jackson square swizzle

1 1/4 oz Pernod Absinthe
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Falernum (Velvet)
3/4 oz Lime juice

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig. Two Tuesdays prior, I went back to the online recipe flashcards for Club 33, the New Orleans-themed establishment at Disneyland in Anaheim, and found the Jackson Square Swizzle that would utilize my garden's mint bounty. I found a Yelp menu photo in 2022 that declared, "Jackson Square is the historic center of the French Quarter. Legend has it that in an apartment around the corner was hidden a collection of absinthe deep enough to quench the thirst of local politicians during its 100 year drought." Overall, the combination and general ratios reminded me a lot of the Chartreuse Swizzle, so I was indeed curious to try this one. I wish that I still had my absinthe fan regulars from when I bartended at Drink who wanted cocktails with an ounce or more of the stuff (ranging from the 1922 Yellow Parrot to the Absinthe Painkiller that I crafted on the fly for them) so I could surprise them with this one the next time they came in. Once swizzled, the drink proffered mint and licorice aromas to the nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip gave way to licorice, anise, pineapple, and clove flavors on the swallow.

yellow cloud

2 oz Probitas Rum (1 3/4 oz Hamilton White 'Stache + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a pineapple crescent (omit) and a flower (ornamental pea blossom).
(*) A second set of online recipe flashcards and a magazine article about the bar's opening had this as Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur instead of syrup. Two Mondays ago, I felt in a tropical mood, so I found the recipes that I uncovered that Paul McGee created for the Papaya Club at the Conrad Orlando resort. The Papaya Club along with Seaworthy were projects that Paul consulted for after Lost Lake closed but before he opened his own spot, Echo Lake. MarketWatch in 2024 had a photo and description of the drink in their article about the Papaya Club, and they listed it with Chinola liqueur for the passion fruit element, so perhaps they changed to syrup to save on cost if my 2025 recipe flashcards are correct. Here, the lime, passion fruit, and falernum trio reminded me of the Mai-Kai's Last Rights that inspired by mezcal-Ancho Reyes The Missing. Once prepared, the Yellow Cloud floated to the nose with a passion fruit, rum funk, and pineapple nose. Next, lime, pineapple, and a hint of tart passion fruit on the sip transformed into funky rum, pineapple, ginger, and clove flavors on the swallow.

second fiddle

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Sundays ago, I returned to the same online recipe flashcards for Dear Irving in Manhattan that I found the Slow Drift. There in the same "Island Hop" section of their 2026 menu, I selected the Second Fiddle that read like a split spirits Gilda Cocktail; tequila and Cognac have worked well together in the Lobo Saldado (mezcal and Cognac is a much more common pairing though such as in the 1910 Cocktail or my Bucking the Tiger). Once prepared, the Second Fiddle launched off with a pineapple and cinnamon nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip slid into Cognac, vegetal, pineapple, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

kingston campfire

2 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1/4 oz Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/4 oz BG Reynold's Falernum (Velvet)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Zombie glass (ceramic mug), and garnish with a lime wheel (omit) and mint sprig. Two Saturdays ago, I reached for my copy of Justin Wojslaw's Coconuts & Carnage book from Wonk Press to make a follow up to the inaugural Demerara Dream Daiquiri. For a second recipe, I selected his Kingston Campfire. Smoky Scotch accents to rum have been a rather effective technique that I saw last in the Smoke Along the Crescent Bend and I utilized in my Doomscroller, so I was curious to see it in this expansion of the Hotel Nacional Special along with a little falernum for spice. In the bamboo mug, the Kingston Campfire smoldered with a mint, pineapple, apricot, and peat smoke aroma. Next, pineapple and lime on the sip ignited rum, peat smoke, apricot, and clove flavors on the swallow.

