second fiddle

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Sundays ago, I returned to the same online recipe flashcards for Dear Irving in Manhattan that I found the Slow Drift. There in the same "Island Hop" section of their 2026 menu, I selected the Second Fiddle that read like a split spirits Gilda Cocktail; tequila and Cognac have worked well together in the Lobo Saldado (mezcal and Cognac is a much more common pairing though such as in the 1910 Cocktail or my Bucking the Tiger). Once prepared, the Second Fiddle launched off with a pineapple and cinnamon nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip slid into Cognac, vegetal, pineapple, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

kingston campfire

2 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1/4 oz Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/4 oz BG Reynold's Falernum (Velvet)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Zombie glass (ceramic mug), and garnish with a lime wheel (omit) and mint sprig. Two Saturdays ago, I reached for my copy of Justin Wojslaw's Coconuts & Carnage book from Wonk Press to make a follow up to the inaugural Demerara Dream Daiquiri. For a second recipe, I selected his Kingston Campfire. Smoky Scotch accents to rum have been a rather effective technique that I saw last in the Smoke Along the Crescent Bend and I utilized in my Doomscroller, so I was curious to see it in this expansion of the Hotel Nacional Special along with a little falernum for spice. In the bamboo mug, the Kingston Campfire smoldered with a mint, pineapple, apricot, and peat smoke aroma. Next, pineapple and lime on the sip ignited rum, peat smoke, apricot, and clove flavors on the swallow.

kungaloosh hidea-tai

2 oz Aged Jamaican Rum (1 oz Smith & Cross + 1 oz Appleton 8 Year)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a glass (ceramic mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel. Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a recipe that I spotted on the Casual Tiki website called the Kungaloosh Hidea-Tai. They described it as "the signature cocktail from the storied Kungaloosh Hideaway" that was a Trader Vic Mai Tai taken in a stone fruit direction. My research suggested that this is perhaps a reference to the Adventurer's Club at Disney that closed in 2008 to the public and in 2009 to private events. While I have had orgeat, apricot liqueur, and cinnamon in all the pairings possible with great effect, I have never had all three in a single drink. Once prepared, the Kungaloosh Hidea-Tai provided a mint and lime aroma. Next, a creamy caramel and lime sip uncovered funky rum, apricot, nutty, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

electric circus

1 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Pineapple Rum (Planteray Stiggins' Fancy)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Cynar
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. After spotting a rye drink on a menu that had Cynar and Montenegro as modifiers, I realized that it was similar to what I enjoyed in the Tio Amargo with Demerara rum. I was inspired to swap the base to a split of mezcal and pineapple rum which I discovered in the Hunter Thompson and utilized a few times before such as in the Cannibal Cove last Fall. For a name, I dubbed this one the Electric Circus after the 1960s New York City nightclub with a variety of performers often associated with Andy Warhol that I read about in the St. Marks Is Dead book. From 1967 to 1971, the Electric Circus incorporated the big top aspect with everything from jugglers, mimes, trapeze artists, and body painting, and added in other performances like psychadelic multi-projector audiovisual shows and bands like The Velvet Underground, The Grateful Dead, and Sly & the Family Stone. One quote about the establishment caught my curiosity with, "Like Woodstock, if you remembered much of what happened at the E.C., you weren't really there." In the glass, the Electric Circus sprang forth with an orange, tropical, and smoke aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip evolved into rum, pineapple, tangerine, vegetal, smoke, and clove flavors on the swallow.

maiden voyage

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite Essencial)
1/2 oz Fino Sherry (Lustau Manzanilla)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and selected the Maiden Voyage by Brandon Bramhall at Charleston's Last Saint circa 2023. This one was different from the more tropical Maiden Voyage and is instead a bitter herbal stirred number; moreover, it shares more similarity with the Afterword with lime and sparkling wine in place of dry sherry. Once mixed, the Maiden Voyage sailed off to the senses with a lemon, honey, vegetal, and smoke aroma. Next, honey and caramel notes on the sip developed into smoky vegetal, herbal, and tangerine flavors on the swallow.

ink & fire

1 1/2 oz Tequila (Fosforo Blanco)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Agave Syrup
1/4 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/4 oz Aperol

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Two Tuesdays ago, I came across recipes from Riverbar in Somerville, MA, back when I worked there in 2018. From the Spring menu that I started off with, the Ink & Fire needed a revisit. Essentially the drink reads like a Tommy's Margarita with a hint of orange and chili pepper mixed in; Ancho Reyes and Aperol did work well together in the My Name Is Nobody. While there is a black metal band under that name, that group formed after the recipe was created; unfortunately, it obscures any web search-based attempt to figure out what the drink was named after. Once shaken and strained, the Ink & Fire opened up with an agave and a hint of dried fruit and pepper aroma on the nose. Next, lime notes on the sip evolved into tequila, orange, and roasted pepper spice on the swallow.

primavera

1 oz Espolon Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Pimm's No. 1
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Agave Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a snifter (double old fashioned) glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig (or 3). Two Mondays prior, I came across online recipe flashcards for the Spring 2026 menu at The Old Pal in Athens, Georgia, and the seasonally-appropriate Primavera stood out. Their website displays this drink on the current menu along with a drawing of it. The combination of tequila and Pimm's appeared in two drinks including the Indian Summer, and I utilized it in the Blind Hen as a mashup of the Metexa and Pimmeron from the 1930s. Once built, the Primavera gave forth mint aromas over caramelized vegetal ones from the tequila. Next, lemon and caramel on the sip blossomed into aged agave, red berry, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

trophy room

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Maison Rouge Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Sundays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcard set for Club 33, the New Orleans-themed restaurant at Disneyland in Anaheim, and came upon the Trophy Room. The recipe reminded me of the Physically Forgotten which is the gin version in the same ratio but with different bitters. I was able to find a Yelp menu photo from 2022 that had the description, "Tucked away among the magic of New Orleans' Square, a secluded room once played host to all manner of festivities and celebrations, with walls adorned with talking beasts and treasures from exotic far off lands." The description made me think of Muriel in New Orleans where Andrea and I attended an absinthe soirée towards the end of Tales of the Cocktail 2009 (see photo below). Once mixed, the Trophy Room donated an orange and nutty cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, a caramel-driven sip developed into Bourbon, Cognac, herbal, nutty cherry, and anise flavors on the swallow. The Maraschino came across as a little heavy handed here, so perhaps decreasing that amount could benefit the balance; surprisingly, I did not have a similar complaint a little over two years ago for the gin-based Physically Forgotten though.

held in contempt

2 oz Speyside Scotch (Glen Grant 16)
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/8 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays ago, I fired up The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and latched onto the Held in Contempt by Mikey Reihill at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2023. The recipe seemed like a good follow-up to last night's Scotch-Ciociaro drink, The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, and Scotch and Ciociaro have worked well before in Little Branch's .38 Special, my Jolly Jane, and other recipes besides that Julep. In the glass, the Held in Contempt gave forth a lemon, caramel, and apricot bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and a hint of orchard fruit notes on the sip slid into Scotch, bitter caramel orange, and apricot flavors on the swallow with a chocolate and orange finish.