mugshot shawty

1 1/2 Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Strega

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice. No garnish needed — just let the liqueurs' aromatic spices and botanicals shine through. Two Sundays ago, I became inspired by the previous night's Burning Times of gin, Strega, Fernet, and bitters and wanted to tinker. Since Campari and Strega paired together rather well such as in the Rachel Wall and the Count's Swizzle, I turned this into a Ferrari (Fernet-Campari) adventure. For a spirit, I considered apple brandy, American whiskey, gin, or a split base, and I opted for Bourbon for it offered a rich and relatively smooth canvas to paint these bold liqueur flavors onto. The Italian trio of liqueurs made me think of organized crime which got me thinking of mugshots that led me to the phenomenon of attractive arrest photos, so I dubbed this one the Mugshot Shawty. Once assembled, the drink showcased caramel, fennel, and minty pine aromas. Next, caramel and orange notes on the sip expanded into Bourbon, gentian, minty-menthol, orange, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

burning times

2 oz Plymouth Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Strega
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
2 dash Boker's bitters (2 dash Bitter Housewife Cardamon + 1 dash Scrappy's Aromatic)

Stir with ice, strain into a glass (coupe), and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across the Burning Times created by Chris Amirault in 2010 and posted in a Strega thread on eGullet. Chris described the name after he crafted the combination as, "Settling on Burning Times Cocktail: Stregheria is Italian for witch, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, is where Salem is located. And Salem, you know..." Chris cited the Ott's Special from The Café Royal Cocktail Book of gin, Strega, dry vermouth, and orange bitters as inspiration, and I tried and wrote up a similar drink from that time period called the Berkeley Hotel Cocktail that was less gin forward and lacked the orange bitters. Since Strega and Fernet Branca have worked well together in the Stregasaurus and Broken English, I was curious to try them here. In the glass, the Burning Times gave forth a lemon, vanilla, star anise, licorice, and minty aroma. Next, a slightly caramel sip bloomed into pine, minty, menthol, and licorice flavors on the swallow with a honey-vanilla finish.

hotel california

1 1/2 oz Mount Gay Eclipse Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1 oz Pineau des Charentes (Guerin)
1/2 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Bitter End Moroccan Bitters (1 dash Bitter Housewife Cardamom + 1 dash Bittercube Corazon)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Two Fridays ago, I wanted to utilize my purchase of Pineau des Charentes that was returning to my home bar for the first time in almost a decade, so I searched my Death & Co. book spreadsheets. The recipe that jumped out to me was the Hotel California by Matthew Belanger in 2015 via the Death & Co: Welcome Home book. Pineau des Charentes has worked well with orchard fruit flavors before like pear in the Everything Nice and Mirabelle plum in the Blue Hour, and I was curious to see how the grape must flavors played with apricot. Here, the Hotel California checked in the nose with a cinnamon, tropical rum funk, and orchard fruit bouquet. Next, lime and white grape notes on the sip flowed into funky rum, apricot, honey, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

future tense

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite)
1/2 oz Nocino (Russo)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)
1 peel Grapefruit (2.5" x 1")

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Two Thursdays prior, I fired up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app for drink inspiration, and I landed upon the Future Tense by Chloe Martin at Nashville's Attaboy in 2024. Since walnut liqueur and agave spirits have paired well in the Five Points and Man of La Mancha, I was curious to try it in a Sour format. In the glass, the Future Tense foretold a vegetal, grapefruit, and smoke aroma. Next, a lemon sip sped into smoky mezcal, grapefruit, and walnut flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

doomsayer's punch

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. I was inspired by the previous night's Doomsayer which was a Japanese whisky-mezcal Old Fashioned with Braulio and cacao, and I decided to riff on it. I took it in the way of a Cognac-Jamaican rum punch structure with a tip of the hat to Jason Alexander's Doomsayer's Grog. I found that lemon juice and a dash of absinthe worked better here than my first thoughts of lime juice and dashes of Angostura Bitters. In the end, the Doomsayer's Punch gave forth a nutmeg aroma over caramel, rum funk, pine resin, and anise. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip opened up into brandy, pine, rum funk, chocolate, pineapple, and anise flavors on the swallow. Perhaps a little Demerara syrup might round this drink out a touch since the original had the same spirit to liqueur ratio without the citrus subtracting from the sweetness.

doomsayer

1 1/2 oz Japanese Whisky (Toki)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Tuesdays ago, I opened up The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and was lured in by the Doomsayer by Jon Nutter at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2017. I first experienced Braulio and cacao combined in a drink on the menu while working at Russell House Tavern called the Ibsen's Door and later in the Coperta Da Sci, so I was curious to try it here with Japanese whisky and mezcal. Moreover, the combination of Japanese whisky and mezcal was one that prospered in the Tokyo Conference similarly supported by an amaro and a liqueur. The name made me think of the Doomsayer's Grog, but this one has half the build volume and close to half the alcohol content; that tropical aspect did inspired me to make something with citrus the next night though. In the glass, the Doomsayer proffered orange, chocolate, pine, and smoke aromas to the nose. Next, caramel on the sip foretold whisky, vegetal, chocolate, bitter herbal pine, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

scorched earth

2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Mondays ago after returning back from our Vermont beer adventure, I turned to The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and selected the Scorched Earth. The recipe was crafted by Nicholas Hearin at Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta circa 2006, and it is a different Scorched Earth than the mezcal one from Ward 8. Overall, it came across like a brandy Little Italy which sounded like a great nightcap build. Moreover, the name reminded me of the similarly three ingredient, spirits-forward, and Cognac-based Burnt Fuselage from the 1927 Barflies and Cocktails book with a more bitter instead of orange-flavored angle. In the glass, the Scorched Earth initiated a lemon, grape, and rich Cognac aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes swirled on the sip before opening up into brandy and funky herbal flavors on the swallow.

dark intentions

1 oz Blanco Tequila (Fosforo)
3/4 oz Chili Liqueur (Ancho Reyes)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/3 oz Vanilla Syrup
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. To make use of the other half of the lime that I juiced for the Headhunter's Curse and to have a recipe to post on Instagram for when Andrea and I were on a beer adventure in Burlington, Vermont, the next night, that Saturday I also made the Dark Intentions. It was created by Steven Roennfeldt of Steve the Bartender fame as spotted when one of my friends made it on their Instagram. Overall, it reminded me of Erick Castro's Ninth Wonder with vanilla added in plus different proportions. In the glass, the Dark Intentions lurked under the nose with a vegetal pepper, earthy chocolate, and vanilla aroma. Next, lime and roast notes on the sip plunged into tequila, spicy pepper, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

the headhunter's curse

1 oz Añejo Tequila (Cimarron Reposado)
3/4 oz Las Vegas Distillery Dark Rum (Coruba)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters (Bittercube Trinity)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into an old fashioned glass (ceramic mug), and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a singed paper umbrella, cherry, and smoldering cinnamon stick. Two Saturdays ago, I was feeling energized after my work shift, so I decided to make a tropical number called The Headhunter's Curse created by home enthusiast Carrie Dushey and posted on her Instagram account. This drink was part of her Halloween month of spooky cocktails, and overall, its banana-ginger combination reminded me of the Without Faculty and Holy Molé! but with a split base of aged tequila and dark rum instead of Bourbon and Scotch, respectively. In the headhunter mug, The Headhunter's Curse tracked down acrid cinnamon smoke over caramel, dried fruit, and ginger aromas. Next, a lime and caramel sip was displaced by vegetal tequila, funky rum, cooked banana, and ginger flavors on the swallow.