high plains julep

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Amaretto (Luxardo)
6-8 leaf Mint

Muddle mint with the liqueurs in a Julep cup, add the rest of the ingredients, top with ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet. Two Mondays ago, I got home late from a series of industry events and felt like enjoying a Julep to round out the evening. Therefore, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and became intrigued by the High Plains Julep by Travis Hernandez at Half Step in Austin circa 2017. There was something about amaretto juxtaposed with Braulio that I needed to experience to understand, and I also have a lot of Luxardo Amaretto since shortly after buying a bottle, I was tasked with developing a recipe with Luxardo and Hotaling products and was sent another bottle for R&D. Checking back, "shortly" was two years ago (replacing my 15+ year old bottle of Disaronno that I finished a month before), but that does sum up my general use of that liqueur. There are a few instances on the blog of bitter liquids pairing with amaretto with the most extreme being a hefty slug of Angostura Bitters in the Sock Drawer Sexuality, but most are with softer amaro such as two that I created – the Bar Boss with Cynar and the Am-Am Sour with Averna. While the closest thing to amaretto meeting mint was in the garnish to the Caribbean Punch, Braulio has been paired before with mint including two other Juleps – the Ducati and the Thieves in the Night. So I set to work (and got one step closer to not dying with two bottles of amaretto bottles in the house), and the High Plains Julep offered up mint aromas over almond and stone fruit pit ones. Next, caramel on the sip expanded into rye, almond, minty, bitter herbal, and pine flavors on the swallow.

starward swizzle

2 oz Hamilton's Lost Voyage Rum (1 oz Hamilton's 86° Demerara River + 1/2 oz Monymusk Gold + 1/2 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Pernod (12 drop Pernod Absinthe)

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Top with crushed ice and garnish with a mint bouquet, dehydrated lime wheel (omit), and freshly grated nutmeg. Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a drink called the Starward Swizzle from Strongwater in Anaheim that I spotted in a set of online recipe flashcards. In researching the drink, I found a web-based set of recipes put out by the rum that included the spec verbatim. Since Lost Voyage Rum is described as a blend of rum from Guyana and Jamaica's Worthy Park, I tried my best to replicate the flavor profile with a trio of rums. Here, the rum, cinnamon, falernum, lime, bitters, and absinthe made me think of the Jet Pilot but with pineapple and Peychaud's instead of the classic's grapefruit and Angostura. In the glass, the Starward Swizzle emitted a woody spice, mint, and rum funk aroma. Next, pineapple and lime notes on the sip opened up into funky rums, pineapple, cinnamon, and anise flavors on the swallow.

old timber

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Amaro Averna
1/8 oz Orgeat
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and a drizzle of pot still Jamaican rum (1/8 oz Smith & Cross). Two Saturdays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and spotted the Old Timber by Ryan Kutnz at San Diego's Noble Experiment from 2016. The Averna and orgeat pairing reminded me of Meaghan Dorman's Across the Pacific although it also appeared in the Last Date and two other recipes on the blog. In the glass, the Old Timber gave forth mint and rum funk aroma. Next, a touch of creaminess and caramel on the sip opened up into Bourbon, a hint of almond and herbal, and clove flavors on the swallow.

song of the siren

1 1/2 oz Aged Rum (Privateer New England Reserve) (*)
1/2 oz Smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Grenadine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a ceramic mug or Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs.
(*) Perhaps a rum blend (or second rum) with a little funky or grassy profile might elevate this drink. I became inspired by how the Kingston Campfire took the Hotel Nacional in a smoky Scotch and falernum direction, and I wondered if the Mary Pickford could make a similar style of riff. To that classic, I added those two ingredients plus lime and bitters to bring the drink into balance, and I turned it into a more tropical serving style instead of prepared up in a cocktail glass. For a name, since Mary Pickford was referred to as "Canada's Silent Siren," I dubbed this one the Song of the Siren as a modern tribute. Once mixed, the Song of the Siren greeted the nose with a mint, nutty cherry, pineapple, and peat smoke aroma. Next, pineapple, red berry, and lime notes on the sip advanced into rum, smoke, nutty cherry, ginger, and clove flavors on the swallow. Perhaps a rum or rum blend with a little grassiness or funk might add some delightful complexity to the profile.

