Uncompromising, unforgiving, delightfully smooth. This one really speaks to the part of me that's a former cannabis user, which may or may not make you happy. 4.5/5

Looks like a fizz riff on a Liberal... I'll have to try that. Two questions, though. First, if you've had Amer Picon (or a homemade version), could you sub it for the orange juice? Second, I've been looking at the Scrappy's Lime bitters... how are they?

It was very much fashioned off a Liberal. I definitely think you could sub the Amer Picon, though it would change the texture. I got the Lime bitters as a part of a Scrappy's set. I like them a lot - they remind me of the oil in a lime peel. I use them mostly to reinforce flavors already in the cocktail--and many of the other Scrappy's bitters function in the same way.

Lemon might need to be 3/4 oz - I'm fascinated by the way pineapple texturizes a drink... I also think you might be able to take this in a different direction subbing Peychauds for Regans' and a rinse of Pernod - think the whole faded violet/pastille accord.

1 ounce of Violette. Not teaspoon, not dash, not drop... I'm scared.

Dan,

You might need a full ounce of lemon, but I think it'd be more of a violet sour. CdV isn't that sweet, or at least the sweetness is rather transparent. I'd like your opinion of this and the Piña Ahumado as well. 

I tasted it warm with 1/4 oz Violette, prior to the egg and liked it. As written it is a bit flat. I think the egg white is homogenizing the flavors, which makes the 1 oz of Violette tolerable. Still, a sharper cocktail would be better, and I think acid fights an egg white's dampening effects. I might try skipping the egg white (although the texture is lovely) and scaling back the Violette, or really upping the lemon, or both. Note: I'm not a huge fan of Grandma's Perfume, so a little Violette goes a long way for me.

Dan,

Yeah, I think it needs 3/4 to an ounce of lemon. I also think the egg not only homogenizes the flavors, but interferes with your ability to taste sweet and sour flavors specifically. I do appreciate your trying the drink, especially considering your proclivities towards less sweet drinks.

This is now more harmonious. It loses a bit of the texture with the higher acid, the violet isn't as prominent, and it seems to push the gin forward. But it's a good drink in a fruit basket sort of way - lots of subtle aroma and flavor and it kind of has a raspberry accord from the cherry (Campari), pineapple, lemon and violet. Interesting.

This drink has such a unique flavor, and is 5 stars for me. The fruit and floral notes are nicely balanced by the Campari and lemon; each delicious ingredient contributes to an even greater final product. The end result is nuanced, layered, and harmonious. I used Voyager gin.

Christina, Glad you like it - gin, Campari and pineapple seem to be perfect matches for each other (in the way that dark rum, Cynar and lime are), but I struggle with both of those combinations - see The Riviera. It's also a great example of detailed commentary being useful. 

Since you like this, you might also try the Broken Shoe Shiner, from Beta Cocktails. 

Thanks,

Zachary

My to-try list keeps growing :) Thanks for the suggestions. I have always skipped over recipes that list pineapple juice, figuring they would be too sweet, but I sure did like the muddled pineapple, so I will keep an open mind.

Good cocktail, but a rather sweet. Would benefit from more bite from acid and alcohol. Suggest flipping Cynar and Tequila ratios, adding more lemon, and perhaps reducing Cointreau or eliminating it add upping the orange bitters (maybe Angostura orange). Promising.

The "history" for several drinks on Wikipedia were altered by a rapscallion of a bartender working at Drink who changed the Sidecar to Sam "Suck It" Treadway, the Sazerac to John D. Gertsen, and the Bijou to Ezra Star plus a few others. The damage leaked into such reputable sites as Tales of the Cocktail and someone even dressed up as John D. Gertsen to act out the creation of the Sazerac.

Anyone else wonder about the 1oz maraschino cherry? Assuming that’s just one cherry, right?

Yes, that must've been a "units" error. Fixed, thanks.

Pretty impressed with this - a Fernet cocktail (with more than 1/4 oz. of the stuff) that I can get behind. I know it's an Employees Only original, but any ideas as to where the name comes from?

In Argentina, a Fernet & Coca-Cola (effectively the national beverage) is sometimes called a Fernando. I don't know if the EO boys had that in mind when they named their decidedly not Coke-tasting beverage, but it could be the source, or perhaps both drinks draw from some older piece of Fernet lore I don't know about. Or maybe the EO guys are just huge ABBA fans.

DrunkLab, thanks for the info! And thank you for presenting it in a manner that made me lol at least twice.

Great

I'm under the weather with something called "para-influenza," which apparently is a legal term for "hatin' life," and this drink is treating me just right.

Just catching up with the site, and I appreciate your comments. Surprised you have that kinda eau de vie, it's not too common but man is it original and fun to use in weird drink formulas.
It takes a strong man or woman to enjoy an Alaska Forest! Hope you follow @52martinis on Twitter too.

Delicious. Bitter and refreshing. The Campari/Cynar/vermouth is the center of the drink: the Campari is definitely in control, but the Cynar adds interesting herbal/honeyed/savory accents; the blanc vermouth lightens it all up and adds wine, vanilla, and orange notes. Subtle mint from the Fernet and botanical complexity from the Tanq. Some unexpected leather notes on the way down. The orange oil upfront is worth the three twists. I made this half-sized and upon my first sip immediately wished I'd made more.

Did not have bianco vermouth; subbed in Lillet Blanc. Very refreshing, bitter with just enough sweet to balance 👍🏼

Bottom three ingredients differ from Amaro by BT Parsons. This is better.