honey i'm home

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Bols Genever (Bols Barrel-Aged)
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc (Servito)
1/4 oz Malört
1/4 oz TVH2 (Honey Syrup)
2 dash Lavender Bitters (Scrappy's)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist. The drink that I had prepared in advance while I was at the USBG Bar Summit in Philadelphia on Monday was the Honey I'm Home from Chicago's The Violet Hour for their Summer 2022 menu. I was able to source the spec through online recipe flashcards, and my cheatsheat from the bar defines TVH2 as honey or honey-ginger-cinnamon syrup (which makes perfect sense given the drink's name), so I went with the one that I had on hand. While I have not had a Genever-tequila cocktail before, there are four Genever-mezcal ones on the blog dating back to 2009 with Misty Kalkofen's 1820. Once prepared, the Honey I'm Home gave forth a lemon, malty, and vegetal bouquet to the nose. Next, honey and white grape notes on the sip delved into tequila, malty, honey, and bitter flavors on the swallow.

jovencourt daiquiri

2 oz Barbancourt White Rhum (110°)
1/4 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Sundays ago, I traveled to the USBG Bar Summit in Philadelphia, so I had three nights of cocktails prepared in advance. The first of these was the Jovencourt Daiquiri invented by Phil Ward at Death & Co. in Manhattan as published in the Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktails book. Phil commented, "This cocktail was my first epiphany about using mezcal in a mixed drink," and he noted that while it is very common now, no one was doing it much in 2007 when he created this. Also of note was back then until very recently, the unaged Barbancourt was at a lower strength (86° versus 110°). The concept reminds me of the rhum agricole-mezcal Daiquiri with maple that I crafted called Miracles Take Longer especially given how grassy and funky the unaged Barbancourt is (less so in the 8 Year that I have been more familiar with). Once prepared, the Jovencourt Daiquiri generated a grassy and vegetal funk aroma. Next, a lime-driven sip gave way to grassy, smoky, and vegetal flavors on the swallow with a lime finish.

cavalier

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays prior, I opened up the Bartender's Choice app and spotted the Cavalier by Sam Ross at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2017. The app described the drink as "a somewhat less bitter take on the Negroni," and it was distinct from the rye-based Cavalier already on the blog. The combination on paper reminded me of Viale's house Negroni back in 2014, the Eldridge, which split the dry vermouth in half with sweet; this is rather curious for the address of Attaboy is 134 Eldridge Street. In the glass, the Cavalier proffered a lemon, tangerine, and pine bouquet to the nose. Next, clementine and a hint of caramel on the sip blossomed into gin, orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

attack cocktail

1/2 Calvados (1 1/2 oz Morin Selection)
1/4 Cognac (3/4 oz Courvoisier VS)
1/4 Sherry (3/4 oz Lustau Amontillado)
3 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1 dash Anis (10 drop St. George Absinthe)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added an orange twist as a garnish. Two Fridays ago, I reached for my Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails book from 1996, and I became intrigued by the Attack Cocktail created at Johnny's Bar in Paris circa 1930. Its trio of sherry, grenadine, and bitters reminded me of the Red Riding Hood from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 but here with brandies and a touch of anise liqueur (given the era, either anisette or pastis, but I went with absinthe). Once served, the Attack Cocktail reached out with an orange, berry, apple, and anise aroma. Next, grape and red fruit notes on the sip opened up into apple, nutty, berry, allspice, and anise flavors on the swallow.

as you were

1 oz Banhez Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Corazon Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Valdespino Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
2 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with a grapefruit disk and a cherry. Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for The Violet Hour in Chicago, and from their Fall 2021 menu, I was drawn in to the As You Were that was described as an "End of the night agave Manhattan". The idea of agave spirits, sweet vermouth, and Pedro Ximenez sherry was one that I enjoyed in the Stage Dives & Fist Fights created at the Last Word in San Antonio, so it was time to mix this one up. In the glass, the As You Were began with grapefruit, raisin, cherry, and smoky vegetal aromas. Next, a semi-sweet grape sip flowed into smoky vegetal, raisin, herbal, orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

johnny utah

2 oz Espolon Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with 1 oz soda water, fill with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I began perusing the Kindred Cocktails database and landed on the Johnny Utah created by Carlo Caroscio at Volt in Baltimore circa 2014 around two years before he moved to Boston to work at Backbar. Carlo named the drink after Keanu Reaves' character in the movie Point Break. What drove me into making it was how well the Campari-grenadine combination works; in fact, the duo was dubbed "bittersweet" in the Freaky Tiki, and I utilized it in my Jungle Grog and Zombie Count. Moreover, the Campari-cinnamon pairing is also excellent in recipes like the Babbo's Toddy and Rum Firewalker, and I made use of in the Black Hand Society and Quetzal. Once prepared, the Johnny Utah proffered an orange, cinnamon, and agave aroma. Next, a carbonated lime and dark berry sip gave way to vegetal tequila, bitter red fruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

yabbadabbado

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite Especial)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
Strawberries (2 medium)

Muddle strawberries, add the rest, shake with ice, and double strain into a coupe. Two Tuesdays prior, I looked at my list of drinks garnered from the Attaboy online recipe flashcards, and I zoomed in on the Yabbadabbado. The rabarbaro-strawberry combination was one that I enjoyed greatly in the King Vittorio's Cobbler at Cure in 2011 (and renamed King's Cobbler in the Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em book), so I looked forward to trying it in this The Flintstones-themed drink. In the glass, the Yabbadabbado opened up with roast, vegetal, smoke, and red berry aromas. Next, lime, roast, and a hint of red fruit notes on the sip swayed into mezcal, honey, herbal, and strawberry flavors on the swallow.

10 gallon hattan

2 oz Corazon Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Casa d'Aristi Narano (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1/8 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Mondays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for The Violet Hour in Chicago, and I honed in on the 10 Gallon Hattan from Fall 2022 menu. The bar's Instagram post from October 2022 described how it was "A tequila-based twist on a classic Manhattan – boozy and forward featuring notes of allspice and bitter orange." While I did not have Casa d'Aristi's somewhat bitter orange liqueur, the similarities to the Sherpa with curaçao and allspice dram lured me in. When prepared with Pierre Ferrand's curaçao, the 10 Gallon Hattan rode high with roasted vegetal aromas and a hint of vanilla. Grape, orange, and caramelized notes on the sip slid into tequila, bitter herbal, allspice, and orange flavors on the swallow.

21st century

1 1/2 oz Jamaican Dark Rum (1 1/4 oz Coruba + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Blanco Vermouth (Servito)
1/2 oz White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and spied the 21st Century. This was not the tequila one created by Jim Meehan at Pegu Club from the PDT Cocktail Book that I had already written about, but a rum one by Brandon Bramhall at Nashville's Attaboy. This riff stuck to the classic 20th Century structure more, and it swapped the gin and Lillet for Jamaican rum and blanc vermouth. In the glass, the 21st Century dawned upon the senses with a lemon, molasses, chocolate, and rum funk aroma. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip turned into dark rum, hint of funk, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.