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.

penumbra

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/8 oz Honey Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, and strain into a Sour glass. Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the most recent set of online recipe flashcards for Attaboy that I uncovered. There, I found the Penumbra and an almost identical drink called the Orange Moon that was served in an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube instead of served up. For a time frame, I turned to Yelp where there was a June 2023 review with a photo of the Penumbra served in a coupe, and an October 2023 review with photo of the Orange Moon served in an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube and short metal straw. One of the reviews described the combination as, " I felt like it tasted like an orange creamsicle." The combination of gin, Aperol, and passion fruit reminded me of the 'I'iwi Bird, and Aperol and passion fruit factored into my gentian liqueur-based Italian Stallion and Baldwin Bar's aromatized wine-based Rome with a Slight View. Once shaken and strained, the Penumbra cast out an orange, passion fruit, and pine aroma. Next, a creamy orange sip was overshadowed by gin, passion fruit, and orange flavors on the swallow.

dead man's party

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
1/2 oz Aperol
2 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I was reminded of the Veneto Negroni with Aperol and Sfumato as the bitter liqueur element and was inspired to tinker. Originally, I tried a 3:1 mix of rye whiskey to mezcal similar to the Knife to a Gun Fight with Bourbon and rinse of Scotch, but it was a bit thin. Instead, I went with an equal split of Cognac and mezcal that worked well in the 1910 Cocktail. For a name, I dubbed it after a song from Oingo Boingo, the Dead Man's Party, that I had on a mix I made to play at Drink which I recently revisited. The end result offered up grapefruit, smoke, and orange aromas to the nose. Next, orange, roast, and caramel notes on the sip gave way to Cognac, vegetal, bitter herbal, and orange flavors on the swallow with smoke, chocolate, and char on the finish.

los saicos

3/4 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Planteray 3 Star White Rum (Hamilton White 'Stache)
1/4 oz Planterayrum OFTD Rum
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Orgeat
5 drop St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (Hamilton)

Whip shake with ice, pour into a ceramic mug, and fill with crushed ice. Two Tuesdays ago, I searched for online recipe flashcard sets that included drinks with Planteray OFTD Rum and found Los Saicos at Cvi.che 105 in Miami. I soon found a Yelp review mentioning the drink in November 2018 and menu photos from May 2019 and March 2021, so it has been successful enough to survive a few menu turns. Matching the Peruvian restaurant theme, the drink was named after a band formed in Lima in 1964 that is considered one of the first garage rock bands and one of the pioneers of punk music. In the mug, the Los Saicos strummed aromas of pineapple and almond to the nose. Next, creamy lime and pineapple notes on the sip led into rum, pineapple, almond, and spice flavors on the swallow.

7 seminole avenue

1 oz Laird's Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
10 drop Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I returned to my notes from the online recipe flashcards from the Patterson House in Nashville and found the bitter, brown, and down number the 7 Seminole Avenue to fit the evening's calling. The recipe dated back to their Fall 2024 menu, and I was able to find an old menu online to confirm its placement and ingredients; however, I could not determine what that address corresponds to. Apple brandy and Cardamaro have paired up elegantly before in drinks like the Trenton and Euthanasia, and I have utilized the duo in recipes like the Wooden Shoe and Runaway Horses, so I was curious to try it here in this Old Fashioned meets Black Manhattan style drink. In the glass, this nightcap revealed orange, caramel, peppery, and root beer aromas to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip opened up into rum, apple, herbal, and black pepper flavors on the swallow.

dama rosa

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I uncovered a curious split base egg white recipe called the Dama Rosa at the now shuttered La Moule in Portland, Oregon, via online recipe flashcards. A Yelp menu photo places this drink around June 2021. Given the name and build, the Dama Rosa is a riff on the classic Pink Lady with tequila and lime for the original's gin and lemon. Tequila with apple brandy is a pairing that I first learned about in Island Creek's Spanish Caravan that inspired me to craft the Hasta Manzana riff on the Vieux Carré a few weeks later. In the glass, the Dama Rosa greeted the senses with a lemon, agave, and red berry aroma. Next, creamy lime and red fruit notes on the sip twirled into tequila, apple, and tart red berry flavors on the swallow.

fredo corleone

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Jamaican Dark Rum (3/4 oz Coruba + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/8 oz Amaro Nonino
1 tsp Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
2 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I selected my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and landed on the Fredo Corleone by Lorenzo Antinori at Bar Leone in Hong Kong circa 2023. Lorenzo named his creation after the incompetent middle son of Mafia Don Vito Corleone in the movie The Godfather. Overall, it reads like The Velvet Touch with the rye split here with Jamaican rum, and it would make a good pairing with Lorenzo's other tribute to that movie, the Luca Brazi. Once mixed, the Fredo Corleone gave forth an orange, caramel, and raisin bouquet to the nose. Next, dark grape and caramel notes on the sip slid into rye, funky rum, raisin, caramel orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

blackjack

1 1/2 oz Famous Grouse Scotch
1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Maple Syrup
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Fridays prior, I selected a recipe from The Rose in Jackson, Wyoming, called the Blackjack that I found in a set of online recipe flashcards. The name could be an allusion to how gambling was made illegal in Wisconsin in 1901 yet Jackson was "so far removed from the eyes of any federal law enforcement, it happened in the basements of several downtown drinking establishments" until mid-century. The duo of maple and ginger syrups appeared in the Mountain Man with Bourbon and peach liqueur instead of Scotch and apple brandy. Once dealt, the Blackjack showed a lemon, maple, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Lemon and an amber note on the sip revealed Scotch, apple, maple, ginger, and clove flavors on the swallow.

heather on the hill

2 oz Grant Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1 dash Cardamom Bitters (The Bitter Housewife)
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the online set of recipe flashcards for 1 Tippling Place in Philalephia that I had not touched since July when I made The Marxist. From that 2017 set, I selected the Heather on the Hill. In my research, I found an October 2016 article in Mid-Day with a photo and a description of the bartender Myles Carroll making the drink for a month long pop-up in Mumbai, India. Overall, the recipe reminded me of Sother Teague's Take me to Marrakech but with Scotch and egg white instead of Armagnac. Once prepared, Heather on the Hill gave forth an orange, honey, and Scotch aroma. Next, a creamy orange and lemon sip led into Scotch, honey, and cardamom flavors on the swallow. I was quite surprised at how delightful this combination was given its relative simplicity.