act of union

1 1/2 oz Virginia Highland Malt Whisky
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lemon
1/4 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

At the Citizen Public House, Andrea started by asking for the Act of Union from bartender Sean Frederick. The drink features a whisky produced by the Virginia Distillery Company; the VDC purchased a Highland malt whisky from Scotland and finished it in port-style wine casks from a local Virginia winery. The cocktail is most likely named after the Act of Union of 1707 which joined England and Scotland into Great Britain.
The Act of Union's grapefruit twist provided much of the drink's initial aroma. A lemon and malt sip later gained Aperol flavors as the drink warmed up. Finally, the smoky almond swallow showcased how surprisingly well Scotch and orgeat pair together.

[jab molassie]

2 oz Scarlet Ibis Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup
1/4 oz Coconut Cream
1/4 oz Angostura Bitters
1 pinch Salt

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

For Andrea, Sean Frederick at the Citizen made a drink that captured his experiences in Trinidad and recreated them in a glass. For ingredients, he used a Trinidadian rum, Scarlet Ibis, for the island, and Angostura Bitters for the competition that he was down there for. The coconut cream represented the coconut water that he used to keep hydrated, and the pinch of salt to symbolize all of the sweating everyone did during that week. Since he was down there during Trinidad's carnival season, I considered dubbing the unnamed drink after that except that Kevin Martin had previously named a pisco drink the Carnivale. Instead, I dubbed it after one of the traditional characters in the Trinidad carnival, the molasses devil or Jab Molassie.
The drink proffered a citrus aroma that led into a lime and coconut sip. While the swallow presented the rum and Angostura spice, it was pretty smooth for a drink containing that much Scarlet Ibis and bitters; perhaps a combination of the salt and the coconut cream softened the swallow.

broadside

2 oz Hayman's Royal Dock Navy Strength Gin
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Rooibos Tea Syrup
5 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass that had been smoked with a smoldering cinnamon stick.
Sean Frederick was one of the American finalists in the 2012 Angostura Bitters Cocktail Challenge, and that honor allowed him to compete recently for the global competition in Trinidad. When Andrea and I stopped in at the Citizen two Mondays ago, I asked Sean about his trip and the experience which happened to center around their carnival. As we got to talking, I asked if he could make me one of the drinks that he competed with; Sean replied that he only had the ingredients on hand to make one of them, the Broadside. The Broadside utilized a smoked cinnamon treatment to the inside of the glass before the drink was strained, and the smokiness matched the nautical meaning of the name. A broadside in naval warfare is the simultaneous firing of all of the cannons on one side of the warship which can definitely be a rather smoky ordeal. Indeed, once mixed, the smoke joined the spice aromas on the nose. Next, a lime and floral sip led into gin, tea notes, and spice on the swallow.

white light

2 oz Tanqueray Gin (Tanqueray Malacca)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I decided upon a Martini variation called White Light, perhaps named after the Velvet Underground song and album title, created by Carlo Caroscio at Volt in Frederick, Maryland, circa 2013. The trio of wine elements reminded me of the Bizarre Love Triangle, and it had been a while since I have had something akin to a Martini. In the glass, the White Light exhaled a lemon, herbal, and pine aroma. Next, white grape with a hint of orchard fruit on the sip flowed into gin and fruity herbal flavors on the swallow.

good john

2 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash Bitter Truth's Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

On Monday night after Eastern Standard, we went over to the Citizen Public House for a nightcap. The bar had just opened a few days before and we learned through Twitter that Sean Frederick was at the stick, so we stopped on by. The drink I picked was the Good John which was pretty much the Irish whiskey and lemon facsimile of the Old Tom gin and lime Emerson Cocktail. I was partially drawn to it for after spending several days in Ireland, I completely missed the chance to have Irish whiskey there. Perhaps, it was due to the fact that the two most widely available brands in Cork from the nearby Midleton Distillery are Powers and Jameson which are rather abundant here in Boston.
The Good John's nose was mainly lemon oil with a hint of Maraschino liqueur. The sip was a combination of the whiskey and lemon followed by the rich Carpano sweet vermouth and funky Maraschino on the swallow. The balance was surprisingly more on the drier side than I expected. Andrea went for a tequila drink on the menu named after bullfighter Miguel Espinosa's nickname "Armillita Chico."

