May be better with cognac for more base-spirit flavor. Try skipping Cointreau. Promising.

Dan,

From looking at it, maybe drop the simple and change the Cointreau for Averna?

Well, it's supposed to be a sidecar riff -- get it ;-)

I'm not sure Averna has the orange to pull it off, but it might be worth trying. I think it's Montenegro that's very orange forward, but I don't intend to buy it as I've heard it described as a "creamsicle." The simple was there only because the kumquats were very sour. Sometimes they are almost sweet, though.

I'll try what you suggest. Since you have Amer Picon, you could take it in that direction. I do have a small amount of Amer Picon Biere. Maybe try that.

Tried this again. No kumquats on hand, so I muddled a small clementine with 2 swaths of lemon peel. Used Averna instead of Cointreau. Added a dash of Bokers and two of Regans'. Upped lemon to 1oz. Good, but not as good as it was with kumquats, I think.

Wow... a whole ounce of Batavia Arrack. That frightens me about as much as a 3 oz glass of Parfait Amour scares Dan ;)

So funny! This kinda Tiki-ish cocktail serves only if you're "one and done". I'd recoil in horror if I'd had more! Thank Lordy that moderation is a virtue.

Rob,

Did I ever tell you that I think Batavia Arrack smells like buttered stripper pole?

Depending on one's taste and mood, buttered stripper pole might be fun! You know Zach, one of these days I'm gonna make a batavia arrack cocktail called "Buttered Stripper Pole" just for you!
Speaking of arrack, I hope to try its Pinoy relative lambanog in the Philippines later this year.

Rob,

Check out the 17th Century cocktail, which I made to get over my fear of Batavia Arrack. I bet that lambanog smells like suntan oil!

Not sure how that lambanog will taste, actually. I've heard that Pinoys flavor lambanog with bubble gum flavoring and such, so I'll have to hunt down the real deal when I get there in November. Last trip there I tried the local rum Tanduay, and the gold stuff is passable in an Old Fashioned variant with calamansi and simple syrup.
I'm thinking of a toddy (or more properly a skin) with batavia arrack...something with arrack, hot water, lemon peel and spiced butter. That will probably be your "Hot Buttered Stripper Pole" =) Stay tuned.

Subbed out a few things - got good results: used B&B rather than Benedictine and Agave. Swapped the Whiskey Bitters for Grapefruit bitters, and used Averna as the amaro of choice. Sipping delight.

This is a brilliant drink, 5/5 for me. I followed the previous suggestions and incorporated the CioCiaro into the drink and used .25 oz simple syrup since I had no agave. My lemon slices were pretty thick, and I couldn't resist adding a couple dashes of rhubarb bitters. I used Bulleit bourbon.

I agree with others, it needs less agave. The drink w/ 1/2 oz agave syrup is very sweet, not quite cloying, but close. Otherwise the flavor is good--I incorporated the CioCiaro into the shake since others noted that the float sank.

Smells great. Too much lemon, it compresses the midpalate. Maybe either 3/4 oz of pineapple or 3/4 oz of lemon would work. Will report back.

The 3/4 oz of pineapple version is better than the 3/4 oz lemon version. More pineapple develops the musky aroma that accents the Bananas Foster/estery rum nicely, and gives the palate a sweet and sour thing.

Really good, and worth the effort of making the pineapple syrup. The rum shines, the pineapple complements from the background without taking over, and the cynar adds just enough bitterness. I love my Smith and Cross, and this cocktail is worthy:)

I made this by muddling pineapple chunks in Petite Canne cane syrup and letting it rest for a bit before shaking it, chunks and all, with the rest of the drink and straining. Very aromatic. The nose is a melange of overripe fruit esters from the rum, honey and savory herbs from the Cynar, and musky funky sweetness from the pineapple. These three ingredients draw a lot of great scents and flavors out of each other and are worth playing with further. The drink itself's delicious. I spent a few minutes just savoring the smells but downed the drink almost too quickly. Will make again.

I almost think you could sub out the S&C for 1 1/4 oz La Favorite Blanc and have another quite interesting drink. Glad you liked it.

I agree. I think the intense grassiness would do interesting things with the Cynar. I'll give it a shot if I ever pick up La Favorite for my home bar.

I enjoyed this, but I did find that the pineapple gets a little lost (even when raising it to 1oz) and instead tastes a bit like honey syrup. Hence the name?

Good drink overall!

There's an old Jamaican sugar plantation called Monymusk, and the drink's color and aroma reminded me of honey - a quick leap to the name.

Yum yum.

This is VERY good and exceptionally complex. I love the funkiness of the rum coming through. 

I just made this and it's fabulous. I can't believe I actually had all these ingredients in my bar.

It's so thick and creamy without having any actual cream - it's a great cocktail for a lactose intolerant person wanting an alternative to eggnog.

This sounds delicious. I think it might work well with rye instead of the rhum as well.

Curated slightly from 1 oz egg to 1 egg as per the reference.

I understand the preference for some brands, but Leopold Brothers Gin is not distributed everywhere. Could another mainstream gin be used? And could not Bittermen's grapefruit bitters be used?

Hey Dan,
The drink is built around that specific gin, so I'm afraid it may not with anything else. I'm going to say experiment, though! The key would be to find a gin that has a similar flavor profile that will work with the Green Chartreuse and bitters well. Perhaps another american small batch is out there that will work. American gins tend to have citrus notes that english ones don't. The citrus components of the gin are what make it work here (orange and pummelo zest). As far as bitters go, the Fee bros are what I had in mind & used, but experimentation will tell if Bittermans works well too.
It just doesn't work with well london dry gin though. Do let me know what you find. I'll see if I can come up with an alternate too.
-John

Maybe Bluecoat (out of Philly) would work - it's citrus + earthy/juniper

I agree. Give it a go.

