thunderbolt

1 1/2 oz Powers John's Lane Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur (Barrow's Intense)
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.Two Fridays ago, my copy of Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails arrived, and I opened it up to find my evening's libation. There, the first recipe I spotted was the Thunderbolt by Jack McGarry at the Dead Rabbit that reminded me of a fruitcake with the baked fruit notes and winter spices. In the glass, the Thunderbolt launched off with orange, caramelized fruit, and allspice aromas. Next, a caramel-driven sip flowed into whiskey, banana, allspice, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

holy smokes

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters
1 tsp Ardbeg Uigeadail Scotch (Ardbeg 10 Year)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a flamed (unflamed) orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a reference to an intriguing drink called the Holy Smokes that has the Cardamaro-Benedictine combination found in the Midnight Mass and Bonatti & the Jets. Therefore, I tracked down the recipe to a 2022 Liquor.com article where it was attributed to Tony Devencenzi; Tony worked as a bartender at places like Bourbon & Branch before moving on to do brand work with Whistle Pig and now with Samson & Surrey. Once prepared, Holy Smokes proffered up orange, peat smoke, and herbal aromas to the nose. Next, a grape-driven sip from the Cardamaro led into Bourbon, peat smoke, minty, chocolate, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

pistolero

1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.My search for more information about the Gypsy led me to a set of online recipe flashcards for Bourbon & Branch from 2017, and for the night's drink, I returned to the contents and selected the Pistolero that was created nearby at Lolinda in San Francisco. Yelp has the Pistolero being on the Lolinda menu as early as 2015, and the bar still has it on their most recent menu. Overall, the combination read like a dryer and smokier version of Phil Ward's Lipspin. Once prepared, the Pistolero shot forth with a grapefruit, smoke, caramel, and red fruit aroma. Next, caramel and plum notes on the sip rode off towards smoky, vegetal, plum, dried fruit, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

bullfinch trio

1 1/4 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Becherovka
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1 dash Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.While writing up the Satan's Mustache, I did a web search to confirm the difference between the straight and curled versions of the gin-based Satan's Whiskers. That search led me to a ToastTab from a restaurant that included that classic and curiously a few recipes from Alcove in Boston possibly entered by a bar alumni. The recipe that called out to me was the Bullfinch Trio as perhaps a Negroni that traveled to the Czech Republic and underwent a metamorphosis; the current Alcove menu has the subtitle for the drink as "side angle side". Moreover, Alcove's Facebook has a 2019 post with a quote from lead bartender Will Piquette declaring, "I can just imagine cuddling up by a fire sipping on this cocktail (Bullfinch Trio) and watching the snowfall." Once prepared, the Bullfinch Trio opened up with an orange, grape, and clove bouquet. Next, a grape-driven sip led into gin, red fruit, cinnamon, and clove flavors on the swallow.

golden eagle

1 1/4 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.While writing up the Gold Drop for the blog, I was inspired to take the honey, lemon, and amaro trio in a mezcal-Braulio direction given how well that duo worked in La Jetée, Montañista, and other drinks. For a name, I dubbed this one the Golden Eagle after the official bird of Mexico and North America's largest bird of prey. In the glass, the Golden Eagle soared to the nose with a herbal, pine, vegetal, and smoke bouquet. Next, honey, lemon, and caramel notes on the sip landed on smoky agave, bitter herbal, pine, and floral aromas on the swallow. Overall, the combination reminded me of a smoky version of Eastern Standard's Metamorphosis.

bonnie & clyde

1 oz Elijah Craig Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1 barspoon Demerara Syrup (omit)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Sundays ago, I searched for online recipe flashcard sets that had Braulio cocktails, and I uncovered the Bonnie & Clyde at Forget Me Not in Denver that was distinct from the Bonnie & Clyde that I had at Brick & Mortar years ago. An article in Westword about the opening of the bar dates the drink to 2021, and it mentioned that Eastern Standard and Hawthorne alumni Nicole Lebedevitch helped to open the place as the beverage director. The Braulio-Pedro Ximenez sherry duo reminded me of the Cognac-based St. Bernard Pass, so I was curious to see how it would work in a double American whiskey version. Once prepared, the Bonnie & Clyde shot at the nose with raisin and pine aromas. Next, a rich grape sip drove away with whiskey, fig, herbal, and pine flavors on the swallow.

dead flowers

3/4 oz St. George Barrel-Aged Rye Gin (unaged St. George Dry Rye Gin)
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
3/4 oz Strega
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Absinthe (12 drop St. George)

Shake with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards from Death & Co. Denver, and I opted for the Dead Flowers from their Winter 2023-24 menu that read like a Corpse Reviver #2 riff of sorts with Amaro Nonino and Strega in place of the classic's orange liqueur and Lillet (plus aged gin as well). Once prepared, the Dead Flowers opened up with star anise, pine, and vanilla aromas. Next, lemon and honey on the nose blossomed into gin, pine, orange, and anise flavors on the swallow.

gypsy

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. Online recipe flashcards include a lime wheel and Difford's Guide includes a lime twist. See the text below for two alternative recipesAfter writing up the Le Tour with Green Chartreuse and elderflower, I realized that I had not made the Gypsy for the blog despite making a lot of these since 2017 when it was on the menu at Our Fathers gin bar in Allston. The recipe was crafted by Dominic Venegas at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco in 2007, and he described it as "a little homage to the Last Word cocktail." I made it using the recipe from the Our Fathers bar book that also matches Difford's Guide spec; however, after making the Gypsy, I found a set of online recipe flashcards from the Bourbon & Branch circa 2017 that have a more lime- and Chartreuse-forward version:

Gypsy (from Bourbon & Branch recipe cards 2017)
• 1 1/2 oz Gin
• 3/4 oz St. Germain
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lime wheel.

That recipe would put it closer in the camp of a Last Word (instead of being lighter, less herbaceous, and more floral) despite lacking the nutty and fruity bass notes of Maraschino; I cannot find evidence if there was a change over time though. Curiously, Kindred Cocktails has the St. Germain company website's version that upped the Green Chartreuse to 1/2 oz from the way I made it. The opposite floral switch would be the Time Traveler at Brick & Mortar that swapped in elderflower for the Chartreuse. Made the way my old bar made and Difford's Guide have the recipe, the Gypsy wandered to the nose with lime, grapefruit, and herbaceous aromas. Next, lime and pear notes on the sip flipped into gin, herbaceous, grapefruit, and floral aromas on the swallow.

satan's mustache (shaved)

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Cointreau (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Scrappy's)
12 drop Hellfire Bitters (2 dash of my 2009 batch)
3 drop Thai Chili (omit)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass rimmed with orange chili salt (microplaned orange zest, cayenne powder, salt).Two Thursdays prior, I spotted an interesting recipe in Teardrop Lounge's section of friends' drinks via online recipe flashcards called the Satan's Mustache (Shaved). It was attributed to Seattle bartender Jay Kuehner of Seattle as a crafty riff on the gin classic the Satan's Whiskers which itself is a riff on the Bronx. Here, it had mezcal instead of gin, omitted the orange juice, and had a spicy aspect to it. The "(Shaved)" part of the name is a reference to how the gin classic had a straight and curled version with the straight one using Grand Marnier instead of curaçao; perhaps the salted rim here is Satan's stubble? Once prepared, this curious drink began with a smoky mezcal and orange aroma. Next, grape and orange notes on the sip smirked at vegetal, smoke, orange, and pepper spice flavors on the swallow.