While sipping our drinks, a motley crew of the New York chapter of the United States Bartending Guild (USBG) showed up as the Citizen was one of the later destinations of their day long barcrawl through Boston. While we did not try any of the Fernet Branca on tap (at $3 a shot, it is the cheapest in town), we were roped into a shot of Rittenhouse 100 Rye with some of the USBGNY members. Besides the Fernet tap, the Citizen is rather notable for its impressive list of whiskeys from across the country and around the world. Most of them, unlike the Rittenhouse and a few others, should be savored instead; the Citizen has an ice ball maker just for this purpose.

scarlet swizzle

2 oz Scarlet Ibis Rum
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 oz Don's Mix (*)
4 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters

Build in a Collins glass. Add crushed ice and swizzle until the glass begins to frost over. Garnish with a grapefruit twist and 4 mists of St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram. Add a straw.
(*) 3 parts white grapefruit to 1 part cinnamon syrup. Note that this varies from the regular Don's Mix which is 2 parts grapefruit to 1 part cinnamon syrup; 1 1/2 oz of regular Don's Mix + 1/2 oz of grapefruit juice should be equivalent.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I got dinner at the Citizen after my DJ gig. For my first drink, I asked bartender Sean Frederick for the Scarlet Swizzle that replaced the 19th Century Swizzle on the menu. While the 19th Century Swizzle called for Smith & Cross as the base spirit, the Scarlet Swizzle acquired its name from the Scarlet Ibis Rum from Trinidad & Tobago. Scarlet Ibis was created by request for Death & Co. by blending a variety of 3-5 year old rums to pack a funky, strong punch.
The Scarlet Swizzle's nose was full of grapefruit oil and allspice notes that combined to proffer a clove-like aroma. The grapefruit from the Don's Mix mingled with the aged rum's caramel notes on the sip, and the rum's heat and funk appeared along with the Don's Mix's cinnamon on the swallow.

regent's punch

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
2 oz Brewed Green Tea, Cooled (Choice Organics Japanese Green)
1/2 oz Lemon Cordial (*)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon slice (omit garnish).
(*) Lemon cordial is a scaling of the following: the peel of 1 lemon in 1 oz sugar for 30+ minutes. Dissolve sugar in 1 oz lemon juice and strain.

One of the recipes that I had flagged in Nicola Nice's The Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home was the Regent's Punch as adapted from Eliza Leslie's 1837 Domestic Cookery in Its Various Branches. That source recipe called for "any liquor suitable for punch" and Nicola opted for Bourbon. This recipe was a much more stripped down version of perhaps more authentic versions. David Wondrich in Punch provided a history tracing the original elaborate recipe back to perhaps a Prince of Wales, namely George Augustus Frederick. Getting at an bona fide recipe is challenging for many were recorded over the 19th century. William Terrington in the 1869 Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks listed arrack, brandy, Champagne, Maraschino, pineapple syrup, lemon and orange peels, sugar, and green tea, while Eliza Acton in the 1845 Modern Cookery for Private Families dropped the Maraschino and included Jamaican rum. Regardless, this simple version felt akin to the Zombie Essence that reduced the ten part drink from 1934 to five all while keeping the feel alive (or at least undead).Regardless, I am a sucker for green tea-containing punches such as Cold Ruby and G.M. Gurton's Punches, so I was game to give this one a go. In this cup, this punch proffered Bourbon and lemon oil aromas. Next, a lemony sip succeeded into Bourbon, tea, and lemon flavors on the swallow. Overall, rather pleasant, but I can see how gussying it up with additional flavors from the more extravagant recipes would prosper.

