made man

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/8 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Mondays ago, I was peering through the Kindred Cocktails database when I came upon the Made Man by Ali Reynolds at the Hawksmoor in London. The database sourced the drink from a CocktailsDistilled web post which described, "In the same way that a made man is traditionally seen as 'untouchable' by fellow criminals, in the world of cocktails, a Made Man offers a taste you can't refuse." I was able to find references as early as 2013 to this drink on the web, and the rye, cherry, Yellow Chartreuse combination reminded me of the Last Waltz. Once stirred and strained, the Made Man gave forth a rye, cherry, and herbal pine bouquet. Next, dark fruit notes on the sip led into rye, cherry, bitter herbal, piny, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

menage a trois

1 oz Armagnac (Marie Duffau Napoleon)
1/2 oz Aged Rhum JM (Rhum JM 100° Blanc)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with an orange twist.Another drink that caught my eye from the online recipe flashcard set for Dutch Kills was the Ménage à Trois as a three French spirits in Old Fashioned format (sans bitters) sweetened with Pedro Ximenez sherry akin to ones with bitters like the Second Marriage and Linchpin. I was able to find the drink on the bar's Spring/Summer 2024 menu. Once prepared, the Ménage à Trois proffered an orange, raisin, and grassy aroma. Next, a rich grape and caramel sip followed through with brandy, apple, grassy rum, raisin, and fig flavors on the swallow.

put on stun

1 oz Rittenhouserye Rye
1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
2 dash Root Beer Bitters (Bitter Queens Sarsparilla)

Stir with ice, strain into double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a twist (orange twist).
Note: I recommend a tsp simple syrup added here (see text).While I was searching the Kindred Cocktails database two Saturdays ago, I came across the Put on Stun by Otis Florence at PDT in Manhattan circa 2013 that reminded me of Death & Co.'s Bourbon-based Pop Quiz. I had met Otis when he was touring with the master distiller for El Dorado Rum back in 2015, and he made me a Tiki drink after the seminar. Once assembled, the Put on Stun opened up with orange and root beer aromas. Next, a caramel sip gave way to rye, apple, root beer, and herbal flavors on the swallow. Overall, it was a bit hot at first, so perhaps a teaspoon of simple syrup like in the Pop Quiz could mellow the alcohol heat out here.

seconds in

1 1/2 oz Yolo Mezcal (Banhez)
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
3/4 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)

Stir with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed coupe (Butterfly), and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays, I made another drink from the Dutch Kill's online recipe flashcards called the Seconds In from their Spring/Summer 2024 menu. The combination of gentian and apricot liqueurs has worked well in the past for two cocktails at Canon, namely the Shrouded Roulette and Nymph, so I was curious to try it here with mezcal and blanc vermouth. The name made me think of the call for "seconds out" in boxing and MMA fights where the referee is asking the cornermen and coaches to exit the cage or ring so the next round can begin, but perhaps this is more time related. Once prepared, the Seconds In offered up lemon, licorice, and herbal aromas. Next, white grape notes on the sip expanded into mezcal, gentian, apricot, and anise flavors on the swallow.

velvet revolution

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Espolon)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.At Daiquiris & Daisies, bar co-owner Joe Cammarata mentioned a drink called the Inner Child that he attributed to Attaboy, and I was able to find it in a collection of recipes for Dutch Kills. Instead of that citrussy number, I was distracted by the Oaxacan Old Fashioned riff accented by chocolate and Czech spiced liqueurs called the Velvet Revolution by Dana Skinner for Dutch Kills' Winter 2019 menu. The bar's Instagram gave the back story that the drink was named after a nonviolent revolution that toppled the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia in December 1989. Once prepared, the Velvet Revolution commenced with a grapefruit, vegetal, chocolate, clove, and smoke aromas. Next, a hint of caramel on the sip flowed into vegetal, smoke, chocolate, cinnamon, and mint flavors on the swallow.

chili southside

1 1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Mint Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I was near the Financial District in downtown Boston, so I stopped into Daiquiris & Daisies for a drink. From the menu, the Chili Southside caught my eye, so I asked bartender Tommy for one. From the menu description, it seemed to be a chili liqueur for gin version of the South Side, but Tommy mentioned that there was dry vermouth in the mix and that the mint syrup worked as a cooling counter to chili's spicy heat. Once prepared, the Chili Southside welcomed the nose with a mint, lime, and an almost cucumber vegetal bouquet. Next, a lime-driven sip led into roasted vegetable, dried fruit, and chili spice flavors on the swallow ending with a cooling mint wave. On Instagram, a friend commented that it was a lot of Ancho Reyes, and I replied, "I heard a brand ambassador mention that it was 80 proof and low in sugar, so it could sub in as a base spirit or split spirit instead of being just a modifier." Until this ounce and a half measure, the largest that I had tried was a full ounce in the Battle of Puebla and the Subtly Sinister, but most uses have been a half or quarter ounce.

lightning rod

1 1/2 oz Siembra Valles Tequila (Arette)
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Campari
1 tsp Marie Brizard Crème de Cacao
1 tsp Giffard Passion Fruit Liqueur (Passion Fruit Syrup)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I selected Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book from the shelves and found the Lightning Rod by Shannon Tebay. This 2017 drink was created as a tequila Negroni riff, and the tequila Negroni with cacao aspect reminded me of the Darkness Calls and Flaquita, while the tequila, Campari, and passion fruit trio has worked well in the M.N. Roy and Spider of the Evening. With the cacao and passion fruit combined, the Lightning Rod offered up orange and chocolate aromas. Next, grapefruit and passion fruit notes on the sip flowed into tequila, chocolate, bitter orange, and tropical tangerine flavors on the swallow.

two scoops

1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Amaro Pasubio
1 oz Cardamaro

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I visited the Haus Alpenz website and spotted a drink in the recipe section called the Two Scoops that utilized a pair of amaro from their portfolio: Pasubio and Cardamaro. Since the name made me think of the cereal commercial with the slogan "two scoops of raisins", I assume that it is a reference to the fact that both amaro are wine based. This Boulevardier of sorts launched off with lemon, blueberry, and grape aromas. Next, grape and blueberry notes on the sip continued on into bourbon, herbal, and blueberry flavors on the swallow.

last shadow

1 1/2 oz El Dorado 15 Year Rum (Hamilton Demerara River 86°)
1/2 oz Lemonhart 151° Rum
1 tsp Cinnamon Syrup
1 tsp Demerara Syrup
1/2 tsp Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Sundays ago, I reached for Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and spotted Tyson Buhler's 2014 Last Shadow which had a similar Old Fashioned sweetened by amaro and cinnamon syrup theme as the Armstrong. I had previously passed over this for I do not have El Dorado 15 Year Rum, but I realized that I probably would never carry it at home (and only have a little El Dorado 12 Year left), so I decided to make it with a younger yet flavorful rum from the same distillery. In the glass, the Last Shadow began with a grapefruit, caramel, cinnamon, and herbal bouquet. Next, caramel and woody notes on the sip were drowned out by rum, molasses, minty, cinnamon, and menthol flavors on the swallow.