Recipe

• 2 parts rye whiskey

• 1 part red vermouth

• Angostura bitters

Stir the whiskey and vermouth together thoroughly with ice, and pour into a cocktail glass.  Add a few drops of the bitters, a twist of orange zest, and a cherry.

This is a vast improvement on my first attempt! This time I did three main things differently:

1. a higher proportion of vermouth, resulting in a slightly smoother and fruitier drink;

2. a twist of orange zest, giving a slight zesty aroma; and

3. most importantly, rye whiskey instead of bourbon, eliminating the rich sickly vanilla sort of taste, and replacing it with a plain, grown-up spirit, much more like Scotch to my taste.

I'd definitely have this again, and was tempted to have it again immediately.