manhattan project

1 oz Old Overholt Rye
1 oz Zucca Rabarbaro (Sfumato)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
4 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I was scanning the Kindred Cocktail database for rabarbaro recipes to make use of my newly opened replacement bottle of Sfumato. There, I uncovered an old recipe from Carlo Caroscio that he created at Volt in Frederick, Maryland, in 2013; I met Carlo in 2016 when he joined the team at Backbar where he rose to bar manager, and he recently left Backbar for Portland, Maine, to help run the Death & Co. project The Danforth. The Manhattan Project reminded me of one of the recipes at La Brasa when I first joined in 2019 called the Law of Octaves (2 oz Old Overholt Rye, 1 oz Zucca, 1 dash Prohibition Aromatic Bitters; coupe with flamed orange twist) but this one added sweet vermouth and orange notes to the mix. Once prepared, the Manhattan Project led off with an orange, herbal, and roast aroma. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip gave way to rye, bitter herbal, and orange flavors on the swallow.

yvonne's honey bee

2 oz Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum
1/4 oz St. George Pear Eau de Vie
3/4 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with 10 drops of Angostura Bitters.

Two Wednesdays ago, I took advantage of my night off by heading into the Downtown Crossing area. As a first stop, I paid a visit to Yvonne's Library Bar where I found a seat in front of bartender Sean Frederick. For a drink, I requested their variation of the Honey Bee; the classic recipe appeared in David Embury's The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. Embury explained in the gin-based Bee's Knees that "the same drink, except for the use of white Cuban rum in place of the gin, is known as the Honeysuckle. The same drink with Jamaican rum is the Honey Bee." Here, the rum is Barbadian instead of Jamaican; moreover, pear brandy, egg white, and a bitters garnish round out the changes.
This Honey Bee gave forth a clove and allspice aroma from the garnish sitting on the egg white froth. Next, a creamy lemon and honey sip led into a rum-driven swallow with a pleasant pear and spice (from the garnish) finish. Indeed, the pear eau de vie added a bit of complexity to replace the high ester content that would have been found in the classic's Jamaican rum.

figawi

2 oz Banks Rum
3/4 oz Five Spice Syrup (recipe)
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
Two Mondays ago, we waited for a break in the rain and then headed into the Citizen Public House where Sabrina Kershaw and Sean Frederick were bartending. For a drink, I asked Sabrina for the Figawi named after an annual charity boat race from Hyannis to Nantucket each Memorial Day weekend. The regatta apparently got its name when one of the boats got a little lost and the question "Where the fuck are we?" sounded a little different with a strong Massachusetts accent. The drink itself offered a star anise aroma from the syrup that played well with the lime notes. Lime juice on the sip was followed by the funky rum and spice that dried off the swallow. At first, cinnamon and anise notes were most discernible, and later a peppercorn flavor came out.

[kartini]

2 oz Batavia Arrack
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz B.G. Reynolds Orgeat
1/2 oz Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry
1/4 oz Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Two Mondays ago, we ventured over to the Citizen Public House when Sean Frederick was bartending. For a drink, I asked Sean to make me something with Batavia Arrack and sherry. Sean thought for a moment and then set into action to craft a complex Tiki libation by putting orgeat, lime, and a healthy dose of Angostura Bitter into the mix. The structure of the drink reminded me of something he made for me on the fly after returning from the Angostura competition in Trinidad that eventually got dubbed the Jab Molassie. For this unnamed drink, I dubbed it the Kartini after Raden Ayu Kartini, an Indonesian heroine who was a pioneer of women's rights there.
The nutmeg garnish's aroma greeted the nose. A lime and grape sip led into a swallow filled with Batavia Arrack's rum-like funkiness and the sherry and orgeat's nutty raisin flavors. Finally, the bitters added a complex cherry, dryness, and spice to the finish.

:: fred's top 10 cocktail moments of 2011 ::

I was all prepared to write a rambling year end post, and I decided to look at what I did last year and saw that I did a top 10 list. Since a little order would help bring my thoughts together, here are my random favorite aspects of the 2011 drinking season.

