faithful departed

1 oz Dubliner Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1 oz Cihuatan Indigo Aged Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/4 oz Lucano Café (Borghetti)
1/8 oz Green Chartreuse
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist (include the twist). Two Sundays ago, I was perusing online recipe flashcards from The Violet Hour in Chicago, and I became enraptured with the Faithful Departed from their Fall 2022 menu. I have only had coffee liqueur and Green Chartreuse once before in the Jungle Madness, so I was curious to try it in a Manhattan format. The name refers to the Anglican and Catholic concept of deceased Christians who are waiting in purgatory to arrive in heaven. That definition made me think of Ted Kilgore's Purgatory especially with the straight spirits whiskey and Chartreuse overlap. In the glass, the Faithful Departed rose to the senses with a lemon oil and coffee bouquet. Next, roast and grape notes on the sip summoned rum, coffee, herbaceous, and clove flavors on the swallow.

green hornet

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
[1/8 oz Demerara Syrup]

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. The syrup was my addition after mixing and tasting it to give it some needed sweetness to balance the alcohol heat as well as to give it some body.Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to the KindredCocktails database when I spotted the Green Hornet by Thad Volger at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco circa 2008. It was originally posted on eGullet, and the database entry alluded to the Fernet and Chartreuse with the note, "Sometimes a drink needs two tyrants." In my head, it reminded me of Ted Kilgore's Purgatory of rye, Chartreuse, and Benedictine, and to complete the trio, there was also the Oldfield of rye, Benedictine, and Fernet. Moreover, the Fernet-Chartreuse combination also starred in the Daiquiri-like Industry Sour. In the glass, the Green Hornet opened up with rye, herbaceous, and menthol aromas. Next, caramel notes on the sip transformed into rye, minty-menthol, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow.

blue steel

1 1/2 oz Hayman's Old Tom Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup (BG Reynolds)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a 1/4 oz flaming Green Chartreuse (lit on fire for 10 seconds first) drizzled over the top of the drink.

Two Saturdays ago, I turned to the Sanctuaria, the Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars book and spotted the Blue Steel and was lured in by the Tiki-like flavor combination and the fire aspect, of course. The book described how this drink created back in 2010 became one of their signature drinks especially on people's birthdays. Moreover, they attributed learning the flaming ribbon of Chartreuse to Ted Kilgore, and mention that the Chartreuse pairs well with the juices and syrup here to give a "pineapple upside-down cake flavor."
The herbal notes of the Green Chartreuse garnish paid dividends on the aroma front. A pineapple and lemon sip set the stage for gin and Green Chartreuse botanical flavors on the swallow and growing amounts of cinnamon on the finish.

devil's backbone

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Sazerac)
1/2 oz Smoky Single Malt like Ardbeg 10 (Caol Ila 12)
3/4 oz Averna
1/2 oz Gran Classico or other aperitivo (Campari)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.

Around the same time that I had spotted the Autumn Negroni, I had put another Negroni-like drink, the Devil's Backbone, on the to-make list. I found the recipe in Lou Bustamante's The Complete Cocktail Manual; Chris Lane of San Francisco's Ramen Shop described how this was two whiskeys, two amari, and 2 bitters in concept. Moreover, the cocktail reminded me in name and ingredients of Ted Kilgore's Devil's Soul, so I was definitely game in trying this one out.
The Devil's Backbone gave forth an orange and peat smoke bouquet to the nose. Next, malt and caramel on the sip transitioned into smoky whisky, bitter orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow; overall, it was a bit sharper than a Boulevardier perhaps from the smoky single malt but in the same ballpark.

revival

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse 100)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Absinthe/Pernod (1/8 oz Pernod)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
A few days before the Bols Genever event, Andrea was flipping through the Food & Wine: Cocktails 2008 book and spotted the Revival Cocktail. The drink was created at the Monarch bar in St. Louis, and the description read: "The Revival is bar manager Ted Kilgore's homage to the first golden age of cocktails (from the late 1800s until Prohibition) -- and "a celebration of the new golden age" he says." The first sensation of this drink is the nose full of lemon oil, fennel, and aniseseed. Upon sipping the drink, the Benedictine herbalness was the first taste to hit followed by the Maraschino cherry notes and lastly the Pernod at the end of the swallow. The Revival was not horribly sweet despite there being 2 liqueurs in the mix, most likely due to the half jigger of lemon juice to balance things out. Our choice of the spicier Rittenhouse Rye seemed to stand up to the other components well and added a nice backbone to the drink.

