luca brazi

1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Campari
1/3 oz Cynar
5 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Tuesdays prior, I sought out my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and landed on the Luca Brazi in the Negroni section as crafted by Lorenzo Antinori at Bar Leone in Hong Kong circa 2023. I could not find any confirmation of the bar's spelling of the drink, but Luca Brasi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and the 1972 film based on it. Overall, the combination looked like a less intense version of The Last Mechanical Art, so I was intrigued. In the glass, the Luca Brazi ushered forth grapefruit, floral, vegetal, and peachy-orange aromas. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip developed into vegetal, orange, and peach flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

the kipling cocktail

1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2 oz Orgeat
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (3 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixirs Walnut)

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe), and garnish with a lime leaf (omit). Two Mondays ago, I spotted my copy of Shawn Soole's Great Northern Cocktails book, and I honed in on The Kipling Cocktail by Aisha Fleming at Clive's Classic Lounge in Victoria, British Columbia. The structure reminded me of White Chapel's Genever Daisy with (besides a different spirit) lemon instead of lime and bitters. With rum and absinthe for gin and walnut bitters, the recipe also shares a similarity with the 1962 tropical classic, the Gold Cup. Here, The Kipling Cocktail gave forth a pine, nutty, and cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, a creamy lime sip with a hint of cherry opened up into juniper, almond, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

honky-tonk

3/4 oz Bourbon (1 oz Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wedge (lime wheel). Two Sundays prior, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion, and in the Daisy section, I uncovered the Honky-Tonk by Angus Payne at The Everleigh in Melbourne circa 2022. The closest recipe that I have sampled was the rum and lemon Devil's Bargain from Raines Law Room. The Devil's Bargain was my first time trying Montenegro and grenadine together, and I later utilized it in my stirred drink, the Street of Crocodiles. Once prepared, the Honky-Tonk offered up lime, floral, and caramel aromas to the nose. Next, lime, berry, and caramel notes on the sip two-stepped into Bourbon, berry, orange, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

king kopeika

1 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (6 drop St. George)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with freshly grated coffee bean and grated cinnamon. Two Saturdays ago, I became inspired by the Carajillo and the Carajillo Old Fashioned that I had two weeks prior. I soon thought about my mezcal Mr. Bali Hai (same as the classic but with the spirit change and some of the simple swapped for cinnamon syrup) and Smuggler's Cove's Expedition. Mezcal and OFTD rum paired well together in the Final Destination Zombie and my Lahaine Noon, so I went with my inclination to use them as the base. For a name, I dubbed this one King Kopeika after Hawaiian for espresso ("kope" for coffee and "ika" for strong). Once prepared, King Kopeika granted the nose a cinnamon and roasted coffee aroma. Next, roast, caramel, pineapple, and lemon notes on the sip decreed burly rum, smoky vegetal, coffee, vanilla, citrus, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

highside special

1 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1 oz Amaro Lucano
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass, add soda water (2 oz), fill with ice, and garnish with cracked pepper. Two Fridays ago, I returned to my file of online recipe flashcards drinks to see what I could make with soda water. There, I was lured in by the Highside Special by Rich Boccato at Dutch Kills circa 2018; although I have never had Scotch and Lucano together before, Lucano's similarities to Ciociaro made me think of the Ciociaro-Scotch drinks like the .38 Special and the Jolly Jane. Once prepared, the Highside Special cast forth a pineapple, black pepper, and caramel-orange bouquet to the nose. Next, a carbonated lemon, pineapple, and caramel sip moved towards Scotch, creamy orange, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

colonial grog

1/2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (1 oz Coruba)
1/2 oz Gold Virgin Island Rum (1 oz Privateer New England Reserve)
1/2 oz Lime Juice (1 oz)
1/2 oz Orange Juice (1 oz)
1/4 oz Maple Syrup (1/2 oz Deer Meadow Farm)
1/8 tsp Allspice Dram (1/4 tsp Hamilton's)
1 dash Angostura Bitters (2 dash)
1/2 oz Soda Water (1 oz)

Blend with 3 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds and fine strain into a glass with a thin ice shell (shake all but the soda water, and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice and the soda water). When I made was the Samoan Grog from the Mai-Kai, I learned that it was perhaps inspired by Don the Beachcomber's Colonial Grog. The circa 1944 Colonial Grog details were uncovered by Jeff Beachbum Berry in the notebooks of Mariano Licudine who worked for Don between 1939 and 1956. Berry published the recipe in his Potions of the Caribbean book and described it as a Tiki-fied Planter's Punch. Don's bartenders were some of the few using maple in tropical drinks before the cocktail revival with the most famous recipe being the Volcano Bowl from 1970 that showcased how well maple works with grapefruit (which inspired my Vagalume Bowl). Although I skipped the ice shell built into the inner circumference of the glass and doubled up the volumes, I kept true to the recipe save for using a local amber rum instead of a Caribbean one. In the glass, the Colonial Grog displayed dark rum, maple, and lime aromas. Next, maple, orange, and lime notes with a hint of carbonation on the sip unwound into dark rum, allspice, and lime flavors on the swallow.

bait 'n' switch

1 1/2 oz Sombra Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Wednesdays ago, I searched my ingredients index of the Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book for Ancho Reyes recipes, and I landed on the Bait 'n' Switch by Jeremy Oertel in 2014. When I found the entry in my copy of the book, it read like their Gilda Cocktail with mezcal instead of tequila plus chile liqueur in the mix. Once assembled, the Bait 'n' Switch gave forth a pineapple, dried pepper, cinnamon, and wood smoke aroma. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip opened up into smoky, vegetal, pepper spice, dried fruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

spirited spectre

1 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with an orange twist and pineapple wedge (orange twist and freshly grated nutmeg). Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the collection of Tikiland Trading Co. recipes that they included with their ceramic mugs. The one that caught my eye was the Spirited Spectre by Kelly Merrell, head bartender at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland; the recipe was included with the company's Thor's Haunted Hatbox mug. Overall, it reminded me of a rum-based mashup of the Hawaiian (pineapple, lemon, Maraschino) and the Royal Hawaiian (pineapple, lemon, orgeat). Once prepared, the Spirited Spectre gave forth a pineapple, nutty cherry, and rum funk aroma. Next, a creamy lemon, pineapple, and honey sip transformed into funky rum, nutty cherry, almond, and anise flavors on the swallow.

the linguist

1 1/2 oz Brennivin Aquavit (Linie)
1/2 oz Wild Turkey Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I caught up on the December Campari Academy class video featuring Gregory Buda that I had missed when it aired live. Afterwards, I checked out his Instagram and spotted a drink called The Linguist that was the passed cocktail at his master class on menu development held at the Daisy Cocktail Bar in Reykjavík, Iceland, in November of 2025. I messaged Gregory for the recipe, and I made the drink that he created at Montreal's Bisou Bisou in 2024 later that night. The ingredients reminded me of the rye-forward Mergers & Acquisitions that I had a few years ago, so I knew it would be a good one. In the glass, The Linguist gave forth orange, caraway, and grape aromas. Next, the vermouth's grape led the sip that transformed into Bourbon, caraway, grape, herbal, and orange pith flavors on the swallow.