1. Visiting New Bars in Boston
Boston gained a lot of new bars this year, and we witnessed an exciting diaspora across town as well as receiving new talent from elsewhere. I did write a preemptive post about four bars opening at the end of this year and three of them did open. What I was surprised about was how different these three were. With Jackson Cannon's new bar, Hawthorne, there is a formal feeling to the precision and presentation of the experience. Patrick Sullivan and Misty Kalkofen's Brick & Mortar is at the opposite end of the spectrum with a slightly divier feel with rather inventive cocktails. Journeyman and Sam Treadway's Backbar has a very intimate and comfortable feel to it. Other recently opened and soon to be opened bars like Hair of the Dog and Max Toste's Lone Star Taco Bar await.
2. Traveling to New Cities
While I mainly write about Boston, I did have the opportunity to travel this year. In June, we found ourselves in Chicago, and I took up bartender Paul McGee's offer to visit him at the Whistler. Of course, July was Tales of the Cocktail so I was able to have drinks at the Cure for the third year in a row. When I ordered my first drink this time, King Vittorio's Cobbler, I was quite impressed when the bartender immediately remembering that he made me a Cobbler the last time I was in there a year before! In September, I attended my brother's book launch party in New York. Before that event and after getting lunch, I was able to fit in visits to Vandaag and Lani Kai. I was a bit surprised when I walked into Lani Kai, and April Wachtel (who used to work at the Gallows here in Boston) was behind the stick! While not in a different state, Worcester was one of our destinations this year. We paid visits to Armsby Abbey and the Citizen; we have yet to visit Still and Stir, the bar that the Citizen moved its bar program to (within the same building complex) that is open Thursday through Saturday.

3. Science!
In March and April, I did a series of experiments studying the effects and importance of chilling one's glassware. I compared ice water vs. freezer chilling, how long each technique would take to cool the glass effectively, and what role could glass weight, shape, and thickness play in the process. I also attended a great seminar held by Harold McGee and Dave Arnold on the Science of Cocktails with great tips on carbonation and capturing flavors.
4. Beer Cocktails
One of the trends we have been excited about is beer cocktails, and I was privileged to host another Mixology Monday this year and use beer cocktails as the theme. Looking back at all the beer cocktails I have had while out in Boston in 2011, I have to give props to Trina's Starlite Lounge, Hungry Mother, No. 9 Park, Stoddard's, Estragon, Lineage, Russell House Tavern, and Ben Sandrof's Sunday Salon for broadening my experience this year!

5. Press!
While I do a lot of writing about other people, it was quite flattering to have some of that in return this year. Susanna Bolle of WBUR Public Radio Kitchen has written about the blog twice this year: once in March about the blog in general and the glass cooling experiments, and once in October about a Becherovka drink Sean Frederick made me at the Citizen. The blog even got a mention on CNN's Eatocracy blog about the glass chilling work. I forgot which month the book came out, but some of my pointers about eggs were quoted and put into Gary Regan's Annual Manual for Bartenders 2011. I was also interviewed after Tales of the Cocktail in The Feast about new trends, but that site seems to have gone the way of the dodo (Google cache still has the article though). Moreover, drinks I had created were written about in CitySip, A Jigger of Blog, Mutineer Magazine, and elsewhere.
6. The Boston Flip (now On the Bar)
One of the most useful smartphone apps to come out this year was On the Bar which allows bartenders to check in and imbibers to figure out who is working around town -- the 4Square for bartenders that everyone wished would happen, did in fact happen. After prototyping the software and giving advice, the main developer asked if I would be willing to do write ups on the bars. While I wrote up the first 16, a few more have appeared in my style which I find rather flattering, but overall I am glad that I played a small role in this app's development.

