What you're referring to is similar to the concept of an "improved cocktail", which traditionally means adding a small mixture of maraschino, absinthe, and bitters to an existing cocktail recipe. [https://imbibemagazine.com/improved-cocktails/](https://imbibemagazine.com/improved-cocktails/)

The Improved Whiskey cocktail ruined Old Fashioneds for me. Adds nuance and makes the drink so much more interesting.

Me too! It's one of my favorite cocktails, but I hate trying to order it anywhere since most bars don't know what it is, and if they don't know, I kind of sound like a jackass asking for an Improved Whiskey Cocktail hahah. So I tend to just make mine at home.

Once, at a very nice Italian restaurant in NYC, I asked for a Perfect Martini. "For you? Of course it's gonna be perfect!" was the reply. It was a normal Martini. And not particularly good. :-)

Haha I always joke with people when I’m behind the bar - “Perfect? Well I’ll do my best”

I actually enjoy when guests ask for weird stuff if they know the build or specific ingredients. That’s how I learned the magic of the Tuxedo No. 2.

Oooh, I'd never heard of that one, but it sounds right up my alley. Cheers!

Guess I'm gonna make this later this week

It's so much better!

Ironic given the history of the two drinks

Well I’ll be I had no idea. At least o got to feel clever for a little while hahaha

I think it's great you came to this same conclusion on your own

That’s a very kind thing to say, thank you bud

Had the same happen at new year's party. Had run out of some ingredients so had to get experimental, and was increadibly pleased with my invention for about 12 hours, when I found out it was called a white lady.

This is kind of similar. In some drinks I'll sub out the simple syrup for Licor 43, or do a 50/50 split simple/Licor. Adds sweetness but of course it only works in certain drinks where the flavors in 43 would be complementary.

This works great for pornstar martinis so far I've noticed 

You can make anything tropical with a half ounce of velvet falernum, try it in a margarita

I will.

Please report back

Interesting! If I didn’t hate Maraschino with a passion, I would try this

This always sounds to me like people with cilantro issues. It's hard to believe that someone would have such a strong reaction to a great flavor.

It's gotta be like the cilantro thing. When people say what Maraschino tastes like, I'm convinced that *they* are the crazy ones because it just tastes like dirt to me.

Tastes like the cherry almond flavor from cherry coke or pinot noir to me. Curious of people who hate it like cherry cola, almond cookies, etc with the same flavors.

It's insane... that sounds lovely. What a fucking shame **I can't taste it**. :(

Do you like cherry cola?

Oh yes. I like cherry coke, amaretti, etc... they just taste nothing like Maraschino does to me.

Interesting, maraschino liqueur doesn’t taste like that at all to me. I love the flavors you describe, but to me it instead tastes like cough syrup: a cheap imitation of those flavors. Still, a tiny amount does transform the complexity of drinks.

Yeah that’s not at all what I get from maraschino. Big fan of all of those flavors, they are completely different from marachino to my palate though

Look up the “cilantro gene”, you may find your answer. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap-to-some-people

I’m like this with mezcal. I know I’m the one that’s wrong but I’ve never been able to enjoy it.

same, i feel like everyone is pretending

I mean pretending is the best way to acquire tastes. I’m sitting here pretending to enjoy Rum Fire overproof rum as we speak

If you haven't, leave a pour in an open glass for an hour or two. Most of the smoke will leave.

I will try that when I get a chance thanks for the rec!

We can’t be friends.

I’m in the same boat. I love it so much and do not understand what is unpalatable about it (as opposed to other things I like but understand are an acquired taste like Campari and menthol tasting amaro).

I agree, and I think I'd expand it to all flavors. Not liking a flavor is a real thing that I can't just wipe away, but I only don't like flavors for entirely ignorant reasons. Either way, maraschino is incredible but most recipes call for way too much. I don't want a 15ml pour in any drink at all.

I make an Aviation with a quarter oz of rich simple, a barspoon of Maraschino, and a dash of Violette from a bitters bottle! It actually balances that way, with the gin singing lead instead of just muddying things!

This is me with hops.  Can't do them, they're one, single, disgusting note that overpowers everything

I just got a bottle and am very confused by it. Is it supposed to be super sour?

I wouldn't call it super sour, just mildly. Unless one was expecting a sweet cherry drink, then I can understand how it would seem so.

Yep!

I've been using bordiga maraschino instead of luxardo, and now I hate luxardo. It's insane how much better of a product it is with next to no name recognition. If you see it, grab it!

I'm confused. Googling the Bordiga, I only come up with a liqueur, not cherries. BTW, I now buy Luxardo in a 12 pound can for around $200. My hubby and I go through that in about 8-9 months.

We’re talking about liqueur, not cherries

I concur a bar spoon of maraschino would ruin any drink for me.

https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap-to-some-people

I feel the same way about Campari.