kungaloosh hidea-tai

2 oz Aged Jamaican Rum (1 oz Smith & Cross + 1 oz Appleton 8 Year)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a glass (ceramic mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel. Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a recipe that I spotted on the Casual Tiki website called the Kungaloosh Hidea-Tai. They described it as "the signature cocktail from the storied Kungaloosh Hideaway" that was a Trader Vic Mai Tai taken in a stone fruit direction. My research suggested that this is perhaps a reference to the Adventurer's Club at Disney that closed in 2008 to the public and in 2009 to private events. While I have had orgeat, apricot liqueur, and cinnamon in all the pairings possible with great effect, I have never had all three in a single drink. Once prepared, the Kungaloosh Hidea-Tai provided a mint and lime aroma. Next, a creamy caramel and lime sip uncovered funky rum, apricot, nutty, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

electric circus

1 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Pineapple Rum (Planteray Stiggins' Fancy)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Cynar
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. After spotting a rye drink on a menu that had Cynar and Montenegro as modifiers, I realized that it was similar to what I enjoyed in the Tio Amargo with Demerara rum. I was inspired to swap the base to a split of mezcal and pineapple rum which I discovered in the Hunter Thompson and utilized a few times before such as in the Cannibal Cove last Fall. For a name, I dubbed this one the Electric Circus after the 1960s New York City nightclub with a variety of performers often associated with Andy Warhol that I read about in the St. Marks Is Dead book. From 1967 to 1971, the Electric Circus incorporated the big top aspect with everything from jugglers, mimes, trapeze artists, and body painting, and added in other performances like psychadelic multi-projector audiovisual shows and bands like The Velvet Underground, The Grateful Dead, and Sly & the Family Stone. One quote about the establishment caught my curiosity with, "Like Woodstock, if you remembered much of what happened at the E.C., you weren't really there." In the glass, the Electric Circus sprang forth with an orange, tropical, and smoke aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip evolved into rum, pineapple, tangerine, vegetal, smoke, and clove flavors on the swallow.

maiden voyage

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite Essencial)
1/2 oz Fino Sherry (Lustau Manzanilla)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and selected the Maiden Voyage by Brandon Bramhall at Charleston's Last Saint circa 2023. This one was different from the more tropical Maiden Voyage and is instead a bitter herbal stirred number; moreover, it shares more similarity with the Afterword with lime and sparkling wine in place of dry sherry. Once mixed, the Maiden Voyage sailed off to the senses with a lemon, honey, vegetal, and smoke aroma. Next, honey and caramel notes on the sip developed into smoky vegetal, herbal, and tangerine flavors on the swallow.

ink & fire

1 1/2 oz Tequila (Fosforo Blanco)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Agave Syrup
1/4 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/4 oz Aperol

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Two Tuesdays ago, I came across recipes from Riverbar in Somerville, MA, back when I worked there in 2018. From the Spring menu that I started off with, the Ink & Fire needed a revisit. Essentially the drink reads like a Tommy's Margarita with a hint of orange and chili pepper mixed in; Ancho Reyes and Aperol did work well together in the My Name Is Nobody. While there is a black metal band under that name, that group formed after the recipe was created; unfortunately, it obscures any web search-based attempt to figure out what the drink was named after. Once shaken and strained, the Ink & Fire opened up with an agave and a hint of dried fruit and pepper aroma on the nose. Next, lime notes on the sip evolved into tequila, orange, and roasted pepper spice on the swallow.

primavera

1 oz Espolon Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Pimm's No. 1
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Agave Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a snifter (double old fashioned) glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig (or 3). Two Mondays prior, I came across online recipe flashcards for the Spring 2026 menu at The Old Pal in Athens, Georgia, and the seasonally-appropriate Primavera stood out. Their website displays this drink on the current menu along with a drawing of it. The combination of tequila and Pimm's appeared in two drinks including the Indian Summer, and I utilized it in the Blind Hen as a mashup of the Metexa and Pimmeron from the 1930s. Once built, the Primavera gave forth mint aromas over caramelized vegetal ones from the tequila. Next, lemon and caramel on the sip blossomed into aged agave, red berry, and herbal flavors on the swallow.