have a gin hater, this might be a fun place to get them started.  Use a bit lighter gin and the other flavors will carry the weight.

Looking at the recipe for the Brooklyn the first thing you’re going to notice is that it’s like a Manhattan, but…different.  Once you go the next step and mix one up you’re going to find that that logic holds quite true.  This drink really is like a Manhattan, yet different in really subtle, good ways.  The flavor profile is extremely pleasant and really very unique.  The amer and maraschino fill the spot where the bitters reside in a Manhattan.  They add bitterness and a complexity of flavor which is essential.  Though, if you’ve ever had a Manhattan with too much bitters, you definitely know they can be overpowering.  In the case of the Brooklyn the bitters are replaced with other flavorful, if a bit less strong, ingredients.  This allows you to better taste the other ingredients.

I started my week mixing with a high rye bourbon, namely Bulleit and though I tried other spirits I found myself coming back to this choice as my favorite.  With a straight rye (Michter’s in my case) the drink is much spicier as you would expect.  Though, while this is a good recipe I found myself preferring the Bulleit.  Straight rye made this drink a little too sharp for my liking.  I think that’s mostly because this recipe doesn’t have as much sweetness as my Manhattan recipe and, as such, doesn’t stand up to the rye’s boldness as well.

Mixing up the Brooklyn with a wheated bourbon (Eagle Rare in my case) results in a drink that is tremendously smooth and hugely pleasant.  Though as I found with the straight rye, this was not my favorite of the options.  Specifically, I really missed the light spiciness of the Bulleit.  It’s all about the balance and for me that was found in the form of high rye bourbon.

So, now that we’ve discussed the base spirit let’s take a quick look at one of the other ingredients that really caught my eye.  As I said in the intro this week I’ve had a bottle of Torani Amer in my collection since Tales of the Cocktail last year.  I had no experience with amers of any kind, so I had no idea what to do with this ingredient.  So, as a result of my ignorance, it languished unopened until this week.  Having tasted it and used it in a recipe I feel can shed a bit of light on it now.  Torani Amer falls in to the category of bitter herbal liqueur or, were it Italian, an Amaro.  Others in this category that you might be more familiar with are Fernet Branca and Campari.  However, I offer those only as notables of the category; Torani Amer tastes nothing like either.

Having tasted it and tried to nail down it’s flavor, I find it much easier to compare it to other products than to explain it on its own right.  Torani Amer is very lightly sweet, nothing like you’d find in other liqueurs like creme de cassis, triple sec, or even it’s partner in crime in this drink maraschino.  The aroma is complex and very hard for me to pin down.  Though you do get strong herbal notes coming through.  In the flavor I find it equally hard to discern specific flavors that really outshine the others.  Rather, like other great herbal liqueurs, noteably Benedictine and Chartreuse, the flavor is harmonious.  There is certainly a bitter note present as you’d expect but it’s not nearly as strong as you’d find  in Campari.  So, having danced around the actual flavor of this product I can say one thing with certainty.  Torani Amer is quite tasty and really adds some wonderful complexity to the Brooklyn that would be sorely lacking without it.

As a final note on Torani Amer and more specifically why Dr. Cocktail suggests it over the classic Amer Picon, I’ll let his words from the notes on Picon Punch in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails do the talking.

“The House of Picon has had its problems, at least with distribution in the States, but extending back further in France to when, inexplicably, they changed the proof (and thereby the flavor) of Amer Picon from about 35 percent to about 12 percent alcohol.  Fortunately, while I feel so wrong saying so, there is a better, though more obscure product on the market.  Its matches the Amer Picon proof from days of yore, and its flavor is more in keeping with the traditional Picon Punch.  This product, Torani Amer, is made in the United States … Still, I hope Picon straightens out its formula and distribution.  It might otherwise foretell the sad end to a historic product.”

Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh

There you have it.  In summary, if you can find a bottle of Torani Amer, it’s definitely the choice for this cocktail and the Picon Punch which I’ll be featuring at a later date.  It’s made in California so I’m sure you can easily source it on the west coast.  If you can’t find it locally a quick Google search will point you to a few online sources.

As for the Brooklyn, mix it up some night when you’re wanting a Manhattan.  I think you’ll really enjoy this variant.  It’s quirky, but delightful in its own ways.  Enjoy.

