towser the mouser

1 1/2 oz Power's Gold Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Method Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Balvenie 14 Year Scotch (Glen Grant 16 Year)
1/4 oz Drambuie
1 tsp Nocino (Russo)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe), and garnish with orange oil from a twist (include the peel).Two Wednesdays ago, I looked to my to-make list and decided on the Towser the Mouser by Ally Marone as a Bobby Burns riff at Grand Army Bar in Brooklyn circa 2021. I sourced the recipe from Robert Simonson's Substack, and the bar's Facebook mentioned that it was named after the long-lived tortoise shell cat at the Glenturret Distillery that is believed to have killed close to 29,000 mice in her 24 year lifespan or approximately 3 per day. Once stirred and strained, the drink gave forth an orange, whiskey, and nutty aroma. Next, honey and grape on the sip led to whiskey, chocolate, walnut, and dried fruit flavors on the swallow.

gravesend

1 3/4 oz Whistlepig 10 Year Rye (Templeton)
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/4 oz Amaro Lucano
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry.Two Tuesdays ago, I uncovered an online recipe flashcard set for the Dutch Kills' Fall 2024 menu, and I had to make the Gravesend that was attributed to Boston expat Jason Kilgore and owner Richard Boccato. Overall, it reminded me of a Liberal with Lucano and Ciociaro filling in for the Amer Picon and Angostura and chocolate for the orange bitters. With three Italian ingredients, perhaps the drink was named after the 2020 television series about Italian-American crime families. In the glass, the Gravesend proffered up cherry, rye, caramel, and orange aromas to the nose. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip expanded into rye, caramel orange, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

autumn old fashioned

1/2 oz George Dickel Rye (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Tariquet VSOP Armagnac (Marie Duffau Napoleon)
1/2 oz Bank Note Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1 tsp Maple Syrup
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with lemon and orange twists.Two Mondays prior, I reached for Death & Co.'s Cocktail Codex book and landed on the Autumn Old Fashioned that Devon Tarby created in 2013 as a take on Brian Miller's 2007 four spirit Old Fashioned, the Conference. Once assembled, the Autumn Old Fashioned offered up lemon, orange, and maple aromas. Next, caramel and maple on the sip traipsed into brandy, Scotch, and caramel flavors on the swallow with a chocolate and allspice finish.

squid missile

1 1/2 oz Coruba Rum
1/2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1/4 oz Jagermeister
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Maple Syrup
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
Shake with ice and strain into a Collins (Tiki mug) with ice.Two Saturdays ago, I had a grapefruit that had been shed of all its garnish peels and was ready for juicing. From my collection of to-make drinks, I selected the Squid Missile at Gilly's House of Cocktails in San Diego from their opening Fall 2023 menu that I sourced via online recipe flashcards. The maple-grapefruit duo was one I discovered in Don the Beachcomber's Volcano Bowl, and the Jägermeister Tiki aspect made me think of the Rough Seas, Escape Hatch, and Lost U-Boat. Later I realized that the whole combination reminded me of my Volcano Bowl riff with Jägermeister in the mix that had different spirit and lacked falernum that I dubbed the Vagalume Bowl. Once in the glass, the Squid Missile launched to the nose with caramel-maple and funky rum aromas. Next, maple, grapefruit, and lime on the sip guided towards rum, maple, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

banana cognac

2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add ice, stir, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I got back from my bartending shift, and I was exhausted and looking for a simple nightcap to make. On the BartendersChoice app, I latched on to the Banana Cognac by Zachary Gelnaw-Ruben at Lion Lion circa 2017 that was as simple of a build as the Monkey Wrench with spirit, banana liqueur, and bitters (here, molé instead of a scant amount of Fernet). In the glass, the Banana Cognac showboated an orange, caramel, and chocolate bouquet. Next, a caramel sip with a hint of tropical flowed into Cognac, cooked banana, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

the dead rabbit

1 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Tequila (Arette)
3/4 oz Raspberry Syrup
1/4 oz Cynar
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two weeks ago, Imbibe Magazine reposted a recipe from October 2023 called the Dead Rabbit. The drink created by Mario Vidal at Arbella in Chicago for their Halloween menu (made darker for the holiday with Celestial Raspberry Tea bags added to raspberry syrup recipe's hot steep step). It is unclear whether the name is a tribute to the old New York City gang or the Manhattan bar, but my guess is a reference to them using 400 Conejos (Four Hundred Rabbits) brand mezcal. The raspberry-Cynar aspect reminded me of the Sargasso Sea that Matt Schrage was tinkering with at Brick & Mortar years ago, but I had not seen or tried it since. In the glass, the Dead Rabbit conferred a smoke, vegetal, and raspberry aroma to the nose. Next, a creamy lime and raspberry sip hopped into smoke, vegetal agave, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

vincent's ruin

2 oz Bulleit Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
7 drop Lemon Bitters (Berg & Hauck)

Shake with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed old fashioned glass (Pastis d'Autrefois) with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I found a mention of a drink called Vincent's Ruin online, and I gathered a recipe on KindredCocktails and information about it on eGullet and elsewhere. This Bourbon Sour of sorts was created by Toby Maloney for The Patterson House's opening menu in Spring 2009; the bar replied to my Instagram post declaring that it is still one of their favorites, and it has been on and off the menu throughout the years including a 2022 menu that I spotted on Yelp. Here, Vincent's Ruin shot forth with a lemon, anise, and licorice bouquet. Next, lemon and melon notes on the sip subsided into Bourbon, floral, and hint of apricot flavors on the swallow with a lemon finish.

trenton

2 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted the Trenton in a collection of Sasha Petraske-related recipes. This apple brandy-blanc vermouth number is rather similar to the Backward's Point also in that collection and attributed to Attaboy via the Bartender's Choice app with the same proportions but with Scotch and sweet vermouth instead. Those two are also similar to the build of how Attaboy makes their Little Italy that curiously reverses Audrey Saunder's vermouth to Cynar ratio (Audrey's recipe in the link). Once prepared, the Trenton gave forth grapefruit, apple, and herbal aromas. Next, caramel and apple notes on the sip sprouted into apple, grapefruit, and funky herbal flavors on the swallow.

hitman

3/4 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
3/4 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/2 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make another recipe in the online recipe flashcard collection from Dutch Kills called the Hitman. I was not able to find it in photos of menus or in reviews on Yelp or Google Maps, but it was too tempting to pass up. The combination of mezcal and Batavia Arrack reminded me of various Boston and New York City drinks like the Esmino's Escape and the Shattered Glasser, and that duo was one that I utilized in the Explorer's Dream that I later modified into the Explorer's Negroni. Moreover, the combination of Maraschino and ginger syrup was very intriguing in the New Rider and in the One for Jimmy (with ginger beer), and I featured it in my Tiki drink Who Killed Mr. Moonlight?. In the glass, the Hitman launched off with a nutty cherry and smoke bouquet. Next, a lime and cherry sip stalked down funky spirits, nutty cherry, and ginger flavors on the swallow with a smoke and ginger finish.