pastiche martini

2 oz Gin (Fords)
1/3 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/3 oz Green Chartreuse
1/3 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Fridays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and decided upon the Pastiche Martini by Jason Williams in 2019. Given the Australian book authors, the drink creator in question was probably the Jason Williams who won Australian Bartender of the Year in 2010 and now runs the beverage programs for a restaurant group in Sydney after returning from an eight year gig in Singapore. As I mentioned in the Liquid Swords a month ago, Green Chartreuse and curaçao always make me think of the Knight from David Embury's book but here with gin and dry vermouth instead of brandy and lemon juice. Moreover, the concept reminded me of the Oxford Comma with Maraschino and celery bitters instead of curaçao. In the glass, the Pastiche Martini issued an orange, pine, and herbaceous aroma. Next, white wine and grape notes on the sip developed into pine, herbaceous, and orange flavors on the swallow.

fits the bill

1 1/2 oz Evan Williams Bourbon (Bonded)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice (*)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
6 dash Nocino (1/4 oz Russo)
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens Mole)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
(*) Perhaps lower this to 1/2 oz lemon juice or add a 1/4 oz simple syrup to the mix. Two Thursdays prior, I was skimming through the online recipe flashcards for Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco when I opted for the Fits the Bill from a 2017 collection. A Yelp menu photo in Spring 2025 attributed it to alumni Darren Crawford with the description, "Sometimes you need a drink that is straight to the point. The balance of Bourbon and baking spices are a perfect fit.", and the drink was mentioned as early as 2014 in Yelp reviews. Ginger syrup and walnut liqueur have been paired here twice before, namely in the Pajazo Mental and the Tell Me More, so I was curious to try it here. Once shaken and strained, the Fits the Bill gave forth an orange, Bourbon, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, a lemon-driven sip connected with Bourbon, ginger, and walnut flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish. The only change I would make would be to reduce the lemon juice by a 1/4 oz or add a 1/4 oz of simple syrup to take the edge off of the drink.

mcmillian

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
4 leaf Mint

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a mint leaf. Two Wednesdays ago, I was chatting on the phone with Geoffrey Wilson who I met at the USBG 2025 meeting in Atlanta and later that year at Portland Cocktail Week, and he mentioned that his recipes appeared in two of Gary Regan's books. That night, I landed on the McMillian that he created at Loa in New Orleans in honor of his mentor, and it appeared in Gaz's 101 Best New Cocktails 2013 book alongside my Milord Gower. The book explained, "Made on Chris McMillian's birthday using all ingredients that he has used in his cocktails." Chris is a legendary Crescent City bartender who has been captured here in the End of the Road drink. Overall, the McMillian cocktail was very similar on paper to a Rye Tai (the closest one on here being a split base with Bourbon in the Bluegrass Mai Tai) with a touch of Benedictine, Angostura, and mint. Once prepared, the McMillian proffered mint, rye, and almond aromas. Next, a creamy lemon and orange sip transformed into rye, nutty, orange, herbal, and clove flavors on the swallow.

el borracho

1 1/2 oz Scotch (1 1/2 oz Famous Grouse + 1/8 oz Laphroaig 10 Year)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with two dash Angostura Bitters. Two Tuesdays ago, I was looking through my list of drinks that I had collected via online recipe flashcards when the El Borracho from the 2017 menu at Dutch Kills called out to me. The name translates to "the drunkard," and it was the title of one of my favorite lotería cards that I never gave out as garnish (we used the small cards on our Nitro Espresso Martini at the C-Side Bar even after the recipe veered away from a Mexican theme). The drink was their adaptation of The Frozen Scotch El Borracho at the El Borracho in New York City via Ted Saucier's 1951 Bottoms Up Book. The original recipe was as follows:

The Frozen Scotch El Borracho
• 1 jigger Scotch
• Juice 1/2 Lemon
• 1 thin slice Pineapple
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 1 dash Cointreau
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
Use an electric mixer with shaved ice, pour into an old fashioned glass, and garnish with a thin slice of pineapple.

Once prepared, El Borracho overshared a pineapple and clove aroma. Next, a lemon, pineapple, and orange sip caroused with Scotch, peat smoke, and orange-pineapple flavors on the swallow that later gained a clove finish.

hammock panic

1 1/2 Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Verde Chile Liqueur
1/3 oz Giffard Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 drop Saline (1:4)