count diablo

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Espolón)
1/2 oz Crème de Cassis (G.E. Massenez)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Ginger Liqueur (King's Ginger)
1/4 oz Campari

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

Two Fridays ago, we started the evening with the Count Diablo from Food and Wine: Cocktails 2009. Ted Kilgore from Monarch in St. Louis created this recipe by merging aspects of a Negroni (or a tequila variation like the 1836) with a Diablo. Instead of the Highball style of the Diablo, ginger liqueur was substituted for the ginger beer and the cocktail format of the Negroni won out.
The Count Diablo offered an orange and berrylike cassis aroma with a hint of tequila. The fruity currant and lime sip transitioned to a Campari, tequila, and mineral accented swallow. Over time, the ginger notes became more pronounced on the finish.

western paradise

1 1/2 oz W.L. Weller Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1 dash Bitter Truth Creole Bitters (Peychaud's)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with ice.Two Tuesdays ago, I was browsing drinks on the Kindred Cocktails database when I spotted a drink that Ted Kilgore had uploaded. Since I have enjoyed drinks of his such as the Jack of No Trade and the Devil's Soul, I was curious to see what recipes that he had entered. The one that drew me in was a Manhattan-like number called the Western Promise that he crafted at Taste in St. Louis circa 2011 which split the whiskey with apple brandy and the blanc vermouth with Drambuie. Once assembled, the Western Promise donated a rye and anise aroma to the nose. Next, malt, apple, and honey notes on the sip led into Bourbon, herbal, and floral flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

st. bernard's pass

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
1 1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a big ice cube. Twist an orange peel over the top.

Two Wednesdays ago, Andrea and I ventured over to the Hawthorne after dinner to catch Drink's Jan Andrew Brown guest bartending at the Hawthorne. While Jan was busy making drinks at the other end of the bar, I asked bartender Jason Kilgore for the St. Bernard's Pass subtitled "take the high road down" off of Jan's menu for the evening. The drink most likely refers to the Great St. Bernard Pass that connects Switzerland and Italy between the two highest peaks of the Alps not too far from where Amaro Braulio is made.
The St. Bernard's Pass gave forth an orange oil bouquet with hints of dark caramel and herbal notes to the nose. Caramel from the amaro dominated the sip, and the swallow was an elegant pairing of the Cognac and the bitter herbal flavors of the Braulio. Overall, the drink had the balance and feel of a Toronto, and of course was similar but more intense than the Peloni.

smoke signals

1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal (1 1/2 oz Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Crème de Cassis (Massenez)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice and dirty dump into a single old fashioned glass (strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube). Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make the Smoke Signals from Alcove in Boston that I uncovered in a set of online recipe flashcards. Overall, the combination reminded me of Trader Vic's El Diablo with ginger syrup instead of ginger beer/ale as well as mezcal for tequila. There was also Ted Kilgore's Count Diablo that was a Diablo riff with ginger liqueur instead of ginger beer/ale as well, but that was also a mashup with Negroni. Once prepared, the Smoke Signals relayed to the senses a smoke and dark berry aroma. Next, lime and red fruit notes on the sip smoldered into smoky, agave, ginger, and tannic berry flavors on the swallow.

jack of no trade

2 oz Laird's Applejack
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
1/4 oz Campari

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cucumber slice (omitted).

