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.

problem solver

1 oz H by Hine Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a snifter (old fashioned glass), and garnish with orange oil from a twist. Two Saturdays ago, I decided to delve into the online recipe flashcards that I uncovered from Saloon in Somerville, Massachusetts. I honed in on the Problem Solver from 2017, and I found a menu photo on GoogleMaps with this drink along with the Holy Mountain that I ordered there that year and wrote up on the blog. I have only seen Ancho Reyes paired with Cognac once in the Hawthorne's Cafe Lunaire, so I was curious to try it again. In the glass, the Problem Solver offered up orange, grape, and herbal aromas. Next, grape on the sip unfolded into Cognac, herbal, chocolate, and pepper spice flavors on the swallow.

old square

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Armagnac (Marie Duffau Napoleon)
1/2 oz Rancio Sec or sub Oloroso Sherry (Lustau Oloroso)
1/2 oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange and a lemon twist. Two Fridays ago, I decided to make the Old Square by Danny Childs at Lacroix at The Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia as "a rustic take on the Vieux Carré" via an August 2025 article in Imbibe Magazine. I probably skipped over this recipe last year since I did not have rancio sec, and I decided to do it regardless given their recommended substitution. I was also drawn in since a few months after that article, I saw Danny on a Campari Academy virtual session and then read his Slow Drinks book, and I would be seeing him talk in a week and a half at the USBG regional conference in Philadelphia. Oxidized fortified wines such as sherry have appeared in Vieux Carré riffs like Rhum with a Vieux and my Cocktail à la Salle, so a rye-Armagnac version seemed enticing. Once prepared, the Old Square gave forth lemon, orange, nutty grape, and anise aromas to the nose. Next, a grape-driven sip opened up into rye, brandy, nutty sherry, herbal, and anise flavors on the swallow.

drifter

1 1/2 oz Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth (Servito)
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Thursdays ago, I became intrigued by the Drifter created at ABV in San Francisco and published in Punch. The San Francisco Examiner attributed the drink to bartender Donny Henderson and explained "so named because every ingredient comes from a different part of the world." Overall, the mix reminded me of an apricot-less Noble Order, a blanc instead of sweet vermouth Salary Man, and a Japanese whisky for Bourbon West End on paper. Once prepared, the Drifter sauntered in with a grapefruit, caramel, and orange aroma. Next, caramel and white grape notes on the sip flowed into whisky, bitter herbal, and anise flavors on the swallow.

anderson punch

1 3/4 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Jeppson's Malört
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I was inspired by the day before's Amaro Rusty Nail, and I took the idea in Malört direction after recalling how well it worked with Drambuie in the Bukowski. The combination ended up a bit too bright, but a dash of Angostura not only gave depth but complementary spice notes to the mix. For a name, I dubbed this one the Anderson Punch, the Chicken Man of Chicago, who was born in 1870 and became a legendary street performer that trained chickens to dance to his accordion and harmonica music. Punch was performing until the age of 101 before passing away in 1974. In the glass, the tribute to this colorful character of the Windy City gave forth grapefruit, honey, and Scotch aromas. Next, honey and malt notes on the sip welcomed in Scotch, honey, and grapefruit pith bitter flavors on the swallow. Overall, the Drambuie softened the Malört rather well.