7. Writing Other than Here
I mentioned that I had written copy for the On the Bar app, but 2011 also saw my writing in other venues. This year I was asked to write a LUPEC column about Tales of the Cocktail in the WeeklyDig; the honor also garnered me the DUDEPEC name of Screwdriver for my efforts. In addition, I participated in a post exchange with Sarah Lohman of the historic food and drink blog, Four Pounds Flour. While I wrote about Temperance drinks during the 1920s, Sarah contributed a piece about Averell Damson Gin. I also became the primary writer for the Mixoloseum blog where I cover of the weekly Thursday Drink Night recipes and provide summaries of the cocktail blog activity each week.
8. 19th Century Pub Crawl
Speaking of Sarah Lohman of the Four Pounds Flour blog, I attended the Nineteen Century Pub Crawl that she hosted here in Boston. Not only did the participants get dressed up in period wear and speak in period talk, but the bars -- Eastern Standard, Stoddard's, and Drink -- stepped up and made the libation match as well. Some of the period tipples that I ordered were a Brandy Crusta and an Appetizer a l'Italienne, and punch and Blue Blazers also made their appearance. The side adventure to Lucky's while waiting to get into Drink was also an intriguing experience.

9. Books!
I did get a bit of reading done this year although not as much as I would have liked. These included David Wondrich's Punch, Jason Wilson's Boozehound, Lowell Edmunds' Martini, Straight Up, Christine Sismondo's America Walks into a Bar, Bernard DeVoto's The Hour, Richard Harwell's The Mint Julep, David Embury's The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, and Victoria Moore's How to Drink (two-thirds done). Our bar's library also increased with new and old books alike with purchases of PDT Cocktail Book, Beta Cocktails, Big Bartenders Book, Esquire Drinks, Crosby Gaige's Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion and The Standard Cocktail Guide, David Wondrich's Killer Cocktails and others.
10. Wait, I need a number 10?
Yeah, I hit the same road block in my list last year, so I stole the text. This post will make #508 of the year which beat out last year's 400. No, I will not try to outdo this effort, but I will write as much as things move me to do so. More significant than the post number was the increase in traffic -- for the third year in a row, the blog has seen 75% growth each year (this does not include increases in RSS feed subscriptions which have also skyrocketed). I thought about writing #10 about room temperature cocktails as the hot, er... luke warm trend. Or about new spirits we have purchased and about ones we have reviewed like Ron de Jeremy. Last year, I ended with a story about having a seat at the Monteleone's Carousel Bar with Paul Clarke and closing the bar instead of getting much needed sleep for our 8am flight the next morning. This year, the New Orleans experience also proffered more insight into the end of one's time -- an Herbsaint-sponsored cemetery tour. Drinking Corpse Reviver #2 and Death in the Afternoon at the graves of Ramos and Legendre was a great experience. Pouring out some Herbsaint for our fallen bar heroes was a good way to look backward as we move forward in life. Cheers, and may 2012 bring you only the best in life and drink!

ciclope

1 1/2 oz Lustau Dry Amontillado
3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Averna
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/4 oz Lemon Juice

Stir with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with 2 oz soda and float 2 dash Angostura Bitters. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and a lemon twist; add a straw.

A few Mondays ago, we stopped into the Citizen after my DJ gig. For a drink, bartender Sean Frederick wanted to make the recipe for the 2013 winner of the Vino de Jerez competition, the Ciclope. The Ciclope was created by Eric Simpkins of The Lawrence in Atlanta, GA, and it definitely seemed like a worthy victor since apple brandy and sherry have paired so well together in the past.
The Ciclope delivered a lemon oil, allspice, and nutmeg aroma. A carbonated honey, caramel, and grape sip gave way to a raisiny and nutty swallow with hints of apple and herbalness.

moroccan old fashioned

2 oz Old Overholt Rye
1/4 oz Berber Syrup (* see below)
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters
2 Orange Peels

Muddle an orange peel with rye, syrup, and bitters in a rocks glass. Add ice and garnish with a fresh orange peel twist and straws.

On Saturday, I spent the day in Nashua, New Hampshire, so for dinner, I made the trek up to Manchester to visit the Republic Cafe for dinner. Sean Frederick was not behind the bar but working the floor that night, and he recommended that I try the Moroccan Old Fashioned. Sean mentioned that the drink uses a syrup that they use in the flavored coffee they serve in the morning (3 oz coffee, 1 oz cream, 1 oz syrup) and that it worked surprisingly well with rye whiskey. On the menu, the drink had the caption, "American spirit tempered by sweet Berber spice" and it seemed like the perfect drink to go with my vegetable tangine.
The Old Fashioned's nose was filled with fresh orange oils. The sip was a spicy rye flavor with an even spicier swallow; indeed, there were two distinct waves of spice. The spices that stood out the most were the cardamom and allspice. As the ice melted and the drink diluted, the orange notes from the bitters and muddled peel came to the forefront. Sean later provided me with the recipe and mentioned that he wanted to experiment with adding coriander, chili, and peppercorns to the mix to more authentically represent the Berber spice palate. However, I did not feel shorted in the least by this version for it was quite flavorful and matched their kitchen's spices well.