Two Saturdays ago, my nightcap was the Jack of No Trade created by Ted Kilgore of Planter's House in St. Louis. Ted crafted this drink at Gaz Regan's Cocktails in the Country this year; given how Regan has a proclivity to Negronis, Ted was probably inspired to create a variation just as I had with the René Barbier the year before. Ted's riff utilized applejack as the base spirit, and the split grape modifiers that included Punt e Mes reminded me of two of Phil Ward's drinks, namely the Cornwall Negroni also created at Regan's event and the Baltasar & Blimunda.
The Jack of No Trade began with a raisin aroma with hints of apple. The sherry continued into the sip along with the Punt e Mes as a rich sweet grape flavor, and the swallow offered the complexity of apple and bitter raisin notes with an orange and dried fruit finish.

purgatory

2 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye (2 oz)
3/4 oz Benedictine (1/2 oz)
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse (1/2 oz)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I was in the mood for a nightcap to round off my work week. Therefore, I turned to a recipe that I had spotted on the Kindred Cocktails database called the Purgatory created by Ted Kilgore at Taste in St. Louis in or before 2011 when he posted it. Overall, it was at first reminiscent of the Diamondback, and later I recalled the Louis Special with its equal parts of Chartreuse and Benedictine. Here, the Purgatory opened up with lemon and herbal aromas. Next, caramel notes on the sip lowered into rye, herbal, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow.

flower & vine

1 oz La Gitana Manzanilla Sherry
1 oz Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil (Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Shake with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass.For night three of Sherry Week 2021, I ventured back to the Hawthorne bar bible and spotted the Flower & Vine by bartender Jason Kilgore. The drink on the menu was subtitled "Throw caution to the wind," and I paired it on Instagram with a #SherryKu (sherry Haiku) of "Mezcal & sherry/Savory & smokiness/A heavenly match." In the glass, the Flower & Vine conjured up smoke and vegetal aromas with a hint of caramel and pineapple. Next, lemon, caramel, and roasted fruit on the sip flowed into tequila, savory, tangerine, and banana flavors on the swallow with a pineapple finish.

queen anne's revenge

1 oz JM Rhum Agricole Blanc (JM 100°)
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Maple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with freshly grated cinnamon.Two Fridays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Dutch Kills in Long Island City, and I selected the Queen Anne's Revenge by Jason Kilgore and Richard Boccato circa 2024. The drink was named after Blackbeard's most famous pirate frigate, and it was different in feel from the Queen Anne's Revenge that I created as a sherry riff on the Blackbeard's Ghost. Moreover, the rhum agricole, maple, and lime reminded me of the Miracles Take Longer but with Montenegro instead of mezcal and lime. Once prepared, the Queen Anne's Revenge proffered up cinnamon, funky rhum, orange, and lime aromas to the nose. Next, lime, maple, and clementine notes on the sip sailed towards funky rhum, orange, and peach flavors on the swallow.

devil's soul

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Sombra Mezcal
1/2 oz Averna
1/4 oz St. Germain
1/4 oz Aperol

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

After the Sangre du Nord, I decided upon finding a nightcap in Gary Regan's 101 Best New Cocktails 2012. When I spotted the Devil's Soul by Ted Kilgore, I was intrigued for we have enjoyed all of his recipe since I made his Revival three years ago. Moreover, the split rye and mezcal spirit is a combination that worked well in Stephen Cole's Racketeer and Thomas Waugh's Red Ant.
The Devil's Soul began with an orange-Aperol and rye aroma with a hint of mezcal's smokiness. The sweet, slightly fruity sip was chased by a rye swallow that ended with herbal bitterness, floral notes, and smoke.

word to the wise

1 oz Old Grand-Dad 114° Bourbon
1/2 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Sundays ago, I decided to make another of the interesting recipes that I found in my search of Kindred Cocktails for Bonal drinks. This one was Ted Kilgore's Bourbon Last Word riff called Word to the Wise that he created at Taste in St. Louis, Missouri, and posted to the database in 2011. With Bonal and overproof Bourbon in the mix in place of the gin, the Word to the Wise gave forth a nutty cherry and green herbal aroma akin to the classic. Next, grape and lime notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow informed the palate of Bourbon, nutty cherry, and herbal flavors.

