brooklyn 2.0

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Carpano Bianco Vermouth (Dolin Blanc)
1/4 oz Amaro Nonino
1/8 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.While perusing a set of online recipe flashcards from Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco, I was intrigued by the Brooklyn 2.0 that I was able to date to around 2015 from a Yelp drink photo. Besides the swap from Picon to Nonino, the bar opted for blanc vermouth instead of the original's dry vermouth akin to what Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin did with the White Collar at Dutch Kills (using Ciociaro for the Picon). Once mixed, the Brooklyn 2.0 danced to the nose with rye and nutty cherry aromas. Next, a white grape sip with a hint of caramel transitioned into rye, caramel orange, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow with a bitter pithy finish.

twelve five

1 1/2 oz Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Absinthe or Herbsaint (Herbsaint)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Jeff Mason and Greg Boehm's The Big Bartender Book and spotted the Twelve Five by Jamie Boudreau. I tracked down the recipe to Jamie's Spirits And Cocktails blog in December 2007 for the Mixology Monday XXII event with a Prohibition theme. This drink named after the date of repeal day and created before Jamie opened the Canon in 2011 reminded me of Frank Caiafa's Bobby Burns riff, Tale of Two Roberts, but with Punt e Mes instead of regular sweet vermouth and a substantial absinthe quotient. In the glass, the Twelve Five opened up with a lemon, Scotch, and anise aroma. Next, a grape-driven sip released Scotch, bitter herbal, and anise flavors on the swallow.

scottish lore

1 1/2 oz Oban 14 Year Scotch (Caol Ila 12 Year)
1/2 oz Ardbeg Corryvreckan (Ardbeg 10 Year)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1 bsp 2:1 Simple Syrup (1 tsp 1:1)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays prior, I reached for Neil Ratliff's 2022 Seattle Cocktails book, and the Scottish Lore by Joanna "Jojo" Kitchen lured me it. She created it for a regular at Rob Roy in Seattle as a bartender's choice that she first called The Ayuba Special. The combination reminded me of a Creole Cocktail variation that Deep Ellum did that dropped the vermouth element from the original given how similar Ciociaro and Picon are. Here with smoky whisky, the Scottish Lore began with a lemon and smoky Scotch nose. Next, malty and caramel notes on the sip flowed into smoky Scotch, caramel orange, herbal, and clove flavors on the swallow.

folk hero

3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Wild Turkey 101° Rye (Rittenhouse)
1 tsp Linie Aquavit
1 tsp Amaro Nonino
1 tsp Benedictine
1 tsp Honey Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.After making the Model Village, I still had the webpage for the Death & Co. market place open, and I found the Folk Hero there. They attributed the drink to bartender Jake Powell at their Denver location in 2024; Jake described how the rye-apple brandy duo often denoted by the word "harvest" such as in the Harvest Sour drew him in. Moreover, he let his obsession about folk heroes like Paul Bunyan and Evil Knievel come through in the name. The idea of a split base rye-apple brandy Old Fashioned with accents of aquavit seemed appealing especially recalling how well rye and apple brandy work with aquavit in the 2009-era Carra-Ryed Away and Norwegian Wood, respectively. Once mixed, the Folk Hero launched into a lemon, apple, caramel, caraway, and herbal bouquet. Next, caramel and honey notes on the sip wandered off into rye, apple, caraway, herbal, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

tabard cocktail

1 1/2 oz Milagro Reposado Tequila (Espolon)
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Drambuie
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a thyme sprig and an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, Chantal Tseng mentioned on Threads that the New York Times republished a story with her Tabard Cocktail recipe for the holidays. Chantal created this drink at Washington D.C.'s Tabard Inn, and I found the recipe as early as 2010 in an Imbibe Magazine article. Overall, the drink reminds me of a tequila riff on the Scotch-based Prince Edward that Misty Kalkofen made me at Drink once but here with a dry sherry instead of Lillet. Once prepared, the Tabard Cocktail showcased an orange and herbal aroma. Next, a semi-dry honey and grape sip became tequila, herbal, hint nutty, and honey flavors on the swallow.

scandanavian delight

1 1/2 oz Martin Miller's Gin (Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength)
1/2 oz Krogstad Aquavit
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Amaro Braulio

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I uncovered an online recipe flashcard set for the Scotch Lodge in Portland, Oregon, and I landed on the Scandanavian Delight that had the same gin, aquavit, and blanc vermouth combination as Death & Co.'s One, One, One. I was able to get a time frame of 2022 through Yelp menu and drink photos and a January 2023 Early Out article. Here, it had Braulio to accent the Martini structure akin to the Maraschino in the Genever-for-gin Bohemia. Once assembled, the Scandanavian Delight welcomed the nose with a lemon, pine, caraway, and star anise bouquet. Next, a white grape sip with a hint of caramel transitioned into caraway, citrus, pine, and anise flavors on the swallow.

rhymes with orange

4 cL Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao (1 1/3 oz)
2 cL Fernet Branca (2/3 oz)
1.5 cL Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac (1/2 oz Courvoisier VS)
1.5 cL Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
1.5 cL Egg White (1 Egg White)
1 dash Bob's Cardamon Bitters (The Bitter Housewife)

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I was perusing Maison Ferrand's 2014 Parisian Cocktail Book when I spotted the oddball Rhymes with Orange by Michael Mas at the Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris. Curaçao and Fernet Branca have worked well together in drinks like the All Hands on Deck, Alligator, Don't Give Up the Ship, and Heather in Queue, so I was curious to see what it could do in this liqueur-forward egg white Sour that was skewed like the Mission of Burma to have orange liqueur as the principle ingredient. Once mixed, the Rhymes with Orange quizzed the nose with orange, lemon, and herbal aromas. Next, a creamy orange and lemon sip opened up into a world of orange, gentian bitter, minty, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

nighthawks

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Carpano Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Caffe Lolita (Mr. Black)
1/4 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass.Two Fridays prior, I picked Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix's A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood book for inspiration. There, I spotted Eryn Reece's Nighthawks that she served up for a dealer's choice round for a Speed Rack competition. She named it after the Edward Hopper painting and probably based it off her 2013 Broken Oath at Death & Co. Once stirred and strained, the Nighthawks rose to the nose with a coffee, vegetal, and smoke nose. Next, a grape-driven sip from the sherry and vermouth elements served up smoky mezcal, coffee, chile spice, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

sunny-side up

1 1/2 oz Tullamore Dew Caribbean Rum Cask Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch (*))
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/4 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass.
(*) Teeling Small Batch is finished in rum casks.Two Thursdays prior, I reached for my copy of Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails and selected the Sunny-Side Up by Jillian Vose at the The Dead Rabbit in Manhattan. The rum element (albeit a finish), sweet vermouth, curaçao, and Angostura reminded me of the Presidente, so I wanted to see how it would play out with a whiskey base, banana liqueur, and chocolate bitters in the mix. In the glass, the Sunny-Side Up gave forth a caramel, orange, and banana bouquet. Next, a grape and caramel sip turned over into whiskey, caramelized fruit, chocolate, and clove flavors on the swallow.