Berber Syrup
2 Whole Star Anise Pods
1 1/2 Cinnamon Sticks (3 inch), coarsely cracked
2 rounded barspoon decorticated Cardamom Seeds
2 Black Cardamom Pods
20 Cloves
16 Allspice Berries, cracked
2 cup Sugar
2 cup Water
Combine all spices in medium saucepan, and toast over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water and sugar, stir well, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow ingredients to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate overnight. Finely strain spices from mixture and keep syrup refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

:: the boston cocktail experience ::

I just got back from Tales of the Cocktail on Monday, and while I had every intention of live blogging during my week in New Orleans, my hotel wanted to charge me $13 a day for internet. A day or two in, I figured out how to convert my Droid phone into a wireless hub, but by then my spirit to write in the moment was crushed and I felt that I should live every minute in the Crescent City to the max instead. I could sleep, sober up, heal my blisters, and write later, and probably you as a reader are thankful for posts that were more carefully written and proofread. While there, Boston made a lot of news as I will elaborate on, and instead of starting with my usual "Best Of" post, I figured I would give Boston a shout out. Originally, I wanted to call the post "This is Boston, Not L.A." after the seminal Boston hardcore punk album from the early 80s, but that seemed a little too antagonistic and Boston is not like that (except during Beer Pong and Petanque). Instead, I named it after one of the events at Tales.
The big news was that, beside Boston having a big representation of people -- both industry and not, they really shined in the judges' eyes. First, Eastern Standard won the Bar Room Brawl over some stiff competition from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Portland. Honestly, my favorite drink of the night was from Portland's Teardrop, but the Eastern crew had what no other bar had -- service and speed (and their drinks were quality to boot). Behind their replica bar, five Eastern Standard bartenders were shaking pairs of double filled Boston shakers (sometimes six when the barback had a break from his duties) so there were twenty drinks being poured out every 3 minutes or so. Since each bar only had 4 drink choices (from the 4 sponsors) and since the drinks were free with admittance, there was no risk in just grabbing a drink off of the bar. Other bars were making single drinks to order, so Eastern's strategy paid off. Still, it was great to experience the different styles and tastes of those bars I have not visited yet.
Moreover, at the awards ceremony, Drink won the Best American Cocktail Bar award this year, and in Massachusetts news, Citizen-Worcester's Dave Delaney was chosen for Imbibe Magazine's cover cocktail honors; his drink must have been so good that by the time I got to the Imbibe Happy Hour in his honor, it was all gone. Since Worcester's scene is Citizen and the Armsby Abbey for craft cocktails, I will adopt them and lump them as "Boston" here.
Boston was also honored by Anchor Distilling Company who hosted a tasting room called The Boston Cocktail Experience (hence, this post's title). There, the likes of John Gertsen and Misty Kalkofen of Drink, Jackson Cannon of Eastern Standard, Joy Richard of the Franklin, Trina Sturm of Trina's Starlite Lounge, Brother Cleve of Think Tank, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli of Island Creek, and Ben Sandrof of the Sunday Salon were making Boston-styled cocktails showcasing Anchor's product line. I will post more about some of the drinks they made there later.
In addition, a good number of Bostonites were presenters this year. Misty Kalkofen (Drink, LUPEC) spoke about applejack and agave, Brother Cleve (Think Tank) about cocktail culture and music, Jeff Grdinich (Drink) about the sporting life, and Kirstin Amann (Toro, LUPEC) about occupational hazards and women behind the bar (I need to point out that those are two different talks so I don't get in trouble through insinuation). Our fine bar scholars all apparently did a excellent job showing off the academic side of our university drinking town; I can only vouch for Misty during the agave talk. I can also partially vouch for Cleve as his music wafted through the walls when I was at the Embury session.
Boston also helped out plenty by sending down an army of CAPs (the cocktail apprentices program) who prepared all of the ingredients and drinks for the seminars, talks, parties, and other events. California Gold (Drink), Bryn Tattan (Drink), Corey Bunnewith (Citizen-Boston), Sean Frederick (Citizen-Boston), Jeff Grdinich (Drink), Sabrina Kershaw (Noir), Chad Arnholt (Woodward, Citizen-Boston) and David Delaney (Citizen-Worcester) all worked their butts off for the week. Please comment if I missed someone here (or anywhere else in the post); parts of the week are a bit hazy. And thank you CAPs for your efforts!
Lastly, the Boston Shaker store held a prime spot at the cocktail bazaar, and owner Adam Lantheume and his assistant Jessica Marcus (who is also the Cocktail Virgin matriarch) showcased the great cocktail tool and bitters offerings that are conveniently available to us here in Boston. You easily forget how spoiled we are here until you meet people from other parts of the country and world.

