Landon Brown

I largely agree with Peter Barth's comments. For me, the cherry heering and maraschino were most prominent. I think I should like to try it with double the absinthe (I see that Difford has halved it from what appeared here previously), which didn't stand out as much as expected. The flamed twist did add quite a bit on the nose, so don't skip that bit!

I would suggest trying this classic with the addition of a lemon twist (express the oils & discard) along with the nutmeg garnish. I get a sort of lemon meringue vibe on the nose, which really complements and brightens the drink.

I made this with slightly different ratios: 1 oz Wray & Nephew; 3/4 oz Chartreuse; 1/2 oz Falernum (home-made); 1 oz Lime Juice; 1 Barspoon Semi-Rich Simple. Unlike most of the other comments, my Falernum was very much in front (quite spicy, lots of clove and nutmeg) and Chartreuse was (uncharacteristically) playing second fiddle. I found it be a fantastic cocktail, but I suspect the Falernum you use will impact the outcome significantly.

Far too sweet and lacking complexity. You might as well just drink strawberry liqueur from the bottle, as the other ingredients don't lend a whole lot of flavour or balance to the cocktail. There's not enough acid from the O.J. and I have no idea what the maple syrup is supposed to contribute.

Quite sippable, not really so intense as some have indicated. Rye and Mezcal fight for dominance, with Averna somehow bridging the gap. Aperol lends bitter orange notes that tie together the garnish (originally flamed orange oil, as I understand) and the Amaro, with a bit of sweetness on the back end that ushers in the Elderflower ever so subtly. The ingredients are all keeping one another in check miraculously, but the cocktail somehow lacks a cohesive flavour.

A very nice taste, but it quickly transitions to a finish that's just a little too dry for me (for this kind of drink at least; I like myself some dry drinks in general). With a 5:2 ratio citrus to sweet, it's not surprising. I might retry this with just a hair more cinnamon and/or passion fruit syrups.

Difford has halved the syrups from the original recipe but only reduced the citrus by 5ml each, so that may be your problem. I tried his version and found it very heavy on the Ango, so I might try adding a little more syrup too.

For me, the orange blossom water is overpowering to the point of ruining the drink. Will have to try it again with less. The ingredients are all very sweet, with little else to add complexity. I fail to see any good reason to use sugar (which will never fully dissolve) rather than a sugar syrup - frankly, I would probably omit the sugar altogether.

Excellent, this one really surprised me. The Cognac and Grenadine create an almost cherry like sweet/tart combo that is perfect when paired against the Bourbon. Don't skimp the Peychaud's - it is essential to that underlying sweetness. This is an underrated classic, IMO.

I made this for the first time tonight using an Old Tom Gin -thinking the stone fruit notes would play well with the other ingredients - and a VSOP Calvados. The Old Tom might have a little less bite than a London Dry in this drink, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I kept Difford's ratios except I did 1/2 oz of homemade grenadine, same as Ryan. A lot better than I expected, but it sadly not very pink though lol.

Quite an enjoyable drink. I tried this recipe using a raspberry syrup, then did a second one upping the specs to 2 oz whiskey, 3/4 oz of each citrus and 1/2 oz Aperol and raspberry syrup, 2 dashes of Peychaud's. I preferred the second as the whiskey and bitters are a bit more forward.

There's no way this cocktail can possibly fit in any standard size coupe glass - assuming these are the correct ratios. It's a total of 5 1/3 oz volume BEFORE dilution, and then you have to factor in your egg white foam as well. I used an over-sized (11 oz) cocktail glass and it was basically full to the brim.

Should this recipe call for muddling the raspberries? I noticed it wasn't mentioned and figured the ice would do the trick, but when I cleaned out the shaker it looked like they froze solid and didn't release all their juice.

Yes, I think muddling the raspberries is the only way you're going to get much of their flavour into the cocktail. I can't recall a shaken drink that calls for berries without muddling them first. I made this the other night using a raspberry syrup (was OKAY), which is a better option if you have it available.

You claim that the use of honey syrup in the Brown Derby is a 'misguided belief' which stems from the '33 book "Hollywood Cocktails," but the only evidence you've given that maple syrup was in the original recipe is a column published 6 years later in '39, which uses an entirely different spirit and citrus. Seems a little dubious. Made a rather nice cocktail nonetheless.