This drink caught me by surprise, mostly because--I think--I've been drinking and loving amaro-based drinks for the last month. The Aristocrat is decidedly different from those wonderful amari; it's sweeter and lighter in taste. I would drink the Aristocrat before dinner or on a lazy do-nothing afternoon.

There are several reasons why I like this drink: The greatest reason is the St. George terroir gin, which is exquisite to say the least. Its label reads like a who's who in the botanical world: "Douglas fir, California bay laurel, fennel, coastal sage, orris root, angelica root, juniper berries, and other profoundly aromatic botanical ingredients..." Pair a great gin with a top-shelf bianco vermouth by Dolin, and Cynar, plus subtle celery bitterrs, and you have a drink making you want another. So have it, and enjoy it!

In closing, I should add that those who like that amaro bitterness will like this drink because of the St. George gin in combination with the Cynar. If you want less bitterness, use a non-botanical gin such as Tanqueray Ten, Citadelle, or Megellen Blue. "The Aristocrat" is, in my opinion, a cocktail most people will enjoy.

I substituted Ledaig 10 for the whisky and Clément Select Barrel for the rum. This really did capture many of the tastier notes of cigar smoke without being overpoweringly strong in any direction.

A nice balance of complex flavors, eminently drinkable.

I had this as a four-star cocktail for a long time and today I realized I probably make it once a month and tell other cocktail nerds about it. Yeah, that's a five-star cocktail.

I love this review

Absolutely love this cocktail. It really surprised me with how complex it is. Very balanced, does not lean too sweet in my opinion. I highly recommend using Pusser's Rum in this. I also prefer to do 1.5 oz rum instead of 1.75. Can't recommend this cocktail enough!

Pretty sure this is supposed to have a dash of Ango.

Per comment and linked reference, added the missing bitters. Thanks!

Reminds me of a slightly sweeter less smokey, Islay Rob Roy (AKA Smokey Rob Roy). It has more complexity from the Beny D, Cynar & Absinthe compared to Sweet V. A great Rum, non-tiki, cocktail with layers of flavors and room to improvise depending on your sweet/dry pallet. Next time I'll try 1 & 1/2 oz Rum (I used El Dorado 15), 1/2 oz Islay scotch, equal parts Beny D & Cynar totaling 3/4 oz.

I considered calling it "The Devil in Miss Negroni" but worried that might be a bit gauche... 

A worthy addition to the range, I think. Used Bonal in place of Maurin.

Can you estimate a splash of Campari so it's reproduceable by other users? Thanks,  Zachary

Delicious with Tin Cup Colorado whiskey. I used a barspoon of Campari.

i didn't have Xocolatl Mole bitters available, subbed in 1/2 angostura and 1/2 black walnut and it was great.

Best use of passion fruit besides the Hurricane. I used puree, but it worked fine and still allowed rums to come through.