Wow, this changes every sip, it seems. Love it!

I like the balance between the ingredients. I changed it from 3/4 oz of simple syrup to 1 Tbsp of sugar (a bit less) since bourbon and applejack are already pretty sweet. I also think that muddling the coriander, sugar, a dash of water, and bitters together did a better job of releasing the coriander taste, though it was more work.

As of April 2012, you can't sweeten Oloroso sherry and still call it Oloroso - these have to be labelled as "Cream" or some other branded name. I have a feeling that since the producer and bottling is called out in the recipe, this should be Oloroso Sherry, Lustau.

Thanks,

Zachary

I reached out to Erick via Twitter and he confirmed the use of a sweeter Sherry, saying that Dry Sack 15 (which is 78% Oloroso and 22% Pedro Ximinez) works well. Some people might find that quite sweet - If you have both Oloroso and PX sherry lying around, try it with straight Oloroso, then add PX to taste.

Thanks a lot. East India Solera might work well too. I think with Oloroso it's already plenty sweet.

<br />Two users made comments about Smith & Cross overproofed rum being satisfactory, but no comment about the bourbon used in the making of The Professional. That's too bad because I believe the taste of this drink will, to a great extent, also be determined by the bourbon used. Some bourbons can be mild and mellow (e.g., Makers' Mark), while other bourbons may have a stronger, heavier taste (e.g., Bulleit Bourbon). Then, too, one needs to consider the proof of the bourbon. With these thoughts in mind, I put together The Professional consisting of Smith & Cross rum (114 proof), Elijah Craig bourbon (114 proof), and Campari (48 proof).

The combination of rum and bourbon I used for my first-ever taste of The Professional, I rated as 4.0. I suspect that using a lighter and mellower bourbon, such as Makers' Mark, will result in a cocktail that will be rated differently. So my cautionary note is: Pick carefully BOTH the bourbon and the rum you will be using in this cocktail. Your choices may well make or break your liking of what I think is a very good cocktail.

The creator of this drink piped up in a Reddit thread in /r/cocktails a few months ago and clarified the recipe. He called out Smith and Cross rum, OGD 114 (said Elijah Craig 114 and Weller 107 were also good) and said he served it over a large rock with a grapefruit twist.

Lovely and unique. Out of Punt e Mes and oranges, so I subbed 1/2 oz Cocchi di Torino & 1/4 oz Campari and skipped the garnish... So, yeah, a slightly different drink than intended, but still quite delicious. There's a minty-carraway thing going on that I'm really digging... Used the new Dickel Rye -- do you have a preference, DrunkLab?

I used Redemption Rye, which is the same juice (LDI) as the Dickel, and also found that cool mint/carraway accord you mention... going to try this with Rittenhouse 100 once I buy another bottle this weekend, the added proof should stand up nicely to the other ingredients. Glad you liked it! And I can't take too much credit for it being unique; I just took the recipe from the Fritz, subbed rye for the gin, and cut back slightly on the Maraschino. Still, I think I prefer it this way, and I'm glad it worked for you even with your (smart) substitutions.

While I haven't yet tried the Fritz or its predecessor, the Gerty, I guess by "unique," I meant the flavor profile. I would assume that the gin botanicals in the Fritz and the Pastis in the Gerty would be more present in those variations. The carraway flavor is neat to me because of its association to rye bread--my 2nd favorite use of that grain. ;P

Well in that case I agree--especially about the bread.

I'd like to try this with a half ounce of Bénédictine in place of the Maraschino, as a kind of nouveau Vieux Carré.... If anyone has any success with that variation, let me know! I need to acquire a bottle of Bénédictine first.

Well this was just fantastic. I made i with bourbon instead of rye, because that's what my guest prefers, but I can see how the spice of the rye would elevate it further.

Glad you liked it.

Quite nice anise notes to a Redhook variant. I might try 1/2 oz dry vermouth for sugar balance next time.

Made this tonight with Bulleit Rye, delicious. Just bought my first bottle of Luxardo yesterday (I know, I know) and this has me off to a great start.

I tried this with Benedictine, instead of Maraschino, as suggested by Rafa. It's fantastic, if a touch sweet. Another great use of Benedictine (so far I know of only two: this and the Vieux Carre).