empyrean

1 1/2 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Lemon Juice (*)
1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/2 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a flamed (unflamed) orange twist.
(*) Note: the drink was a touch on the tart side, so perhaps 1/8 - 1/4 oz simple or demerara syrup to balance would prosper here. Two Saturdays ago, I spotted my friend Wendy Miller posting a drink called the Empyrean on her Instagram. It was created by Daniel Shoemaker at the Teardrop Lounge in Portland, Oregon, and was published in the softcover 2008 first edition of Left Coast Libations but not the hardcover 2010 second edition that I own. The only other reference I could find online was when Paul Clarke made this as part of his 2009 Thirty [Cocktails] in 30 [Days] series. One definition of empyrean is, "As a noun, it describes the highest celestial sphere or the dwelling place of God, angels, and beings of pure light. As an adjective (empyrean or empyreal), it means heavenly, sublime, or sky-related." The combination of American whiskey, Ramazotti, and Maraschino reminded me of the Front Street and Williamsburg but here with a citrus and smoky mezcal component. I set off that evening to try out this heavenly and sublime sounding recipe, and once prepared, it greeted the nose with an orange, rye, lemon, cherry, and smoke aroma. Next, lemon and caramel on the sip opened up into rye, vegetal root beer, tart lemon, and cherry flavors on the swallow with a smoke finish. Overall, it came across as a little tart, but with a touch of simple or demerara syrup, this should be on point.

pedro pan

1 oz Cihuatan Indigo 8 Year Rum (Planteray Mr. Fogg No. 1)
1 oz La Favorite VSOP Rhum Agricole (Rhum Clement)
1/2 oz Torino Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Lime Bitters (Scrappy's)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lime hat (lime twist). Two Fridays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for The Violet Hour in Chicago and happened upon the Pedro Pan from the Summer 2023 menu. It is most likely named after Operation Pedro Pan which was the historic 1960s airlift of unaccompanied Cuban children to the United States to avoid Communist indoctrination. Rum and Ramazzotti have paired well before in the Smooth Operator with sherry and the Idle Class with Madeira, so I was curious to see how it did with sweet vermouth. In the glass, the Pedro Pan lifted an aroma of lime, root beer, and caramel to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip landed on grassy rum, root beer, herbal, and lime flavors on the swallow.

late checkout

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Lustau)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz TDL Red Bitter (Campari)
1 dash Gomme (1/8 oz Simple Syrup)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Thursdays ago, I reviewed the drinks that I had selected from the online recipe flashcards for Portland's Teardrop Lounge, and I latched onto the Late Checkout from the 2022 menu's friend section. The drink was attributed to Donny Henderson at ABV in San Francisco where it was served on pebble ice with a twist (appears like an orange or perhaps a grapefruit one from Yelp photos) instead of up sans garnish, and the combination reminded me of Jamie Boudreau's Novara with different proportions and elongation with a crisp sherry. In the coupe, the Late Checkout sent a pine, passion fruit, and bitter orange aroma to the nose. Next, lemon, tangy tropical, and white grape notes on the sip delayed the offering of pine, bitter passion fruit, and peach flavors on the swallow with a savory almond finish.

behind the scenes

1 1/2 oz Banhez Mezcal (Convite)
1/2 oz Torino Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Amargo de Chili (Ancho Reyes)
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 drop Hellfire Bitters (Homemade)

Stir with ice and strain into a snifter glass with one cube (old fashioned glass with a large ice cube). Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for The Violet Hour in Chicago and landed on the Behind the Scenes from the Winter 2022 menu that was described as "mezcal Vieux Carré-ish". Since I have had the combination of mezcal, sweet vermouth, and chili liqueur with bitter liqueurs like Campari in the Bordertown and Ciociaro in the Leatherman, Yellow Chartreuse seemed like it would do well here. Stirred and strained, the Behind the Scenes donated a minty herbal, roasted vegetal, and smoke bouquet to the nose. Next, a grape-driven sip revealed smoky mezcal, dried vegetal, honey, and pepper spice flavors on the swallow.

