I like this but have always found it a little lacking in depth.  Tonight I added 1/4 oz of St George Bruto Americano amaro and found it an improvement.  Maybe will try a similar experiment with Cynar.

I had to try this drink; after all, there were 11 people who rated the "Oriental" at 4.0, and only one comment. I put the libation together using Rittenhouse rye, Dolin sweet vermouth, Cointreau, and lime juice. For my taste, the "Oriental" was a tad limey, so I added a Rittenhouse rye float of approximately 1 tsp, and things were much more to my liking. All in all, I would use less lime juice, or use more rye (perhaps 1 3/4 oz), or use the recipe but add a rye float. My vote is for the last option, but only because I tried it, and it worked out well.

Over all, I rated this drink at 3.5. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the "Oriental" is a good alternative for Margarita drinkers. I would say, however, that Margarita drinkers may find this to be a welcoming libation. Regardless, enjoy your drinks, but drive responsibly.

I made this last night - there's something special about Genever + apricot which is worth exploring. Three suggestions for next time... the Punt e Mes was a bit much - I don't think it needs the extra bitterness, so maybe something like Dolin. It's a bit large at 4 oz (not that it stopped me from drinking it). I'm very interested in seeing how the Bols Barrel Aged Genever works here.

Thanks,

Zachary

Dropped the "fresh squeezed" note because, ya know, all juices are assumed to be fresh squeezed in the land of Kindred Cocktails.

didn't really care for it, acidic sweetness from the orange juice didn't pair well with the vermouth and genever for my taste

Too sweet for me. Maybe an apricot eau de vie would be better.

This sounds lovely. If you are at all partial to Campari, try the Shiver -- one of my top favorites.

Yummy.

Doubled down on the fir with St. George Terroir. Tasty. 

I received a message from Julie Reiner. "... I did not create the Black Pearl. It was created by my former head bartender at Lani Kai. His name is Joseph Swifka."

Interesting drink! I thought it would be too sweet given the ratio of sweet to sour, but the bitterness balances everything out nicely. Fairly bitter, but also super-smooth. I'm a fan.

This is a fabulous cocktail -- a modern Hall of Fame contender. You have to get your head around the Italian amaro + tropical flavors juxtaposition. Once your mind settles down, it's a wonderful combination of flavors. The Smith & Cross is essential to have enough funk (and alcohol heat) to pull it off. It is a touch sweet, but even I (the hater of all overly-sweet drinks) love is as written. You could up the lime a bit, or scale back the Curacao, if desired.

Agree. It's my wife's absolute fave; I have to make it at least three times a week. Five stars all the way.

Tried this tonight, and really liked it. I'd agree that it's unbalanced toward the sweet side (Campari + orgeat + curacao is a lot of sweet!) - I think that the next try will be with 1/4 curacao and 1/4 Ango orange to cut the sweetness, which should also enhance the bitter of the Campari somewhat.

Thanks,

Zachary

A party hit! Just the right amount of bitter from the campari. I subbed out the curaçao with grand marnier.

I squooshed half a Meyer lemon in there, too...

Really nice. Tried it with both the campari and the cynar. Cynar version edged out the campari version in our household. I used Pierre Ferrand dry curacao as well. 

Good stuff. Made with Appleton Estate, PF dry curacao, and Gran Classico. For shaking I picked a couple pineapple sage leaves off my plant and threw them in the shaker.