Had this again tonight. It's really a great cocktail. The Black Balsams adds quite a bit of complexity and depth and the grapefruit juice keeps it fresh and vibrant. Simply great. I can easily get Black Balsams in Boston. It's worth seeking out. My Latvian friend recommends aging it in the bottle for at least a year. Maybe I should put a few away for the future ;)

Added some El Guapo chicory/pecan bitters. Turned out really nice.

<br />Aptly named: It stings like the Green Hornet. Mostly because of the Green Chartreuse. I followed the recipe but found the Chartreuse to be overwhelming, and the Fernet Branca to be close behind.

I added about 1/2 oz more rye (Rittehouse 100) and added two dashes of Fee Bros Black Walnut bitters. I ended up with a 3.5 drink. Within the next week or so, I will use the following recipe: 2 oz Rittenhouse Rye 100, 1/4 oz Fernet Branca, 1/4 oz Green Chartreuse, and 2 dashes of Fee Bros Black Walnut Bitters. I would like to hear what others think about the amount of Green Chartreuse and/or Fernet Branca.

With this drink, personal taste may explain why I needed to make such major changes to end up with a decent drink. I believe the rye should be specified, however. Different ryes bring a different flavor to a drink, as does the rye's proof.

Too sweet for my taste. Might be the bitter lemon brand I used.Added a little lemon juice and a tiny amount of soda. Much better.

Dan, actually this sounds pretty yummy! Prunes have a bad rap, they are only dried plums and delicious properly dried. The Cynar and lime juice read like they hit the right notes, and I like the arrack and rye backbone. I'm gonna try this!

Just made it again tonight for the first time in a long time. Those little cans of prune juice have been littering up the refrigerator long enough. I tried it with both 1/2 and 1 full oz of prune juice and was happy with it as written. My wife didn't like it when I made it last time, but came around this time.

You are right prunes. A favorite ice cream of mine is "dried plum armagnac" from Lizzy's in Waltham, MA. Do you think it would sell as well a "prune brandy ice cream?"

Note: I cut the lemon juice from 3/4 to 1/2 oz--personal preference as I find many lemon/lime cocktails a little too acidic/astringent. The adjustment worked well for me. The Amaro Lucano augments the Black Balsams difficult to characterize ester aroma and flavor, yielding kola, slightly bitter dark berry, and citrus flavors. Well balanced and semi-dry, this one grew on me as I sipped and the glass warmed.

A little bitter, a little spicy. I'll try a bit less orange next time. I used Don Julio Anejo.

Tried this as above and liked it. Creole Shrubb works really well with the tequila and Cynar. But on my second try I made a small modification using Bittermans Xocolatl mole bitters in place of the Angostura orange. For me that made it even better!

A bitter margarita

It that really 3/4 oz of Peychaud's? That'll really put a dent in your bitters bottle!

Yes, that really is 3/4 oz of Peychaud's. If you work out the price per ounce, it's not bad.

Lacking Junipero, I made this with Tanqueray. The gin still shone through, even against the other intense ingredients. Contra Fred at Cocktail Virgin I found that the Maraschino dominated the swallow but the combination of Peychaud's and Punt e Mes canceled out its sweetness somewhat. The anise and cherry notes from the Peychaud's mostly showed up on the long lingering aftertaste. For being a quarter cocktail bitters, this drink isn't very biter at all, probably tamer even than a Negroni. (Peychaud's is sweet enough, and subdued enough in its bitterness, that it could probably function as a slightly bitter anisette, like what Punt e Mes is to other sweet vermouths.) The drink is very tasty, nevertheless, and the bitters give it an attractive color.

Although please note: I served it on ice.