velvet revolution

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Espolon)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.At Daiquiris & Daisies, bar co-owner Joe Cammarata mentioned a drink called the Inner Child that he attributed to Attaboy, and I was able to find it in a collection of recipes for Dutch Kills. Instead of that citrussy number, I was distracted by the Oaxacan Old Fashioned riff accented by chocolate and Czech spiced liqueurs called the Velvet Revolution by Dana Skinner for Dutch Kills' Winter 2019 menu. The bar's Instagram gave the back story that the drink was named after a nonviolent revolution that toppled the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia in December 1989. Once prepared, the Velvet Revolution commenced with a grapefruit, vegetal, chocolate, clove, and smoke aromas. Next, a hint of caramel on the sip flowed into vegetal, smoke, chocolate, cinnamon, and mint flavors on the swallow.

chili southside

1 1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Mint Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I was near the Financial District in downtown Boston, so I stopped into Daiquiris & Daisies for a drink. From the menu, the Chili Southside caught my eye, so I asked bartender Tommy for one. From the menu description, it seemed to be a chili liqueur for gin version of the South Side, but Tommy mentioned that there was dry vermouth in the mix and that the mint syrup worked as a cooling counter to chili's spicy heat. Once prepared, the Chili Southside welcomed the nose with a mint, lime, and an almost cucumber vegetal bouquet. Next, a lime-driven sip led into roasted vegetable, dried fruit, and chili spice flavors on the swallow ending with a cooling mint wave. On Instagram, a friend commented that it was a lot of Ancho Reyes, and I replied, "I heard a brand ambassador mention that it was 80 proof and low in sugar, so it could sub in as a base spirit or split spirit instead of being just a modifier." Until this ounce and a half measure, the largest that I had tried was a full ounce in the Battle of Puebla and the Subtly Sinister, but most uses have been a half or quarter ounce.

lightning rod

1 1/2 oz Siembra Valles Tequila (Arette)
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Campari
1 tsp Marie Brizard Crème de Cacao
1 tsp Giffard Passion Fruit Liqueur (Passion Fruit Syrup)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I selected Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book from the shelves and found the Lightning Rod by Shannon Tebay. This 2017 drink was created as a tequila Negroni riff, and the tequila Negroni with cacao aspect reminded me of the Darkness Calls and Flaquita, while the tequila, Campari, and passion fruit trio has worked well in the M.N. Roy and Spider of the Evening. With the cacao and passion fruit combined, the Lightning Rod offered up orange and chocolate aromas. Next, grapefruit and passion fruit notes on the sip flowed into tequila, chocolate, bitter orange, and tropical tangerine flavors on the swallow.

two scoops

1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Amaro Pasubio
1 oz Cardamaro

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I visited the Haus Alpenz website and spotted a drink in the recipe section called the Two Scoops that utilized a pair of amaro from their portfolio: Pasubio and Cardamaro. Since the name made me think of the cereal commercial with the slogan "two scoops of raisins", I assume that it is a reference to the fact that both amaro are wine based. This Boulevardier of sorts launched off with lemon, blueberry, and grape aromas. Next, grape and blueberry notes on the sip continued on into bourbon, herbal, and blueberry flavors on the swallow.

last shadow

1 1/2 oz El Dorado 15 Year Rum (Hamilton Demerara River 86°)
1/2 oz Lemonhart 151° Rum
1 tsp Cinnamon Syrup
1 tsp Demerara Syrup
1/2 tsp Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Sundays ago, I reached for Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and spotted Tyson Buhler's 2014 Last Shadow which had a similar Old Fashioned sweetened by amaro and cinnamon syrup theme as the Armstrong. I had previously passed over this for I do not have El Dorado 15 Year Rum, but I realized that I probably would never carry it at home (and only have a little El Dorado 12 Year left), so I decided to make it with a younger yet flavorful rum from the same distillery. In the glass, the Last Shadow began with a grapefruit, caramel, cinnamon, and herbal bouquet. Next, caramel and woody notes on the sip were drowned out by rum, molasses, minty, cinnamon, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