pigeon park

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Pimm's No. 1
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass rinsed with Ardbeg Scotch (Ardbeg 10 Year), and garnish with orange oil from a flamed twist (unflamed, twist included). My rediscovery of Pimm's No. 1 led me to search the Kindred Cocktails database where I landed on the Pigeon Park by Martin Corriveau at La Pentola in Vancouver circa 2013. Martin created this as a variation on the the Vancouver which is a recipe that I made around 5 years ago from William Boothby's 1934 World Drinks & How to Mix Them with gin, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, and orange bitters. Martin explained, "I wanted something slightly herbaceous to highlight the subtle herbal aroma of the mezcal, and Pimm's No.1 felt like the perfect choice because it wasn't very sweet, and being made from gin, it echoed the original Vancouver Cocktail, which was essentially a Martinez with Benedictine instead of Maraschino. Pigeon Park is a little square in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside where the homeless and junkies hang out or just take a nap. Still Vancouver, even though it doesn't look anything like a postcard photo, yet not without charm either." Once assembled, the Pigeon Park gave forth an orange, peat smoke, and red fruit aroma. Next, grape and berry notes on the sip slid into vegetal, smoke, bitter herbal, berry, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

towards the unknown

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Pimm's No. 1
1/2 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Absinthe (12 drop St. George) (*)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

I became inspired to tinker by the reposado tequila-Pimm's aspect of the Second Fiddle that I had just made, and I utilized the Pimm's-banana element in the Luxury from the 1953 UKBG Guide for Drinks as a direction. For a name, I dubbed this one Towards the Unknown after a 1950 painting by Mexican surrealist Gunther Gerzso. Once prepared, the Towards the Unknown wandered to the senses with a vegetal, caramel, banana, and anise aroma. Next, lime, red berry, and caramel notes on the sip uncovered roasted vegetal, fruity, banana, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, the absinthe did give this drink a lift and brought it out of the darker fruit direction that the Pimm's and banana liqueur took it in (Giffard's Crème de Banane should be a bit brighter than Tempus Fugit's).

jackson square swizzle

1 1/4 oz Pernod Absinthe
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Falernum (Velvet)
3/4 oz Lime juice

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig. Two Tuesdays prior, I went back to the online recipe flashcards for Club 33, the New Orleans-themed establishment at Disneyland in Anaheim, and found the Jackson Square Swizzle that would utilize my garden's mint bounty. I found a Yelp menu photo in 2022 that declared, "Jackson Square is the historic center of the French Quarter. Legend has it that in an apartment around the corner was hidden a collection of absinthe deep enough to quench the thirst of local politicians during its 100 year drought." Overall, the combination and general ratios reminded me a lot of the Chartreuse Swizzle, so I was indeed curious to try this one. I wish that I still had my absinthe fan regulars from when I bartended at Drink who wanted cocktails with an ounce or more of the stuff (ranging from the 1922 Yellow Parrot to the Absinthe Painkiller that I crafted on the fly for them) so I could surprise them with this one the next time they came in. Once swizzled, the drink proffered mint and licorice aromas to the nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip gave way to licorice, anise, pineapple, and clove flavors on the swallow.

yellow cloud

2 oz Probitas Rum (1 3/4 oz Hamilton White 'Stache + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a pineapple crescent (omit) and a flower (ornamental pea blossom).
(*) A second set of online recipe flashcards and a magazine article about the bar's opening had this as Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur instead of syrup. Two Mondays ago, I felt in a tropical mood, so I found the recipes that I uncovered that Paul McGee created for the Papaya Club at the Conrad Orlando resort. The Papaya Club along with Seaworthy were projects that Paul consulted for after Lost Lake closed but before he opened his own spot, Echo Lake. MarketWatch in 2024 had a photo and description of the drink in their article about the Papaya Club, and they listed it with Chinola liqueur for the passion fruit element, so perhaps they changed to syrup to save on cost if my 2025 recipe flashcards are correct. Here, the lime, passion fruit, and falernum trio reminded me of the Mai-Kai's Last Rights that inspired by mezcal-Ancho Reyes The Missing. Once prepared, the Yellow Cloud floated to the nose with a passion fruit, rum funk, and pineapple nose. Next, lime, pineapple, and a hint of tart passion fruit on the sip transformed into funky rum, pineapple, ginger, and clove flavors on the swallow.

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.