As I already mentioned, the big problem with making cocktails at home is that most recipes on the internet/books mention crazy ingredients that there’s no way I have, that feels insane to buy just for one specific cocktail or that there’s no way to get in Israel. I make sure to always have the basic stuff, and when I see a certain liqueur/spirit appearing in enough recipes I want to make and I can’t do without it - I’ll try to buy it. Of course I don’t count weird purchases, like Strega liqueur I bought at duty-free in Italy because the yellow color seduced me.

The result is that many times you just need to improvise. Mix whiskeys because I only have a little left of each bottle, look for spirits with similar flavor profiles to what’s required in the recipe, replace one bitter with another. The great luck is that cocktails are very forgiving - if you follow the defined ratios and maintain the essence of the ingredient (neat spirit, liqueur, sweetener, acid, bitters..) it will probably turn out successful. Here - a cocktail where I even had most of the ingredients! The Strega liqueur is really a weird (but cool) departure, and I highly recommend buying Amaro Montenegro and green Chartreuse for those starting to advance. They are very very useful.

The Original Recipe

• 1 1/2 ounces blended Scotch, preferably Cutty Sark Prohibition
• 1/4 ounce Strega
• 1/4 ounce Becherovka
• 1/2 ounce Amaro Montenegro
• 2 dashes Bitters Lemon Ginger Tincture

What changes did I make?:

Instead of Becherovka - I used green Chartreuse. Spiced vodka would also work

Instead of lemon bitters - I used orange bitters. Any citrus will work similarly

If you don’t have Amaro Montenegro, any amaro will work. I recommend Montenegro - it’s also great with tonic

If you don’t have Strega, you can try any sweet herbal liqueur - yellow Chartreuse, Galliano, Averna