continental julep

2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Strawberry, halved
6-8 leaf Mint

Muddle the strawberry and mint leaves in simple syrup. Add Cognac, fill with crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and top with crushed ice. Float 1/2 oz dark Jamaican rum (1/4 oz Smith & Cross + 1/4 oz Appleton 8 Year) and garnish with a mint bouquet. Continuing on with the mint recipes, I decided to find one in The Madrusan Cocktail Companion called the Continental Julep. That recipe was first published in the 1934 Jayne's Bartender's Guide, a book that Dr. Jayne and son published after the repeal of Prohibition to help revive cocktail culture. Dr. Jayne was not a bartender but a patent medicine manufacturer in Philadelphia, and he used this book to market his pills, tonics, and beauty products. Back in the day, Juleps were often Cognac-based if you had wealth and rum-based if you did not (see also the Cognac-based Corn 'n' Oil), and once the American whiskey distilling tradition took off, the Julep became associated with Bourbon. The first Julep that I had with Cognac was the Prescription Julep that I was served in 2009 at Tales of the Cocktail and later made at home in 2017. With fresh strawberries on hand, I set to work. The Continental Julep broadcast a mint and rum funk bouquet to the nose. Next, a berry note came through on the sip, and the swallow rounded things off with Cognac, strawberry, and mint flavors.

pleasure island

1 1/2 oz House Barrel-Aged Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum (Unaged)
1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Fosforo Ensemble)
1/2 oz BG Reynolds Don's Spice No. 2 (1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup + 1/4 oz Hamilton's Allspice Dram)
1/4 oz Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice (*)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a decorative mug, and top with crushed ice. Garnish with mint (3 sprigs), bitters (Angostura), and fire (omit).
(*) My Don's Spices No. 2 combination was probably not as sweet as BG Reynolds' syrup, so perhaps a 1/4 oz of simple or dropping the lime to 1/2 oz might balance this drink a little better (a bit booze-forward with the 126° rum). With my mint patch beginning to fill out, two Friday ago I looked through the recipe list that I had saved up during the off season. The one that caught my eye first was the Pleasure Island by Ryan Lobe of Rumba in Seattle for the 2015 Iron Tiki Tender competition that I sourced from the Cocktail Wonk blog. Ryan described, "The name is inspired by the island in the book Pinocchio where all the bad boys go to drink and smoke." The pairing of apricot and allspice dram worked rather well in the Firebreak, Decadence & Elegance, and other drinks, so I was curious to give it a go here. In the mug, the Pleasure Island awakened the senses with mint, clove, and allspice aromas. Next, lime and apricot notes on the sip flowed into funky rum, vegetal, smoke, vanilla, allspice, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

guadalajara

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Averna
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry and an orange twist. Two Thursdays ago, I opened up my copy of Every Cocktail Has a Twist by Carey Jones and John McCarthy, and for the inaugural recipe, I selected the Guadalajara from the Manhattan variation section that was not one of the three other Guadalajaras already on this blog. The structure was reminiscent of the Bourbon-based Big Chief, and the combination of reposado tequila, Punt e Mes, and Averna have appeared in the Revelator with coffee beans and in the Modest Mousse with grapefruit liqueur. Once mixed, the Guadalajara opened up with orange, cherry, grape, and roasted vegetal aromas. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip delved into vegetal and rounded bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

proof of heart

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Carpano Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Wednesdays prior, I stumbled back to the online recipe flashcards for the New Orleans-themed Club 33 at Disneyland in Anaheim. There, I was drawn in by the Proof of Heart where the Aperol-sweet vermouth modifier duo that worked well in the Contessa with gin, Pulitzer with rye, and Dolores Haze with tequila, seemed curious with a split base of Cognac and Bourbon. In the glass, the Proof of Heart shared a lemon and dark grape bouquet. Next, grape and orange notes on the sip evolved into Cognac, whiskey, bitter orange, and rhubarb flavors on the swallow.