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with 3 drop chili oil (cayenne powder). Recently, a PR person reached out to see if I would include Espolon Tequila and Ancho Reyes in a seasonal roundup article, and I replied that while my blog does not do roundups, I would not mind a bottle of Ancho Reyes Verde Chile Liqueur to make drinks and later posts with especially given how much I enjoy the original marque. Two Tuesdays ago, I was able to retrieve my bottle from the local UPS location, and I looked to my list of recipes for one that call for that liqueur. The one that spoke out the most was the Hammock Panic at Bar Marilou in New Orleans from their Spring 2021 menu. I had uncovered that spec through online recipe flashcards, and the bar put up a photo of the drink on their Facebook along with the list of ingredients in September 2021. The name reminded me of the Banana Hammock but that took things more in a Mai Tai direction. Once assembled, the Hammock Panic shocked the senses with vegetal and chili pepper aromas. Next, lime and honey notes on the sip led into tequila, banana, vanilla, and green pepper flavors on the swallow.

earthy delights

1 oz Planteray 5 Year Barbados Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat (*)
1/4 oz Cynar (*)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry.
(*) If I were to remake this, I would drop the orgeat to 1/2 oz and up the Cynar to 1/2 oz. Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a drink that I spotted on a friend's Instagram post called the Earthly Delights created by cocktail enthusiast Todd Brant from Pasadena and entered into the Kindred Cocktails database. On paper, it reminded me a little of the Turnbuckle that I featured in my "Minimalist Amaro Tiki" seminar the Monday before albeit with different proportions, a different tropical note (pineapple versus passion fruit), and a few other details. Once prepared, the Earthly Delights donated an almond, rum funk, and cherry aroma to the nose. Next, a creamy lime and pineapple sip blossomed into funky rum, nutty, herbal, and allspice flavors on the swallow. The only change I would make would be cutting the orgeat by 1/4 oz (both to reduce the sweetness to match the lime juice and the orgeat's dominance), and perhaps upping the Cynar by a 1/4 oz to make it a perfect 4 oz build again and increase the quotient of bitter funk.

the shore leave

1 1/2 oz Privateer New England Reserve White Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Appleton Estate Reserve Rum
1/2 oz Blandy's Rainwater Madeira
1/2 oz Molasses Syrup (1:1)
4 dash Angostura Bitters

Build in a tin, add crushed ice, spindle blend for 5-10 seconds, pour into a tall glass (originally a Shore Leave-branded coconut mug), top with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs and a dehydrated lime wheel. Sometime after the grand tasting event in South Boston for Boston Rum Week where I participated in the panel on "Funky Rums in Cocktails", I ended up at Shore Leave in the South End where many of the attendees and presenters also were gathering. For a drink, I asked for the namesake The Shore Leave, and the menu was subtitled, "Our signature marriage of New England and tropical flavors." Sadly, Shore Leave will set sail at the end of the year due to landlord issues. The recipe was adapted from one found on the FoodLens site where it described how it incorporated three very New England ingredients with a nod to Boston's history: rum, Madeira, and molasses. The trio of passion fruit, rum, and Madeira was a combination that I utilized in the Three Girl Rhumba here with different rums and with molasses and bitters instead of honey. Once prepared, The Shore Leave hit the nose with a mint aroma. Next, molasses and lime notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow ventured on with rum, passion fruit, dried fruit, clove and allspice flavors on the swallow.

my european girlfriend

2 oz Park VS Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
1/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass (coupe), and garnish with a cherry. Two Fridays ago, I returned to the 2020 Community Cocktails book that was put out to support Seattle's bartenders during the Pandemic, and I spotted the My European Girlfriend by Ryan Dorn at The Purple Café. The French Cider & Spirits website has the recipe with one of their Cognacs and my choice of Cocchi Americano instead of Lillet (despite Lillet being French), and they attributed it in early 2019 to Ryan when he was at Monsoon in Seattle. Overall, the recipe read somewhere between a Cognac Liberal given the vermouth and Picon-like aspect and a Hoots Mon with the vermouth-Lillet duo. Once mixed, the My European Girlfriend prompted the senses with a cherry, grape, and herbal aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip traveled over to brandy, bitter herbal, orange, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

trader roxy

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Rhum Clement Blanc Agricole (Baie des Tresors Plein Soleil)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice (3/4 oz)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
2 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a vessel, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with Angostura and orange (Angostura Orange) bitters and an orange-cherry flag (cherry only). With the remainder of the new bottle of rhum agricole in hand that I had bought for my "Minimalist Amaro Tiki" talk at Boston Rum Week 2026 a few days prior to make the Tomb of the Caribs as the welcome cocktail, I began to look for a use to try it out at home. The drink I selected was the Trader Roxy from Roxanne's in Long Beach, California, circa 2015 that I had found in a collection of online recipe flashcards. The recipe had the orgeat-Maraschino combination that has worked in classic tropical drinks before like the Gold Cup and Marlin, and it had that duo with pineapple and funky rum found in Kelly Merrell's more modern Spirited Spectre. In the ceramic mug, the Trader Roxy showcased a cherry, clove, and allspice bouquet to the nose. Next, a creamy lime and pineapple sip sailed into funky and grassy rum, nutty, cherry, and allspice flavors on the swallow.