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.

hand-me-down

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)

Shake with ice and strain into a glass. Two Fridays prior, I got home from my bar shift and opened up The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app to find the Hand-Me-Down by Zack Gelnaw-Rubin at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2022. The idea reminded me of a drink that we had on the River Bar menu when I first started working there in March 2018 called the Allston Christmas as an allspice dram and bitters version of a Bee's Knees created by Haley Hamilton. The name refers to the September 1st local holiday (and a day or two before and after) where the student-rich part of Boston experiences a widespread moving day, so piles of free furniture, home goods, and more are left on the curb for folks to take. Given the used nature of those items, it matches the Hand-Me-Down's general theme.

Allston XMAS
• 2 oz Gin
• 3/4 oz Honey Syrup
• 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 1/4 oz Allspice Dram
• 2 dash Angostura Bitters
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

In the glass, the Hand-Me-Down donated a rye, almond, and allspice aroma to the nose. Next, a creamy lemon sip opened up into rye, nutty, and allspice flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

barracuda

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite)
1/4 oz Rhum Agricole (JM Blanc 100°)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned with ice (cracked ice), and garnish with a lime wedge (wheel). Two Thursdays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and landed upon the Barracuda by Alicia Perry and Anthony Schmidt at The Lafayette Hotel & Club in San Diego circa 2023. While there are several Barracudas on the blog including the tropical Galliano one and the two sherry-dark spirit citrus ones, this recipe is unique and closer to the Tia Mia with less rum and a funky one instead of an aged one. Once prepared, the Barracuda swam to the senses with a lime and smoky agave aroma. Next, a creamy lime sip welcomed a smoky agave, grassy vegetal rhum, nutty, and orange flavors on the swallow with vegetal funk finish.

sylbaris

1 1/2 oz Rhum Agricole (Baie des Tresors)
3/4 oz Amaro Averna
1/2 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
1/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime twist. Two Wednesdays ago, while writing up the Gentlemen's Exchange for the blog, I was inspired to create something new. I took that drink's Averna-Suze duo and added in influences of the falernum from the Bywater and the rhum agricole-Suze combination of the Fort de France and other recipes. I bolstered the effect of the small amount of falernum with lime oils in the garnish (perhaps with my Loyal Nine version of the Georgetown Club in mind) and clove notes from the bitters. For a name, I dubbed this one the Sylbaris after Ludger Sylbaris, a Martinician sailor who surprisingly survived the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée due to the shielding and protection of his thick jail cell walls although not without sustaining burns; he later traveled with the Barnum & Bailey Circus as a celebrity. Once the final iteration was strained and garnished, the Sylbaris offered up lime, grassy, herbal, and anise aromas to the nose. Next, the Averna's caramel came through on the sip that was chased by rhum's grassy funk melding into the gentian earthy herbal of the Suze, and joined by falernum's lime, that liqueur and the bitter's clove, absinthe's anise, and Averna's caramel-herbal flavors on the swallow.

i'm on fire

2 oz Mezcal (Covite)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Honey 1:1 Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Cholula Hot Sauce (Sriracha)

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with ancho chili (cayenne) powder and a pineapple leaf (omit). Two Tuesday ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across the I'm on Fire by New York City bartender Sarah Morrissey as her answer to a spicy Margarita that was published in Punch. The Punch article had no date attached, but I was able to find references on the web to as early as 2022 for this possibly Bruce Springsteen-inspired number, and this one joins Sarah's Greyfriar (that was published in Amanda Schuster's New York Cocktails book) on the blog. Since the recipe came across like a Bone Crusher gussied up with honey and pineapple juice, I was ready to give this one a whirl. Here, the I'm on Fire lit up the senses with a chili pepper, vegetal, and smoke aroma. Next, pineapple, honey, and lime notes on the sip were converted into mezcal, pepper spice, and honey flavors on the swallow.

gentlemen's exchange

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
1/2 oz Averna (*)
1 tsp Coffee Liqueur (Luxardo Espresso) (*)
3 dash Absinthe (24 drop St. George) (*)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
(*) This adaptation was originally created and published with Foro Amaro, cold brew concentrate, and 4 dashes of absinthe. Two Mondays ago, I decided to make the Gentlemen's Exhange by Leo Robitschek at The NoMad Bar in Manhattan circa 2016. I had previously skipped over the recipe in The NoMad Cocktail Book which calls for Foro Amaro and cold brew concentrate which I do not have at home. The version in The Madrusan Cocktail Companion replaces the Foro Amaro and cold brew concentrate for Averna and coffee liqueur which made the drink more accessible. Indeed, Averna and gentian liqueur worked well together in the Southern Gentleman and the Zig Zag Wanderer, so I was ready to give it a go here. In the glass, the Gentlemen's Exchange showcased a grapefruit, rye, and gentian-herbal aroma. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip welcomed in rye, gentian-coffee bitterness, and anise flavors on the swallow.