Yum…your drink sound delicious. 2 of my favorite things…whiskey & oranges 
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Another one from a few days ago … Svelte Negroni.
At times, I want a really light cocktail that is refreshing and not an Aperol Spritz. Also, I can have a couple of these without feeling too weighed down on hotter days. So I came up with a light spritz version of a Negroni without the sugar of the vermouth.
Ingredients:
1 oz gin (I used the Spanish Tann’s)
1 oz Campari
San Pellegrino
Finish with grapefruit bitters
Method:
Fill a collins glass or similar with fresh ice
Add sparkling water to 3/4 of the glass
Add gin and campari
Stir well with a long spoon
Add three dashes of grapefruit bitters
Top with sliced orange or orange twist
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Some friends and I did a blanco tequila tasting a couple days ago. Here is what we tasted
First up was the Cosa Salvaje Plata Tequila | Tequila Matchmaker from the Los Valles region of Jalisco. This bottle was in the mix as the tequilero is a woman… The tequila itself was rather floral with hints of white pepper, short finish, little burn. Consensus was that it was too sweet.
Then we moved on to the Fortaleza, which is also from the Los Valles region. We liked this tequila a lot, aromas and flavors we picked up were salt, white pepper, citrus and cooked agave. Long finish, pleasant burn on the finish that lingered but not unpleasantly so. What struck us about this tequila was how well balanced it was in all aspects. It smelled and tasted good, if felt good in the mouth and went down very easily, all the pieces and parts to this tequila were working with each other.
Next up was the Wild Common. This is a new to the market blanco, I had to order it from a vendor in Florida! Unfortunately, this tequila had an odd flavor at the front of the mouth that was pleasing; it masked other flavor and made it hard to pick up them up. The odd flavor was gone by the time the tequila hit the back of the mouth. The mouthfeel/viscosity of the tequila was actually quite nice, the finish was medium as was the residual burn. This tequila is known to have lactic and cheese like aromas and flavors, but what we were picking up was definitely neither of those. We discussed whether or not we thought the odd flavor might fall into the metalic/mineral category but ultimately decided that wasn’t an entirely accurate description. I will say, that first 2 shots I had out of the bottle when I received it were actually quite amazing, very creamy with strong citrus (especially orange) notes. 10 days later when we did this tasting the flavor had changed. I’ve not never known a bottle of tequila to oxidize, all I know is that the flavor changed from the first tasting and not in a good way.
The last bottle we tasted was the Cascahuin Tahona a completely artesenal tequila. We liked this one quite a bit and picked up cooked agave, citrus, some salt and a little pepper. The NOM for both Wild Common and Cascahuin is the same, meaning they were produced by the same distillery, and the styles were similar. The Cascahuin also had some traces of that weird off flavor but it was not offensive or overpowering. The tequila had a nice finish and burn. This also was a well balanced tequila and pleasant to drink.
Our last entry was Kirkland blanco and we tried it only because the hostess had a bottle on hand 
It was a nice, mild, non-descript tequila. There was nothing outstdaning about it, nor was there anything particularly offensive about it. In other words, a good choice for cocktails but not something you’d want to sip straight.
All the tequilas we tasted were from the Los Valles region of tequila, and with the exception of the Kirkland tequila most were in the $60-70 range, meaning they were mid-range tequilas, neither entry level, nor premium. The Cascahuin was purchased in Mexico, the rest were purchased in the U.S.
Embedded links will take you to the page for that tequila on Tequila Matchmaker where there is more detailed information (and reviews), including production methods for each tequila
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This is great content about tequila. @DiningDiva Thanks so much for sharing!!
My personal favorite of these is the Fortaleza.
The Fortaleza was our favorite too followed by the Cascahuin.
Made this over the weekend, a peaty variation of a Hug Tight. I will stick with the original next time, with the base spirit as mezcal, instead of peaty scotch. If you attempt to make this, add a little rosso vermouth to balance the drink.
Ingredients:
1 oz peaty scotch
1 oz Sfumato amaro
Prosecco to top
Lemon slice for garnish
Method:
Fill a rocks glass or similar with fresh ice
Add scotch and amaro
Stir well with a long spoon
Top with Prosecco
Top with round sliced lemon or lemon twist
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Ye be drinkin’ aloon wi this one. Peaty scotch is no me thing 
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Yet another one. White Negroni. Invented by an English chap in London 21 years ago IIRC. Suze from France is what one might refer to as an acquired taste. Really forward with the Gentian Root.
Ingredients:
1 oz gin (I used Tann’s, Hayman’s London Dry works wonders too)
1 oz Lillet Blanc (provides the sweet component like vermouth)
1 oz Suze (provides the bitter component like Campari)
Method:
Add gin and Suze and Lillet to a shaker half way filled with fresh ice
Shake 21 times (don’t ask)
Strain into a previously frozen coupe or martini glass
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What brand of chocolate mole bitters do you recommend?
I’ve been using Bittermens. It’s definitely bitter, but the chocolate does come through with a somewhat spicy finish. I like it in Manhattans
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Currently the house favorite cocktail…we’ve been drinking it since September.
Impulse buy at BevMo
Made from non-GMO, heirloom cacahuazintle - pozole corn. Hard pass from me, nearly colorless and tastes remarkably like tequila. Spicy, firey, decent burn on the fairly long finish, in other words, it drinks just like tequila too.
Not sure what to do with the rest of the bottle, might work in a margarita.
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Hot toddies are my current drink of choice with the weather change in southern California.
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Haha I was just discussing with coworkers that I cannot do hot alcoholic drinks like hot sake, hot toddy’s, mulled wine or Irish coffee. But this weather is making me rethink this stance.
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My palate hasn’t figured out hot sake.
But I quite enjoy hot toddies, mulled wine, and spiked coffees/hot cocoas.
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A toddy might be just this thing for this oddball whiskey
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Ever tried sweet potato shochu oyuwari? (Sweet potato shochu w/ equal parts hot water). Many sweet potato shochus are made with the intent of them being drunk this way. There is no better hot cocktail imo. So simple. So aromatic. So delicious. Like a warm potato blanket.
All Japanese supermarkets will carry Kurokirishima (Miyazaki) and Shiranami (Kagoshima). Both a classics.
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I have never heard of this but will keep my eye out during my next trip to Tokyo Central. This freezing cold weather is making me rethink my stance.
I’ve been making cachaça cocktails lately with Leblon. Favorite so far has been cachaça + homemade cranberry sauce + orange bitters (or sometimes Cointreau) + orange slice garnish.
Not necessarily a cocktail but…
I tried a new recipe for Scottish shortbread (good but could be better) Since the shortbread wasn’t very sweet, it meant that I could have a liquor with it. Hence…Licor 43, the Spanish orange and vanilla liquor. A friend in Germany told me this morning I should have added milk as the Spanish do. Sounds like a creamsicle/dreamsicle to me 
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