So cheers to Boston! Thanks for the company, the memories, and some of the things that weren't recorded to long term memory as well.

the independent

1 1/2 oz Citizen's Miltonduff Single Barrel Scotch
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
2 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe glass.

Two Mondays ago after my DJing gig, we headed over to Tasty Burger for dinner followed by a nightcap at the Citizen Public House where bartenders Sean Frederick and Dave Delaney were busy slinging drinks. For my cocktail, I asked Sean for the Independent. In discussing the drink, Sean poured us a taste of the unique Scotch that serves as the recipe's base spirit. Their barrel of the Miltonduff single malt was surprisingly soft and gentle with cacao and grassy notes.
The Punt e Mes' grape and the Curaçao and perhaps Cocchi Americano's orange aromas filled the Independent's bouquet. The Scotch's malt joined the citrus and grape flavors on the sip. Next, the Scotch continued on into the swallow along with orange peel notes and the Punt e Mes' bitter elements.

:: whiskeys and the bar ::

On Friday morning, I went to hear David Wondrich and Wayne Curtis talk about New England Rum in a talk entitled "Medford Gold." Instead of a summary, I will behoove you to read Wayne's And a Bottle of Rum book. And if you want supplemental learning materials, go taste the Old Ipswich, Privateer, and Berkshire Mountain rums like we did. Wayne and David's conclusion was that the new style of New England rum has the consensus flavor of molasses notes and a dry tang at the end. There was even a suggestion that New England rum should fight to get its designation back and join the ranks of Bourbon again.

The middle talk of the day was held at the Citizen Public House which hosts one of the larger whisk(e)y collections in town. This made the perfect setting for the session entitled "Whiskey and the Bar" given by Sean Frederick, Chad Arnholt, and John Gertsen. While we did taste six whiskeys, the true meat of the talk revolved on how to teach customers about whiskeys. Indeed, it was a bartenders' take on the spirit and not the distillers' story.

Selling whiskey can be broken down into 4 points:

1. Confidence - The right attitude and approach is needed for salesmanship.
• Genuine enthusiasm and honesty.
• Need to stand behind the products you love.
• Learning needs to be incremental.
• Optimistic mindset: there is a whiskey for everyone.

2. Product Knowledge - Knowing what sets each spirit apart.
• How is the whiskey made including what grains are used, pot vs. column stilled, all malted or grain neutral spirits mixed in, filtered or not, age in barrel, barrel type.
• Knowing the profile: sweeter, spicier, peated, hot/high proof.
• Understanding terroir especially with Scotch.
• Do not think about whiskey in one or two dimensions. Think three: mash bill (sweet to spicy), proof, and barrel. There are also intangibles like locale.

