griselda

1 1/2 oz Wild Turkey 101° Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
3/8 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/8 oz Amaro Nonino
1/8 oz Green Chartreuse
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist (omit).

Two Mondays ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I stumbled upon the Griselda by Leonardo Rezende at the Dandelion Cocktail Bar in Florianopolis, Brazil, circa 2013. I had previously enjoyed the Lost & Found from that bar, so I was definitely curious to try another libation of theirs. While the name reminded me of the local cachaça number the Esmeralda, this was a Bourbon drink accented by a trio of herbal liqueurs: Montenegro, Nonino, and Green Chartreuse, and dried out a touch by French vermouth. In the glass, the Griselda approached the nose with a tangerine and Bourbon aroma. Next, caramel and nectarine notes on the sip led to American whiskey, caramel orange, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow.

orange moon

2 oz Brandy (Courvoisier VS Cognac)
1/2 oz Orange Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/2 oz Ginger Liqueur (Barrow's)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with pastis (Pastis d'Autrefois), and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays prior, I reached for Cole Newton's Cocktail Dive Bar book where I discovered Jeff Schwartz's Orange Moon. Jeff created this Sazerac riff at 12 Mile Limit in New Orleans in 2013, and Cole helped to name the drink after an album by a local indie folk duo Alexis & the Samurai. Once assembled, the Orange Moon rose with a lemon, anise, orange, and ginger bouquet. Next, the orange notes continued on into the sip where they entered the swallow as well along with brandy, ginger, and anise flavors.

mountain man

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/4 oz Crème de Peche (Mathilde)

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a piece of candied ginger.Two Saturdays ago, I spotted a recipe for the Mountain Man and traced it back to an article in Punch. This drink created by Natasha David at Nightcap in Manhattan circa 2015 read like a maple for honey Democrat meets a Federal Buffalo Stamp. Once prepared, the Mountain Man offered up Bourbon, peach, and ginger aromas to the nose. Next, lemon and maple notes on the sip climbed towards Bourbon, peach, maple, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

inner child

2 oz Tequila (Arette)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.When I was at Daiquiris & Daisies and enjoying my Chili Southside, co-owner Joe Cammarata mentioned the Inner Child and attributed it to Attaboy. I was able to locate a recipe in a collection of Dutch Kills drinks that described it as an "Infante with passion fruit"; therefore, I used the serving style and garnish from the Infante as one was not provided there. Passion fruit and orgeat have paired well in Tiki classics like the Saturn, and I have utilized the duo in a rum-cachaça Mai Tai sort of build in the Manuia and in a Japanese Cocktail-Hurricane mashup called the Hariken. Here, the Inner Child began with a woody spice, tequila, and almond bouquet. Next, a creamy lime sip opened up into tequila, earthy, nutty, and passion fruit flavors on the swallow.

paseo bravo

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Espolon)
1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Banhez)
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/4 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1 tsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a cherry.Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make another recipe from Dear Irving via a set of online recipe flashcards called the Paseo Bravo. There, it was attributed to bartenders Rolando and Alex for the Fall 2022 menu. The description read, "A new addition to satisfy fans of the Oaxacan Old Fashioned while offering something with some rich, slightly spicy layers. Named for the tree-lined promenade in Pueblo where Ancho Reyes comes from." Once prepared, the Paseo Bravo showcased a smoky agave, chili, and cherry aroma. Next, a semi-sweet sip led into smoky agave, chili spice, chocolate, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

gone hunting

1 1/4 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1/4 oz Nocino (Russo)
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist and grated cinnamon.Two Wednesdays prior, I returned to the recipe collection for Idlewild, a menu-less speakeasy in Charlotte, North Carolina, and spotted the Gone Hunting. The concept of an Old Fashioned with walnut liqueur and maple reminded me of the Bourbon-based Fall Back at Backbar but here with rye and apple brandy. Once mixed, the Gone Hunting welcomed the senses with orange, walnut, cinnamon, and maple aromas. Next, amber notes on the sip tracked down rye, apple, walnut, maple, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.

down time

1 1/2 oz Toki Whisky (Kavalan)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Amaro Nardini
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Another drink that caught my attention in the online recipe flashcard set for Dutch Kills was the Down Time that I was able to date to their Fall 2022 menu via photos on Yelp. It read like a whisky-apple brandy Old Fashioned flavored with Amaro Nardini and allspice dram, and the apple, Nardini, and allspice trio worked well in the Infernal Architect, so I was curious to give this a try. In the glass, the Down Time opened up with orange, caramel, and herbal aromas. Next, caramel with a hint of apple on the sip slid over to whisky, apple, herbal, and allspice flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was impressed at how well the allspice accented the Calvados and whisky here.

made man

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/8 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Mondays ago, I was peering through the Kindred Cocktails database when I came upon the Made Man by Ali Reynolds at the Hawksmoor in London. The database sourced the drink from a CocktailsDistilled web post which described, "In the same way that a made man is traditionally seen as 'untouchable' by fellow criminals, in the world of cocktails, a Made Man offers a taste you can't refuse." I was able to find references as early as 2013 to this drink on the web, and the rye, cherry, Yellow Chartreuse combination reminded me of the Last Waltz. Once stirred and strained, the Made Man gave forth a rye, cherry, and herbal pine bouquet. Next, dark fruit notes on the sip led into rye, cherry, bitter herbal, piny, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

menage a trois

1 oz Armagnac (Marie Duffau Napoleon)
1/2 oz Aged Rhum JM (Rhum JM 100° Blanc)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with an orange twist.Another drink that caught my eye from the online recipe flashcard set for Dutch Kills was the Ménage à Trois as a three French spirits in Old Fashioned format (sans bitters) sweetened with Pedro Ximenez sherry akin to ones with bitters like the Second Marriage and Linchpin. I was able to find the drink on the bar's Spring/Summer 2024 menu. Once prepared, the Ménage à Trois proffered an orange, raisin, and grassy aroma. Next, a rich grape and caramel sip followed through with brandy, apple, grassy rum, raisin, and fig flavors on the swallow.