fantastico

1 1/2 oz Gosling's Black Seal Rum
1/2 oz Varnelli Punch Fantasia
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Highball glass with soda water (2 oz), add ice, and garnish with a piece of candied ginger. Another soda water recipe that I had saved up resided on the Bartender's Choice app called the Fantastico. The drink was crafted by Brandon Bramhall at Nashville's Attaboy in 2018, and the app described it as "A Dark 'N Stormy with some added amaro bitterness." After finding a way too cheap liter bottle of Punch Fantasia a little over a year and a half ago, I have been looking at ways of using it past the ounce and quarter to date poured thanks to the Bumbo and the Last King of Scotland. Here with another half ounce, the Fantastico offered up a caramel, hazelnut, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, a carbonated caramel and lime sip delved into rum, nutty, ginger, herbal, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

bow & arrow

1 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. Two Fridays prior, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and spotted the Bow & Arrow by Scott Teague at Dutch Kills circa 2015. The recipe reminded me of a split base Gilda Cocktail from Death & Co.; Scott would have been familiar with the Gilda from having worked at Death & Co. a few years after Brian Miller created it in 2009. In the glass, the Bow & Arrow shot forth with a vegetal, cinnamon, pineapple, and smoke aroma. Next, a lime-driven sip landed on Bourbon, vegetal agave, pineapple, and cinnamom flavors on the swallow.

the hamptonian

1 oz Brisson VS Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Beefeater Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with soda water (2 oz), add ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel (lemon twist). Another soda water recipe that I had saved up was The Hamptonian at Dear Irving as a fancy Long Island Iced Tea. This drink sourced from a set of online recipe flashcards from Fall 2021 reminded me of Sother Teague's Youthful Expression with its gin, Bourbon, Ramazzotti, bitters, and soda. In the glass, The Hamptonian emitted a lemon and cola aroma. Next, a carbonated lemon and caramel sip flowed into Cognac, juniper, caramel, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

iroc-z

1 1/2 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a highball glass with soda water (2 oz), add ice, and garnish with a piece of candied ginger. Continuing on with my backlog of recipes elongated with soda water, I decided to make the Iroc-Z from Attaboy two Wednesdays ago. This recipe that I found in online flashcards reminded me of the CIA crossed with a Buck. Once assembled, the Iroc-Z accelerated to the nose with an apple and ginger aroma. Next, a carbonated lime and caramel sip switched gears into an apple, ginger, and herbal swallow.

ross Island

3/4 oz Beefeater Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
3/4 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a collins (highball) glass with soda water (2 oz), and garnish with a lemon wheel (lemon twist). Two Tuesdays ago, since I had a fresh bottle of soda water, I decided to make the Ross Island at the now shuttered La Moule in Portland, Oregon, that I uncovered through online recipe flashcards. A GoogleMaps menu photo dates this drink to 2021 around two years before it closed. While I thought that it could be named after the island off of Antarctica, one of my Instagram friends pointed out that there is a Ross Island in the Willamette River just south of La Moule's location. As for the recipe, the only instance of Swedish punsch and Ramazzotti being used together was in the Over the Yardarm but the amaro was used in a float over crushed ice there, so I was curious to try it in this elongated equal parts recipe. Once mixed, the Ross Island gave forth lemon, pine, and root beer aromas. Next, a carbonated lemon and caramel sip opened up into pine, citrus, herbal, cola, and black tea flavors on the swallow.

i'm not your mary

1 oz Wild Turkey (Rittenhouse Rye)
1 oz Bertoux Brandy (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth (Servito)
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
3 dash Smeby Black & White Bitters that are chocolate/vanilla (2 dash Savoy Society Chocolate Chicory + 2 dash Savoy Society Orange Vanilla)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with Fernet Branca. The identity of the whiskey as to Bourbon or rye (or the proof) was not mentioned, but I went with Rittenhouse Rye to split the difference since Wild Turkey Bourbon is a bit fiery. Two Mondays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for The Violet Hour and latched on to the I'm Not Your Mary as a Toronto riff taken by way of the Sazerac from the Winter 2022 menu. I was drawn in for it reminded me of the bar's All Bark, All Bite circa 2018 as a Toronto with a split rye and Scotch base with a smoky rinse. Once stirred and strained, the I'm Not Your Mary welcomed the nose with Fernet's minty and menthol aromas. Next, a lightly caramel sip unfurled into rye, brandy, chocolate, menthol, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

bouchot

1 1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Suze Gentiane Liqueur

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I spotted a reference to a drink that Sother Teague created for the podcast Sauced called the Bouchot to complement the episode's mussels dish. This fruity White Negroni riff was named after the fence posts for farming intertidal mussels. Overall, the flavor concept reminded me a little of my Tin Can Telephone with apple brandy and gentian liqueur that utilized sweet vermouth and a touch of Benedictine instead of Cocchi Americano. Once prepared, the Bouchot gave forth a lemon and gentian herbal aroma. Next, pear notes on the sip opened up into apple, herbal, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

cactus fly

3/4 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Amaro Sfumato
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass. The recipe said no garnish, but I opted for a piece of candied ginger on a pick like this drink's siblings. Two Saturdays ago, I ventured back to the online recipe flashcards for the Long Island Bar in Brooklyn where I sourced the Electric Mayhem. The drink I selected was the Cactus Fly that was akin to the Mosquito with Campari and the Dragonfly with Braulio, but here with Sfumato. Since mezcal and Sfumato are a great pairing such as in the Oakland, Tarantula, and other cocktails, I prepared this one right away. In the glass, the Cactus Fly gave forth a vegetal, roast, smoke, and ginger aroma. Next, lemon and roast notes on the sip slid into vegetal, ginger, roast, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a smoky finish.

little easy

1 1/2 oz Famous or Black Grouse (2 oz Famous Grouse)
1/2 oz Averna (2/3 oz)
1 Sugar Cube (1/3 oz Simple Syrup)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
2 dash Bitter Truth Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Muddle the sugar cube soaked with bitters (I used simple syrup and skipped the muddling), add Scotch and Averna, and stir with ice. Strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with absinthe (Pastis d'Autreois) and garnish with an orange twist. Two Fridays ago, I was looking through the Kindred Cocktails database and landed upon the Little Easy by Brian Quinn in a 2012 Food Republic article as a riff on the New Orleans classic, the Sazerac. Scotch and Averna have paired well before in the Philadelphia Story, Black Mass, and other drinks, so I was game to give this one a whirl. In the glass, the Little Easy proffered an orange, anise, and licorice bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and malt notes on the sip opened up into Scotch, herbal, anise, and hint of cherry flavors on the swallow.