I was stunned by how good this was, used Martini and Rossi. Not an intuitive match to me but I'm an amateur.

Wow. First time I've had the Mezcal and Cynar pairing and I can see why people say it's genius.

Really shines with a white or joven mescal.

This is so wrong, yet seems so right.

Obviously Dan hasn't seen it yet - he loves drinks with a pile of creme de violette... There's an antique feel to this drink - violet and lavender and gentian from the Classico balanced by super leathery peaty Scotch. I think the gin could be subbed out (though I like it), as long as the Scotch is very very peaty, I think you'd be fine.

Thanks,

Zachary

This is an excellent and subtle cocktail that is still light and appealing to those often daunted by complex drinks. Personally, I prefer it with Creme Yvette as I find the Creme de Violette is a bit sweet for my tastes.

Challenging. I admit that I swapped the amounts of the Violette and Gran Classico. Austere and floral. The gin and Islay works better than it has any right to. Worth summoning the courage to try -- maybe even more than once.

The gin and Scotch work well together because they're made by the same people. Glad y'all have liked this.

Thanks,

Zachary

(sheepishly) Actually I use Beefeater and Laphroaig 10, although I did enjoy the Botanist. I'm not sure I got a ton of Islay out of it though.

Brilliant. Benefits from a little extra Gran Classico.

I love Gran Classico and am always looking for new uses for it. Somehow, this all of these ingredients come together into something that is complex, balanced, and most importantly unique! It's always fun to find something that tastes so new after the ten tons of variations on the same handful of classics. Also, some kind of chemical reaction is happening in this drink that turns it a crazy color...maybe the violette and classico? 'Metallic' colored, from a previous comment is a good way to describe it. Anyway, it tastes good and also looks super cool. This would be a great surprise to make for someone who likes islay scotch, or to stretch what creme de violette can do for someone who likes aviations.

GREAT balance and CINCHOUSE approved!

Thanks a lot!... This is one of those rare ones where I felt I nailed it on the first try... Which was fortuitous, since I was down to my last lemon!... Originally, I'd planned on Green Chartreuse as the modifier, but as I was reaching past the Cynar for it, I decided on a last-minute change. Glad I did, as the vegetal Cynar plays off the smoky tea wonderfully.

unique, not too bitter, almost savory but definitely needs a hint of sweet to balance and enhance flavors. I added 1/2 falernum to soften and keep the spice going with 2 dashes celery bitters to maintain the savory. Worth continuing to experiment.

Very nice. The ingredients seems like naturals on paper, and are in the glass. A touch sweet. 1/2 oz dry vermouth balances nicely.

A tasty cocktail with a Negroni-like taste, yet it is not a Negroni variant. A comment was made about the drink being somewhat sweet. Personally, I found the sweetness from the Cherry Heering to be off-set by the bitterness of the Campari. All this week, I searched Kindred Cocktails for a new drink that I would find very satisfying--all totaled that came to about five or six drinks, with none satifying my quest for a good cocktail. That is until I stumbled upon "The Arbitrary Nature of Time." This cocktail ended my nearly week-long quest for a satisfying one. I believe imbibers who enjoy a good Negroni, will definitely enjoy this drink. Personally, I rated this drink at 4.

For those who find this drink too sweet, I would not add dry vermouth as one person suggested. I would simply reduce the amount of Heering. Perhaps reducing the amount from 1 oz to 3/4 oz would be a good starting point. Then, if its not sweet enough, you can add a little more, until you attain the level of sweetness you like. It's always easier to add a little more, and not have to start all over; whereas, if you want less, you have to start from the beginning--often times tossing out a batch of expensive ingredients.

I suspect, however, that most people will be satisfied with the cocktail as given, and if not, simply reducing the amount of Cherry Heering will give them a cocktail they will not find too sweet, and will be able to enjoy.

A user flagged this - the recipe says shake and the cited link says stir. This looks like a drink that ought to be stirred to me, so I'm going to curate it. Thanks,  Zachary

No wonder the drink tasted so good--I stirred it, not shook it--and I didn't bruise it either! Thanks for the update on this tasty cocktail.

Looking to use up some Cherry Heering as we had two nearly full bottles of it open; revisited this one as I haven't made one in years since I got the Beta Cocktails book (and it uses 3/4 ounce of Cherry Heering).  Used Rittenhouse instead of the WT 101 Rye; it was very enjoyable, with nicely balanced bitter chocolate notes but maybe lacking that last bit of complexity that would bump it from 4 stars to 5 stars for me.  I'm surprised some thought this was too sweet, I didn't find it that way--it's less sweet than a Negroni or equal parts Boulevardier--and I'd like to think I have a somewhat middle of the road to dry-ish palate (though I've been known to have a heavy hand with my bitters dashes at times).