<br />I stumbled upon this recipe and your notes. The one English gin, which is readily accessible and may work, is Tanqueray 10, which is notable for its citrus and floral notes. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but when I do, I'll let you know how things work out using Tanqueray 10.

Also, your notes go back to 2011 (my! how time flies!). In the intervening years, gin's popularity has increased. So, perhaps a microbrewery has developed a gin with the notes you are looking for. The newer American gins I have tasted or reviewed are not the light, fruity tasting gin you are looking for. Perhaps something has developed in England, however. Good luck in your search.

<br />
<p>
No Leopold Bros gin? Use Tanqueray 10 for a great gin heavy drink. After reading the notes on "Leopold Meeks," and the necessity to use Leopold Bros gin because of its citrusey flavor, I decided to make "Leopold Meeks" using Tanqueray 10 because it is a citrus and botonical heavy gin. I also made one other change. Instead of using Fee grapefruit bitters (which I have), I opted for Bittermens hopped grapefruit bitters.

The outcome? A great gin drink without the traditional juniper berry taste. Not having used Fee's grapefruit bitters, I can't say if my choice to use the hopped grapefruit bitters was better or worse. All I can say is that it made for a great gin drink with a definite citrus bent. I rated my variation on "Leonard Meeks" as a 4.0.

One suggestion: use only 1 tsp of simple syrup and add a small amount until the desired level of sweetness is achieved. For my taste, one and one-half tsp of simple syrup was much too sweet. Finally, I used a large Old Fashion glass, and after rinsing it with the Green Chartreuse, I poured in the liquid ingredients, floated a large ice cube, and then added the lemon twist garnish. The over-sized ice cube kept the drink nice and cold with minimal dilution. This is a drink that many will enjoy, even without the Leopold Bros gin.

Mojo: The recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp of simple :-)

<br />Thanks for bringing to my attention the typo I made. I meant tsp, not ounces. I carefully measured out one and one-half teaspoons. So I still stand by my recommendation to start with less simple syrup than what the recipe calls for. Perhaps many people will prefer one and one-half tsp of simple sugar in this drink. However, I believe most will find it too sweet; hence my suggestion to start of with one tsp of simple syrup, and slowly add more until the desired level of sweetness is achieved. Regardless, I thank you for pointing out the typo I made. I went back and made corrections in the original comment I made yesterday.

Meh. Used Blume Marillen and von Oosten, two fairly pricey ingredients. Not worth the ingredient cost. I question whether 1 tsp of gin is detectable. An okay drink, but I wouldn't return to it.

Personally, I would drop the pineapple syrup to 1/4 oz and add 3/4 oz lime - it might be like a Pegu Club then.

So I made this... made pineapple syrup, used (very) good brandy (Germain-Robin single barrel Viognier). Yes, it's sweet. Surprisingly, the Maraschino is forward. It needed some acid, badly, so I added 1/4 oz lemon. Still not a Dan kind of cocktail, but this has nice texture, and corrected for the modern palate, it's got redeeming qualities.

This sounds lovely. Finger Lakes Distilling Cherry Liqueur is also less complex / fresher than Cherry Heering, and less sweet too. Alas, I think it is only available in New York State at this point. I'm looking forward to trying this. It seems like a fruity Manhattan, in an circuitous sort of way. (I took the liberty of adding Combier Rouge as a bona fide ingredient.)

Rob,

This looks interesting -- which Calvados do you recommend, and does it achieve balance through the bitterness of the Vermouth?

Thanks Dan! Seriously, when I first sampled the Combier Rouge at Cirace in the North End it struck me with its freshness along with good cherry umami. I was impressed.

Truth to tell, I used "Originel" brand calvados that I bought today from Bauer on Newbury St because the price was right. It is rather fruit-forward and a more complex (and pricier) calvados might be more pleasing. I bought the Dolin from Bauer today as well, and I made this cocktail with the Dolin in mind. I wouldn't use Noilly Prat for this. Using Lillet blanc would make the drink fruitier and perhaps a bit flaccid; I'd definitely recommend using Cocci Americano as an alternative. The balance to me comes more through the herbal mix than from any bitter aspect, though I might try this sometime with cranberry or Burlesque bitters for fun.

Rob,

Ah... ok. I've got the Germain Robin apple brandy and Familie Dupont 86 vintage Calvados, which might scare some of those other ingredients into submission ;) I wonder if I can convince my likker store to carry the Combier stuff?

As for the calvados, scare away! And I was lucky to have found the Combier Rouge here in Boston at Cirace in the North End. If you're elsewhere, I'd advise you to ask about it. I'm an avowed cherry fiend, love making cherry shrub at home in season. That fresh/umami cherry taste is hard to beat.

Rob,

If you put your finger in the middle of a map of Texas, you'll be close to where I live. But I'm going to make an effort to track down that Combier.

Hey Rob - nice sounding cocktail, I was just in the midst of working with apple brandy and dry vermouths (tho specifically Laird's BIB and Cocci Americano) and was wondering what others might have come up with. Definitely gonna give this one a try, but the only cherry I've got is Heering

Hi VM, try this with Heering if you can't find Combier Rouge but turn up the Dolin a little to keep the brightness of this drink. And lobby your packie for the Combier Rouge! I'm a true fan of the stuff.