i am not left handed

1 1/2 oz Batavia Arrack van Oosten
1 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Giffard Pamplemousse Grapefruit Liqueur (St. Elder)
2 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters (1 dash Bittermens Grapefruit + 1 dash Bittercube Trinity)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Tuesdays ago, I was searching the web for Batavia Arrack recipes when I came across the I am not Left Handed from Rumba in Seattle circa 2017. The recipe was posted on the Bar Faith blog, and the name is most likely a reference to sword duel scene in The Princess Bride where both combatants announce their respective handicap. Batavia Arrack and Cynar have paired solidly in the Los Batman and the My Triumphs, My Mistakes but only in a split base. Moreover, Cynar and grapefruit liqueur have worked well in drinks like the Tres Amigos and I utilized it in the This is not Berlin. In the glass, the I am not Left Handed lunged forth with grapefruit oil over funky herbal aromas. Next, caramel and grapefruit notes on the sip parried earthy rum, funky herbal, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

unsinkable

3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Jamaican Rum (Coruba)
1/2 oz St. George Bruto Americano
1/2 oz Giffard Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays prior, I opened up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and was drawn in by the Unsinkable. It was crafted by Brandon Bramhall at Nashville's Attaboy in 2021 as a Banana Kingston Negroni of sorts akin to the Banana Boulevardier. Once mixed, the Unsinkable floated to the nose with an orange, cinnamon, caramel, rum funk, and pine tree aroma. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip were salvaged by funky rum, pine, bitter orange, and banana flavors on the swallow.

reanimator

1 1/2 oz Aged Jamaican Rum like Planteray Xaymayca (1 oz Appleton 8 Year + 1/2 oz Smith & Cross)
1/2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz Zombie Mix (*)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Zombie glass (ceramic mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig (3 sprigs).
(*) Equal parts Grenadine, Falernum (Velvet), Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand), and Absinthe (Kübler). I used 1/2 tsp each, which came out to 1/3 oz total instead of 1/4 oz. Two Sundays ago, I found the Reanimator by "Tiki Commando" Jason Alexander in the Minimalist Tiki book, and it appeared like a Hurricane crossed with aspects of the 1934 Zombie. There are a few Zombie riffs like the Sunakora Zombie that take things in this passion fruit route; however, since Jason has a great track record with drinks, I needed to sample his take on things. Once assembled, the Reanimator gave forth a mint aroma over funky rum and anise elements. Next, lemon with a tart tropical fruit note on the sip flowed into funky rum, passion fruit, and anise flavors on the swallow.

momose manhattan

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Pineau des Charentes (Guerin)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays ago, I was perusing The Madrusan Cocktail Companion when I was lured in by the Momosé Manhattan from Julia Momosé in 2021 that she published in her The Way of the Cocktail book. Rye, amaro, and Pineau des Charentes is a motif that worked well in the Cooper with Averna, so I was curious to see the effect with Braulio and sweet vermouth. Moreover, I later spotted a recipe for the Charentes Manhattan on Reddit that was rye, a split of sweet vermouth and Pineau des Charentes, and Angostura Bitters, so the Braulio inclusion definitely seemed like it could work in place of the bitters. In the glass, the Momosé Manhattan gave forth a lemon, apricot, and grape bouquet to the nose. Next, grape and melon notes on the sip opened up into rye, bitter herbal, pine, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

venus's point

1 1/2 oz Pineau des Charentes White (Guerin)
1/2 oz Rhum Agricole (JM 100° Blanc)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon wheel (twist). Two Fridays ago, I started searching the web for Pineau des Charentes recipes when I landed upon the Venus's Point by Ivy Mix at Leyenda that she posted on her Instagram. It is her lower proof Saturn riff "using passion fruit and orgeat to bring out the tangy and nutty notes of Pineau." In the glass, the Venus's Point orbited the nose with a lemon, passion fruit, and apricot aroma. Next, a creamy lemon and tropical sip was eclipsed by apricot, passion fruit, grassy funk, and nutty flavors on the swallow. Overall, the effect besides being a bit lower in ABV was to shift the balance to something more fruity and grassy instead of botanical and spiced given the omission of the gin and falernum from the late 1960s classic.