I had a little trouble at the beginning of the week figuring out a good way to intro a cocktail that includes both gin and chocolate flavors.  I really shouldn’t have had trouble at all.  It’s easy, the Alexander is simply delicious.  The gin is there, but it’s tempered by the cream and creme de cacao.  The chocolate flavor is present but not overpowering.  So, how do you get the right balance?  Let’s discuss just that.

My first mix of the week I reached for Plymouth gin.  The results were good, great in fact.  However, the gin was much lighter than I would have liked.  In fact, as I noted during my tasting, I wouldn’t guess that there was gin in there at all.  Thankfully that’s a very easily corrected problem.

Next I pulled down a bottle of Leopold’s, a gin made locally in Denver.  Leopold’s had a stronger juniper flavor and is generally a bolder gin all around.  With this choice the gin takes a much more starring role.  The resulting flavor blends the herbal qualities of the gin with the earthy flavor of the chocolate.  All mellowed by the smoothness of the cream.  Very tasty.

Slight problem.  I’m guessing most of you don’t have a bottle of Leopold’s on your shelf.  Not to say you shouldn’t.  A more mainstream gin that has a similar flavor profile is Tanqueray.  This option works extremely well, too.  To sum up the gin discussion, pick something bold.  Anything else will be covered up.

A common response when I mentioned that I was mixing up the Alexander has been “Oh, the Brandy Alexander.”  I would then explain that the brandy version is actually a spin off of the original.  I did try mixing one up though to find out what the fuss is about.  Not surprisingly the Brandy Alexander is also quite tasty.   Interestingly the flavor is almost like Irish Cream.  This version lacks the intriguing complexity that I love in the original, gin recipe though.

No matter what ingredients you pick, give this one a mix.  You’ll enjoy sipping the result.

I did a lot of experiments this week.  All with very good results though, I must say. I’ll start the discussion with the recipe that I started this week with, the one from the Savoy.  I tried Erik’s recommendation to muddle the pineapple and used Appleton V/X.  The result was a drink with a very mellow sweetness.  However, sadly, the sourness of the lemon juice is almost completely lost.  This recipe is certainly tasty, and you’d never guess that there is a full 1 1/2 oz of rum in there.  Not my favorite of the recipes though.

Next I’d like to discuss the recipe from Harry Johnson’s Bartenders Manual, but I can’t.  I wasn’t able to decipher the recipe in to something I could mix up.  Harry’s recipes call for wine-glasses as a measure.  In my searching (although not extensive) I wasn’t able to find out how that translated in to a unit of measure I could use.  So, I let it go by the wayside.  If any of you know what a wine-glass equates to, please let me know.

Knickerbocker (Harry Johnson)

1 oz Raspberry Syrup
2 Dashes Lemon Juice
1 Slice Pineapple
1 Slice Orange
1 Wine-glassful Rum
1/2 Wine-glassful Curacao

Finally, I experimented extensively with the recipe from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.  First a recipe, then my summarized thoughts.

Knickerbocker (Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails)

2 oz Rum
1/2 oz Curacao
1/2 oz Raspberry Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice

This is, very nearly, my favorite recipe.  I tried a few different rums and found them all to be good.  That said, my favorite two were La Favorite Rhum Agricole Blanc and Appleton V/X.  The rhum agricole gives you a more grassy flavor but there is no aged rum complexity present.  The Appleton V/X gives you more complexity from the barrel aging.  Appleton was my favorite, but I’d recommend you try your favorite rum as well.

Next, I found the sweetness of this recipe to be a bit too much for my tastes.  With the raspberry syrup and curacao you’re getting a lot of sweetness.  So, to make things a little more balanced I tried dropping both ingredients to 1/3 oz.  That was the perfect amount for either rum choice.  The balance is much better and the flavors from these ingredients is still present.  Now you know my favorite recipe.

Knickerbocker (Cocktail Hacker)

2 oz Rum (Appleton V/X)
1/3 oz Curacao
1/3 oz Raspberry Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
Orange, Pineapple and Cherry for Garnish

This is definitely one worth mixing up.  Good rum flavor.  Goes down very easy and has a great fruitiness.  Super tasty.