Didn't have apricot liqueur, tried peche - not so good. Triple sec/orange worked pretty well, though.

A couple items...

First, this is a Troy Sidle creation (though I wouldn't be surprised if Toby was somehow involved in the final spec).

Also, the "official" recipe has since been posted online:

2 oz Wild Turkey 101
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Fernet-Branca
3 Blackberries
9 drops orange bitters

Lightly muddle the blackberries with the simple, add the other ingredients & shake with ice.
Put a bit of Coca-Cola in the bottom of a Collins glass, add 'shard' ice (tall, rectangular).
Strain shaker contents into prepared glass and garnish with an orange peel.

<a href="http://themixlab.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/interview-with-troy-sidle-of-…;

Nice catch! I will reverse the ingredients - leaving the old version in the comments.

Thanks,

Zachary

This was the original recipe posted: 1.5 oz whisky, .5 each simple syrup, lemon and Fernet Branca, 1 dash orange bitters, 4 blackberries, splash of cola. Muddle blackberries and simple, add remaining ingredients except cola. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass. Top with cola.

Thanks,

Zachary

Nice and refreshing; doubling the lime juice doesn't hurt.

Corrected to Lemon juice from Lime juice, as found in two references elsewhere. Originally posted reference is defunct.

I substituted scotch for the Yamazaki (didn't have any Japanese Whiskey) and Cocchi Vermouth di Torino for the Punt e Mes - really nice drink. First one I've made with the Douglas Fir. I thought maybe 3/4 was going to be too much of the Douglas Fir and the Domaine de Canton, but it was just right.

I tried this with 1 oz Montenegro and 1 oz Punt e Mes. Nice, but a touch sweet, even with the ratio change. I'd split the vermouth half sweet and half dry. An interesting Negroni variation. I also would suggest re-writing this with 1 oz portions to make the overall size more appropriate.

Lovely drink. Was a bit too sweet for my taste so added a dash of Boker's bitters.

<p>
What a delightful drink. Mine was not overly sweet as was the case for several users, and had a SLIGHT but pleasant bitterness reminiscent of a Negroni. And the orange zest brought everything home.

Based on the fine quality of my cocktail, I would not use any other ingredients as did several users. I suspect the Pisco used by them may have been the culprit. As with different brands of gins, different brands of Piscos may give you a different taste. Indeed, even where the Pisco is made will influence the taste. I have one Pisco made in Peru (Porton) and another made in Chile (Alto del Carmen). They are as different as night and day, yet both are delicious in the right mixtures. For the La Merced, I used the Chilean Pisco (Alto del Carmen), which is made predominately of Muscat grapes. What I have read about Piscos suggest that you choose your Pisco with care, and perhaps have two very different Piscos, given the impact they can have on the resultant taste of the cocktail</p>

To those who read my comments written yesterday, I owe an apology because I gave some misinformation of sorts. This morning, as I read what I wrote yesterday, I re-played in my head what I did to make my La Merced. And in doing so, I discovered a major difference in one ingredient I mistakenly used in place of what was called for. Yet that mistake is what resulted, I believe, in an excellent cocktail that I rated at 4.5.

Specifically, by mistake I used AMARO NONINO instead of Amaro Montenegro. The former resulted in a light tasting, very delicious, and by no means sweet drink. In fact, the flavors of each ingredient complimented each other. Today, I made a La Merced using the Montenegro (but only 1 1/4 oz), and I have to admit it was sweet and no where near as satisfying as the one made with Amaro Nonino; I would rate this drink at 3.5.

Now we know the culprit--Amaro Montenegro. So for a far better La Merced, use Amaro Nonino instead of Amaro Montenegro (and use 1 1/2 oz).

Based on the comments about sweetness, I made this with Campo de Encanto, Punt e Mes, and Montenegro (I find Nonino much sweeter than Montenegro, personally) as 1:1:1.  The result was not at all overly sweet to me, and Negroni-level bitter. (Which I consider a good thing.)