freehand old fashioned

2 oz Plantation Pineapple Rum
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1 bsp Galliano Ristretto Coffee Liqueur
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays, I was in an Old Fashioned sort of mood, and I recalled spotting an interesting recipe in the Hawthorne's bar bible. That drink was the Freehand Old Fashioned that bartender Jason Kilgore crafted circa 2017 in honor of the Freehand Hotel in Miami which is the home of the award-winning Broken Shaker bar. Moreover, the recipe was featured in a 2018 Liquor.com article about the rise of the Rum Old Fashioned. Once prepared, the Freehand Old Fashioned met the nose with an orange and pineapple bouquet. Next, a roast-filled sip summoned a pineapple, coffee, allspice, and clove swallow.

philabuster

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1/4 oz Cynar
1/8 oz Fernet Branca
1 dash Grapefruit Bitters (Bittercube Jamaican #2)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Thursdays ago, I was lured in by the curiously spelled Philabuster on Kindred Cocktails. The recipe was created in 2010 and entered into that site by bartender Ted Kilgore when he was at Taste in St. Louis, and I assume that the alternative spelling of filibuster was due to the Pennsylvania-style rye in the cocktail. Overall, it reminded me of an embittered Vita Brevis, so I was game to give it a go. Once prepared, it stalled on the nose with grapefruit oil over darker notes. Next, caramel and orange elements on the sip passed into rye, menthol, bitter, and orange-grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

los muertos

2 oz Arette Blanco Tequila
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 bsp Grenadine (1/8 oz)
1 bsp Ginger Syrup (1/8 oz)

Build in a Hurricane glass (Collins), fill with crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and garnish with mint sprigs.Two Sundays ago, I selected the bar bible for the Hawthorne that I acquired shortly after they closed the bar due to the Pandemic, and there I latched on to Los Muertos by bartender Jason Kilgore. I estimate that it was created circa 2014-2015 given that one of Jason's work bios listed his tenure there as January 2014-January 2016). Overall, it read like a Swizzle with tequila Zombie vibes (with ginger syrup instead of Angostura and Herbsaint), so I was sold. Once prepared, the Los Muertos greeted the senses with a mint bouquet. Next, a grapefruit, berry, and lime sip rose up into tequila, cinnamon, red berry, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

industry sour

3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After writing up the Banana Toronto and the drink that inspired it, the Old Dog, New Tricks, I realized that I had never had the Industry Sour that influenced the earlier drink. The Industry Sour was crafted by Ted Kilgore at Taste in St. Louis, and Ted entered it into the Kindred Cocktails database in 2011. In Esquire, Ted described its genesis as, "This was a cocktail that I created on a Sunday night for an industry person. I basically thought to myself, 'What if I put all of my favorite things into a glass and just give it to him?' And that just happened in an equal-parts sort of scenario. Green Chartreuse is kind of a mixologist's favorite, as well as Fernet. Both of those ingredients have so much intense flavor that people often shy away from them, but bartenders definitely drink them... It's comforting at first, and then all of a sudden it hits your palate with a bomb of flavor." The combination of Green Chartreuse and Fernet has been utilized for around a century for I can trace it back to the Meditation in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933, but only modern day mixology utilizes these liqueurs as the base spirits.The Industry Sour welcomed the senses with green herbal, minty, and menthol aromas. Next, a lime and caramel sip closed out with Green Chartreuse herbal flowing into Fernet Branca's bitter mint-menthol on the swallow.

without borders

3/4 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Benedictine
3/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Saline Solution (1 pinch Salt)

Shake with ice, strain into a sugar-rimmed coupe glass (omit rim), and garnish with a lemon twist.For a cocktail two Thursdays ago, I turned to a recipe that I had bookmarked from the January 2020 issue of Imbibe Magazine called Without Borders. The drink was created by Caleb James at Covina in Manhattan, and its spirit and citrus modified by Maraschino and Benedictine structure reminded me of Ted Kilgore's Revival. Once prepared, the Without Borders crossed over to the nose with lemon, apple, and nutty cherry aromas. Next, lime and apple notes on the sip gave way to apple, cherry, and herbal flavors on the swallow. Overall, the combination was delightful, but I am glad that I omitted the sugar rim for the balance was a touch sweet as expected.