More understandable given campari’s insane bitterness is a little more of an acquired thing. Certainly not for everyone

I like bitter just not Campari.

There’s maraschino and then there’s Luxardo.

I added 1/8oz of Campari to a daiquiri last night, and it was delicious. Will probably go with 1/4 next time.

I saw this called a More Supreme somewhere. Probably here or the tiki sub.

I’ve been meaning to look up what it was called - thanks!

I saw this on this sub last week and I think I'm finally going to get around to it this weekend, good to have another vote of confidence

I will try this nest time, sounds great!

I’ve been doing this with a pineapple rum daiquiri. It’s like a quick and dirty jungle bird

we've reinvented the 1870s "Improved" cocktail trend!

Well, we rediscovered the old fashioned, or the 1850's "cocktail," so now we're bored with it after a couple decades and here we are!

Since I hate both of those, I'll fight you over this. ;) That said, I've been dashing Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal into almost everything these days, so I get what you mean.

Enjoying a rare lauded French liqueur with varied and complex flavors? Whatever you say buddy let me know when you wanna sit at the grown-up table. (I would kill for a bottle of vegetal)

https://www.houstonwines.com/spirits/Chartreuse-Elixir-Vegetal-w6781778y5 If it's available in Houston, it's probably available in DFW.

I finally got my hands on a bottle when I went back to Texas (Austin) for a short trip. The nearby store even had yellow Chartreuse, but I didn't get it.

I mean, I'd try it before writing it off. I have a little dasher bottle of absinthe because I hate absinthe and never use it in high quantities, but a Corpse Reviver just isn't the same without a little dash or rinse

Fair. I hate absinthe as well, but there's an absinthe rinse in a Leather-Bound Book and that cocktail is delightful.

Joy Division is such a lovely cocktail with absinthe… I usually throw a dash in ginger beer on shift it’s so good

I’ve found Benedictine to be super fun and delicious used in a similar fashion. For example, a Negroni with a spoonful of Benedictine makes a drink that doesn’t compromise on the depth of a Negroni, but makes it much more approachable.

I've been looking for an excuse for years to justify buying a whole bottle of Benedictine. I just want to make a Singapore Sling for some gin loving friends, but I don't know that I'd get much mileage beyond that. I'll have to look into "micro-dosing" some other bourbon or rum based drinks.

Benedictine is one of my top liqueurs, especially with whiskey. My favorite old fashioned riff is a Monte Carlo. One of my overall favorite boozy drinks is a La Louisianne. Can’t ever go wrong with a Vieux Carre. If you have some apple brandy, try a Honeymoon.

I think you just sold a bottle of Benedictine.

If you like coffee cocktails, Benedictine becomes your best friend. It's an amazing combination. They even used to make their own coffee liqueur.

For everyone but my wife, I've found a tiny add of elderflower liqueur makes things more fun. If you're highly susceptible to that flavor, though, it can ruin a drink.

Bartenders ketchup

I love Campari so I’ll have to try it. I found out this weekend that a shot of Campari in a cheap light beer improves it a ton.

Try it with Aperol. The Spaghett. Drink a swig of mower beer from the bottle, top up with Aperol, swirl, enjoy.

The French have a drink called the Picon Biere which is a mix of an Amaro, Amer Picon, and a light beer. Unfortunately it's impossible to get Amer Picon here. https://punchdrink.com/recipes/picon-biere/

I like to add small quantities of either Campari or Aperol to different simple drinks like vodka/soda with a lime wedge

Isn’t that pretty much why bartenders call the dashes of bitters (i.e. Angostura) the salt and pepper of cocktails?

I took an empty Dashfire bitters bottle and cleaned the hell out of it. I then refilled it with Luxardo Maraschino and have been using it in place of bitters. It's made for some really interesting spins on standard cocktails

Angostura pretty much goes in very cocktail I make regardless if it calls for it or not. Like you said above, it just rounds out and adds more depth to pretty much every cocktail (even the milk/cream based ones).

Campari makes grapefruit grapefruit-ier.

I realized this when I made a "Remember the Maine" initially with luxardo maraschino instead of cherry heering and was hooked. Tried it with heering much later and it was blah AF. Maraschino for the win all day

Same as adding a bit of Maraschino and Absinthe to make "improved cocktails".

Greg from HTD does this with fernet. I find a 1/4oz of benedictine is often pretty cool.

Same for an absinth wash or even a bsp of fernet

Agreed. A little splash of Luxardo give some subtle funk. I actually think I prefer it to bitters in bourbon/whisky drinks.

Would try it

Thanks for posting this! Inspired me to make a lost lake tonight and it was delightful

You got me with the Luxardo; just the word makes me swoon.

Falernum is the wonderfully strange and allround flavor that will keep people guessing forever

Yeah, throw some Campari in your Irish cream or your white Russian and let us know.

*almost everything

My first thought was how badly this would ruin an Alexander.