armstrong

1 oz Rye Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Aged Rum (3/4 oz Doorly's 12 Year)
1/2 oz Zucca (3/4 oz Amaro Sfumato)
1 tsp Cinnamon Syrup (1/4 oz)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for Idlewild, a menu-less speakeasy in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, the Armstrong as a split base rye-rum Old Fashioned accented by a smoky rabarbaro and cinnamon syrup caught my eye; while I have not had that pairing, I have had similar cinnamon Old Fashioneds with amari like Montenegro in the Battle Annie, Cardamaro in the Leather Bound Book, and S. Maria al Monte in the Front Street. Here, the Armstrong proffered orange, roast, caramel, and cinnamon aromas. Next, a caramel sip stretched into rye, rum, bitter herbal, smoky, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

last pontoon

1 1/2 oz Remy Martin 1738 Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
1/4 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal (Banhez)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, top with 3/4 oz IPA (Sierra Nevada Atomic Torpedo), and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Fridays ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I came across an intriguing beer cocktail called the Last Pontoon. The drink was created by Chaim Dauermann at The Up & Up in Manhattan circa 2015 as his update on the classic Japanese Cocktail and published in Saveur. The Pedro Ximenez sherry accents to the orgeat here reminded me of how well the combination worked in the Kartini and Sherry Mai Tai. Using the West Coast-style IPA from Sierra Nevada that I had on hand, the Last Pontoon welcomed the nose with grapefruit, caramel, and raisin aromas. Next, a creamy, molasses, and dried fruit sip paddled into Cognac, raisin, nutty almond, grapefruit, and pine flavors on the swallow with a hint of smoke.

subtly sinister

1 1/2 oz Planteray Xaymaca Rum
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/4 oz White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Smeby's Black & White (chocolate/vanilla) Bitters (2 dash Savoy Society Chocolate-Chicory + 2 dash Savoy Society Orange-Vanilla)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with mint (chocolate mint) with drops of Black & White Bitters (3 drops of each of the two bitters above on the mint sprig).Two Thursdays prior, I revisited the online recipe flashcards for The Violet Hour in Chicago. There, I spotted the Subtly Sinister from the Fall 2021 menu that I had previously skipped over when I lacked Ancho Reyes on my shelf. While Ancho Reyes has generally been paired with agave spirits in the recipes that I have tried, it did work rather well with funky Jamaican rum in Shameful Tiki's No Woman, No Crime and in the night before's split-base Bootlegger's Barrel. The cacao-chili pairing had been already set in my mind when I first had it in 2015 with the Battle of Puebla, so that was also a plus. In the glass, the Subtly Sinister approached the nose with a rum funk, mint, chocolate, and vanilla bouquet. Next, a caramel sip turned a bit more aggressive with funky rum, chocolate, and chili flavor on the swallow.

bootlegger's barrel

3/4 oz Bulleit Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a barrel mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel and 2 Bird's Eye chilis (1 dried Matchbox pepper).Two Wednesdays ago, I turned to another volume of the City Series with Trevor Felch's San Francisco Cocktails. I continued on with the tropical theme from the night before by selecting the Bootlegger's Barrel from the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar. I found the drink posted on the bar's Facebook in early 2020, and I uncovered their menu which described it as "This is what happens when a whiskey man leaves the mountains and heads for warmer climates." The rum, Bourbon, Amaro Nonino, and passion fruit reminded me of Death & Co.'s The Lonesome Crowded West, but here, there was chile liqueur and lemon juice in the mix and not an Old Fashioned in structure. Once prepared, the Bootlegger's Barrel lifted off with a lemon and passion fruit bouquet. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip smuggled in funky rum, Bourbon, passion fruit, and chili pepper spice flavors on the swallow. The Amaro Nonino save for the caramel in the sip was a bit lost here in the balance.