John Hinojos

Have stayed away from Manhattans as I do not like sweet cocktails. This was great. Just a hint of sweetness, but the vermouth combinations gives hints of dry sherry with Bourbon.
Would definitely have again.

After many years, tried this again. Not liking my cocktails sweet, we used unsweetened cranberry juice. Substituted homemade grenadine for the sugar syrup. A little on the tart side, but perfect.

Simon, thank you so much for this Margarita variation. It is Outstanding.
Unfortunately, too many Margaritas are sweet. This is more like I get a Margarita in the non-tourist areas of Mexico.
We use a mix of reposado and anejo tequila. Perfect balance between sweet and bitter.

Second time trying we reduced the Grand Marnier. Uppped the vodka a little as it was much drier. Great.

Really liked the subtle sweetness. Was afraid it would be a bit too sweet. The mixture of ingredients provides a soft herbal and spicy flavour.
Tried with a spray of absinthe on the top and it was wonderful also. A little more herbal.

This was a great cocktail. Not being a fan of mezcal and its smoky nature, I did dial back the mezcal a bit and added some anejo tequila in place. 1/4 oz mezcal and 1/2 anejo tequila
It went perfect with a dinner with fried fish. Still had a faint hint of smoky, but not overwhelming.

Wanted a drier version, so left out the sugar and put the lemon peel in a shaker with the other ingredients. Beautiful.

20 May is also Liza Doolittle Day according to the musical My Fair Lady in the song Just you wait. "Next week on the 20th of May, I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day."

Made this again in Martinique Nielssen overproof white rhum and it was outstanding. The flavours really pop with the Agricole rhum.

I would love to see Musk take a rocket to Mars.

Had forgotten about this martini. Last had in 2021. If you love absinthe, this is the martini for you. The absinthe pulls out all the herbal hints of the gin. Outstanding.

Had this again for UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day. Wanted to make it a bit drier so omitted the sugar syrup and cut the vermouth by a quarter.

Made this again but using Edinburgh Gin. Edinburgh Gin is my favourite gin as it has a spice and punch that many other gins do not. The gin made this cocktail really pop. The herbal flavours pull out the floral nature of the violet, but still is not sweet. Upped my rating by 1/2 star.

I loved this cocktail, but you MUST like an angrcole rhum flavour. It will not be for everyone.
I used a Barbados gold and Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc over proof. I chose a Barbados rum as Barbados does not allow sugar adulteration to its rum. Many Cuban, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Island rums allow added sugar. Unadulterated rum goes better with Agricole.

A great cocktail. Here are my ratios (I like to keep it simple):
2 White Rum (Plantation/Plantaray)
1 Pomegranate Juice (POM brand)
3/4 Lemon Juice
3/4 Orgeat
1/2 Egg white

Thanks for the suggestion. We followed your measurements, and added some fresh strawberries in the glass with a 151 Rum float. Wonderful.

What a wonderful cocktail. Used Jerry Sungold's adjusted recipe and used a few fresh strawberries as a garnish. As we are big rum drinkers, added a small float of 151 rum. Outstanding.

Made this again, but wanted it not as sweet.
Use St. James Martinique Acricole, Stades Barbados ambre, Neissen Martinique overproof white, Hamilton Jamaican Black. Also used Clement Creole Shrub in place of the dry curacao and Amaretto in place of the Orgate.
Result was a wonderful Agricole Mai Tai. If you like the taste of agricole rhum, try this option.

This was outstanding. But you MUST love agricole rhum or it will not taste correct for you. The grassy and funk nature of agricole works perfectly.
I used a Martinique rhum, a high proof Caribbean blend by Hamilton, and a Hamilton Black Jamaican Rum. The mixtures of the unadulterated rum from Martinique and Jamaica work wonderfully together.
On my favourites.

Thanks John. I'll be looking for those.
Having noticed how sweet Planteray Three star is I won't buy it now. Enjoying the Barbancourt 8 yr old.

If you go to the internet and search rum sweetness chart you will find a somewhat easy to use chart on how much adulterated sugar is added to the rum. I use the one from Rum Revelations. It will help you in your search for less sweet rums.

Outstanding indeed. I Just got a bottle of Hamilton 86 Demerara based on your advice to another discerning drinker re black rum a while back. Did not disappoint to say the least. If I might ask what do you recommend for a light charcoal filtered rum?

For my rum I tend toward those with less sugar adulteration. My go to rums for most mixed cocktail is Stade's gold or white. It is from Barbados which forbids sugar adulteration. I use both Stade's Rum Bond No.8 for gold; Stade's Rum Beach Vat No 1 white.

I am a rum purist and do not accept any sugar adulteration. I want the full flavour of the rum. I tend toward rums from Jamaica, Barbados, Martinique, or Haiti.

Simon. Thank you so much for this cocktail. I normally find Manhattans a bit too sweet, but this is perfect. Nicely balanced with a hint of chocolate and orange. Not overly sweet. Perfect for an evening sipper.

Had this again as an evening sipper. Used dry vermouth to cut down on the sweetness as we like our cocktails on the dry side. Perfect as always. Did add a spray of absinthe on the top of the cocktail as well as being in the cocktail