3. Be a Good Shepherd - Keeping people close to their comfort zones.
• Know which are good gateway products such as those with lower proof, lighter, more grain & less barrel. Often Irish works well here.
• Educate but do not be overly aggressive.
• Take your own tastes out of the equation.
• Just because a person drinks it, does not mean they want to learn about it.
• Do not leave them with a headache: quantity, strength, and the amount of food they have had that night should be taken into consideration.
• Thread your selections so one whiskey order will lead into the next logically. i.e.: connecting wheated Bourbons into a flight or succession. 
• Ask the customer if they are here for one whiskey or for four. Knowing the path length is important.
• You cannot go backwards in whiskey profiles, so as Misty Kalkofen says about spirits tasting, "Don't blow your wad." Leave yourself room to navigate.

4. Communication
• Know your blind spots and do not bullshit guests.
• Do not just ask what they like, but why they like it.
• Know your mass market brands -- you need to know the basics before the esoterics.
• Ubiquity does not necessarily mean poor quality.
• Do not be a whiskey hipster -- just because a lot of people like it does not mean it isn't worth drinking.
• Getting the bottle on the bar is your friend. Let them read the label, take photos to put on Twitter/Facebook, use Google on their phones to learn more. This will allow you to help other guests as they make their decision or drink their glass of whiskey.

waking up ain't easy

1 oz Milagro Silver Tequila
1 oz Plantation Dark Rum
3/4 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
The other drink we tried at the Citizen Public House was the Waking Up Ain't Easy. Bartender Sean Frederick described how Richard Fiorillo created this Mai Tai-like split spirits number originally with a much longer name ("And They Said..." preceded things). I was drawn in because it somewhat reminded me of JM Curley's High Five, So Am I and many of the Campari-orgeat recipes such as the Pinwheel Swizzle. Once prepared, it showcased an earthy vegetal nose. Next, lime and rich caramel on the sip transitioned into tequila, rum, and nutty bitter notes on the swallow.

vida rebellion

1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1 oz Lustau Dry Oloroso Sherry
1 oz Gran Classico
2 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Last Monday for the 4th of July, Andrea and I spent the day walking through Boston. Our travels eventually took us to the Citizen Public House where bartender Sean Frederick was presiding along with Corey Bunnewith. Andrea commented that it only seemed right to spend the holiday with Sean since he was at the same barbecue that we attended the 4th of July before. For a drink, I picked the Vida Rebellion which was one of bar manager Joy Richard's creations. Sean best described Gran Classico as a boutique version of Campari, and the drink was akin to mezcal Negroni. From past experience, agave products seem to pair up well with sherry, such as in the Bebida de Puebla, and perhaps just as well if not better than with vermouth.
The Vida Rebellion began with an orange and smokey mezcal aroma that contained darker notes from either the sherry or the Gran Classico. While the sip displayed the sherry's grape flavor along with some orange notes, the swallow presented the sherry's nutty notes followed by the mezcal's smoke and a bitter finish. Overall, the Vida Rebellion worked rather well just as similar combinations did in the Rosita, the 1836, and perhaps the Jabuticaba.

west fens

1 1/2 oz Tuthilltown's Hudson Manhattan Rye
3/4 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry on the side.

For my last cocktail at the Citizen Public House, bartender Sean Frederick recommended a drink he created in the Manhattan vein. His tribute to the bar's neighborhood, the West Fens, was first created for bartender Jeff Grdinich (now of Drink, then of White Mountain Cider Co.) when he first sat at the Citizen's bar. Jeff requested a drink that would pair up with the pork schnitzel he had ordered. Sean has made the drink with a variety of ryes in the past, and this time he selected one from Tuthilltown in New York State.
The rye shone through on the West Fens' aroma along with the Aperol's fruit note, and the whiskey continued on as a spicy malt flavor in the sip that played well with the Carpano Antica. Next, the rye's barrel notes appeared at the beginning of the swallow along with the bitters' clove, and the swallow closed with the Maraschino liqueur flavor. The drink's recipe somewhat reminded me of Paul Clarke's Two Birds; however, Paul's use of crème de cacao and Peychaud's Bitters took the drink in a different direction than Sean's use of Maraschino and Decanter Bitters.