wooden ship

1 oz Tanqueray No. Ten Gin (regular Tanqueray)
1 oz Bols Genever (Bols Barrel-Aged)
1/2 oz Grand Marnier (Bauchant)
1/2 tsp Cane Sugar Syrup (1/8 oz)
1 dash Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for my copy of Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktails book and searched out the Wooden Ship created by Thomas Waugh at Death & Co. in 2011. I became inspired after seeing that a friend posted about this on Instagram, and I realized that I skipped over this one after depleting my Grand Marnier bottle. Since Eastern Standard paired Bauchant with Anchor's American "Genever" in the Dutch Courage, I figured that particular alternative brandy-based orange liqueur could work here. Once mixed, the Wooden Ship sailed to the nose with a lemon, malty, and touch of cinnamon aroma. Next, malt and light, fruity, almost paw-paw notes on the sip dropped anchor into malty, herbal, pine, and orange flavors on the swallow with a cinnamon finish.

space dog

1 3/4 oz Four Roses Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/4 oz Amaro Sfumato
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Two Mondays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Good Company in St. Louis and found the Space Dog as a complex Bourbon Sour for their Fall 2024 menu. I soon found a video from October 2024 of bar manager Diego Gonzalez making the drink on the bar's Instagram which confirmed the recipe. While I have never tried the Sfumato and orgeat pairing, I have tried it with another rabarbaro, namely Zucca, in Hungry Mother's Smoky with good effect. In the glass, the Space Dog came through with a woody spice, almond, and herbal roast aroma. Next, a creamy roast and grapefruit sip landed on Bourbon, smoky bitter herbal, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

demerara dream daiquiri

1 oz Aged Demerara Rum such as El Dorado 12 Year (Hamilton's Demerara River)
1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum such as Appleton 12 Year (Appleton 8 Year)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry. Two Sundays ago, I finally got around to opening up my copy of Justin Wojslaw's Coconuts & Carnage book published by Wonk Press. Since my mint was not ready to harvest, I opted for the author's Demerara Dream Daiquiri which had the passion fruit, vanilla, and lime structure of the Apocalypto but with two aged rums and Angostura Bitters in place of pisco. Once shaken and strained, the Demerara Dream Daiquiri gave forth a woody rum, allspice, and vanilla bouquet to the nose. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip subsided into rum, passion fruit, vanilla, and clove flavors on the swallow.

wicker park sour

1 oz Jeppson's Malört
1 oz Pisco (Macchu Pisco)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with 3 drops Peychaud's Bitters. Two Saturdays prior, I opened up my copy of Toby Maloney's The Bartender's Manifesto book and was taken in by the Wicker Park Sour by Andrew Mackey at The Violet Hour circa 2011. Overall, the recipe read like a Pisco Sour that gained Malört, grapefruit, and honey to give it Chicago stylings. Once shaken and strained, the Wicker Park Sour began with an anise aroma from the Peychaud's Bitters garnish. Next, a creamy lemon, grapefruit, and honey sip evolved into bitter grapefruit pith and honey flavors on the swallow. While the drink allowed me to crack open my recent restocked bottle of pisco, that spirit was a bit lost in the mix and acted more like a flavor elongator akin to vodka in the Fernet-containing Sputnik.

obvious choice

1 oz Mezcal (Convite Esencial)
1 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
3/8 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wedge (omit). Two Fridays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and happened upon the Obvious Choice by Matty Clark at Dutch Kills in New York City. The recipe has the agave spirit, lime, cinnamon, and passion fruit components of the Easy Out but with mezcal and Amontillado instead of tequila and Amaro Montenegro, so I was intrigued. Once prepared, the Obvious Choice showcased vegetal, smoke, nutty, and cinnamon aromas to the nose. Next, lime and grape on the sip developed into smoky agave, passion fruit, nutty grape, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.