saramago

2 oz Siembra Azul Blanco Tequila (Avion)
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe pre-rinsed with Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Sombra), and garnish with grapefruit oil.
Two Tuesdays ago, I was in the mood for something stirred and smooth, so I reached for the Death & Co. Cocktail Book. There in the agave section, I stopped upon the Saramago crafted by Phil Ward in 2008. The name pays tribute to Portuguese writer José de Sousa Saramago, and Phil honored one of Saramago's books with a Negroni variation called Baltasar and Blimunda. Here, the Saramago was a Tequila Martini variation that began with smoky agave accented by bright grapefruit oil aromas. Next, the vermouth's white wine was sweetened by the liqueur's sugar content on the sip, and the swallow paired agave and floral flavors.

the facts concerning the late van hagen & the thirsty man's safari

1 oz Rumfire Jamaican Overproof White Rum
1/2 oz Rhum Clement Select Barrel (Depaz)
1/2 oz Don Q Añejo Rum (Don Q Gold)
2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua)
1/2 oz Sirop de Canne (JM)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Build in a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Garnish with 2 lime wedges, a cherry, mint sprigs, and freshly grated nutmeg (nutmeg and a paper umbrella).

Two Mondays ago, I spotted an interesting drink that Jason Alexander of Washington State's Tacoma Cabana posted about called "The Facts Concerning the Late Van Hagen & The Thirsty Man's Safari." When questioned, Jason confirmed that the name was indeed 12 words long. Though that was not my question, I did inquire about the history of the drink since he claimed not to have created it. Jason attributed the genesis of the recipe to The Thirsty Man's Safari created by Jochen Hirschfeld who runs a design site called Van Hagen. Indeed, Jason changed the rums and some of the proportions but still kept the essence of the drink and tacked on another 8 words to the name. Overall, it appeared like a gussied up and funky Mr. Bali Hai with lime instead of lemon, so it was definitely worthy of a go.
The drink itself shared a nutmeg aroma from the garnish that accented the rum funk notes. Next, pineapple and lime on the sip led into funky and grassy rums and coffee flavors on the swallow.

de moda

1 1/4 oz Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Dark Rum
1 1/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup 2:1
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 drop Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.
After the snow storm shortened my work night early two weeks ago, I headed over to The Automatic which was hosting its first industry night. The featured duo was Hojoko's Daren Swisher and Plantation Rums. For a first drink, I requested the De Moda for the combination of the O.F.T.D. rum paired with sherry seemed like a good combination akin to Trader Vic's Arawak. Once delivered, the De Moda shared an orange oil aroma along with caramel notes from the dark rum. Next, the caramel continued on into the sip where it mingled gently with the sherry's grape, and the swallow presented funky rum, spice, and cardamom flavors.

cubanola

1 jigger Bacardi (1 1/2 oz Havana Club 7 Year Rum)
1/3 Pineapple Juice (1 oz)
1 tsp Cream (3/4 oz Half & Half)
1 dash Cointreau (1/4 oz)

Stir and fill with aerated waters (shake with ice and strain into a Fizz glass with 1 oz soda water). Decorate with slices of pineapple and orange (omit).

Two Saturdays ago, I returned to Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 to make a recipe that I had spotted earlier in the week called the Cubanola. The drink was in the rum chapter's Sling section, but I interpreted the recipe more like a Fizz; the flavor combination was reminiscent of both the Hawaii Cocktail and the Painkiller. While the name inspired me to reach for my bottle of Cuban rum, the Cubanola is actually a flowering plant from the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba.
The Cubanola began with an orange and pineapple bouquet that led into a creamy, carbonated pineapple and orange sip. Next, rum and further orange flavors filled the swallow. I felt that the texture and appearance would have only been improved if I had heavy cream in the house, but it was definitely delightful with Half & Half.

down for the count

1 oz Berkshire Greylock Gin
1 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Campari
10 drop St. George Absinthe
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass, fill with ice, garnish with an orange twist, and add straws.
For a Cherry Heering-themed week of drinks of the day at Loyal Nine two weeks ago, I was inspired by my previous night's offering of Remember the Alamo to merge the classic Remember the Maine with the Negroni. Actually, I originally wanted to keep the whiskey base and merge it with the Boulevardier, but I could not think up a good name for the combination. However, the idea of paying homage to Count Camillo Negroni and to sinking ships popped into my head, and I took the gin direction with Down for the Count. Moreover, I kept the Punt e Mes from Remember the Alamo for I felt that it would connect the Campari to the Cherry Heering better than regular sweet vermouth.

daisy royale

1 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac (Camus VS)
1/2 oz Plantation Original Dark Rum
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Pineapple Gum Syrup (Pineapple Syrup)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe with 1 oz dry sparkling wine (Willm Blanc de Blancs). I added a lemon twist to the recipe.
Two Fridays ago, I reached for the Canon Cocktail Book for my post-work refreshment where I was lured in by their Daisy Royale. Once prepared, it proffered a lemon oil and clove aroma. Next, lemon, wine, and caramel notes were enlivened with by the bubbles on the sip, and the swallow began with brandy and rum flavors and ended with herbal-fruity, allspice, and clove elements.

snow day swizzle

1 oz Denizen's Merchant Reserve Rum
1/2 oz Blackwell Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Garnish with 1 dash Angostura Bitters and add a straw.
After my bar shift during the snow storm two Thursdays ago, I bundled up and made my way home. Half way, I decided to make a pit stop at Backbar to warm my limbs and extremities. When bartender Kat Lamper told me that the drink of the day was her escapist Swizzle in honor of the storm, I was sold. Once prepared, the Snow Day Swizzle shared a cinnamon and clove bouquet from the bitters garnish and perhaps the syrup in the mix. Next, the sip gave forth lime, berry, and rich caramel notes, and the swallow was the combination of funky rums and a cinnamon-tinged finish.

newkirk

2/3 Jamaican Rum (1 oz Coruba + 1/2 oz Rumfire)
3 dash Port Wine (1 oz Sandeman Tawny)
1 dash Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After getting home from Craigie on Main, I was in need of a nightcap so I reached for Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. There in the rum section, I found the Newkirk that was similar to the Newkirk Crusta from that book except for the Crusta's citrus being lime, the presence of raspberry syrup, and the serving style. Moreover, the Newkirk contained bitters which most Crustas (save for the ones in Pioneers such as the Newkirk Crusta) often do. Also, the combination of rum, citrus, wine of some sort, and bitters reminded me of the Fig Leaf Cocktail.
For Jamaican rums, I went with a combo of funky ones - one dark and one white; in retrospect, perhaps a smoother Jamaican such as an Appleton mixed with a touch of something funky might do better here. Luckily, I love rum funk and it began in the aroma department where it joined a hint of the port's grape. The grape continued on into the sip where it mingled with the lemon and the Coruba's caramel notes, and the swallow offered the return of funky rum elements that were mellowed by the port. Finally, the drink finished with lemon and allspice flavors.

:: mxmo irish wake wrap up ::

For Mixology Monday 116, I had the tough task to end one of my adopted pets of sorts. It was just as tough and emotional as putting a sick cat to sleep, but was Mixology Monday every really alive? Well, it has been an electronic cocktail party of sorts, but run by real people. And many of those people I have met especially at Tales of the Cocktail and other events besides the handful living in or visiting Boston. For just shy of 11 years, some subset of the cocktail blogosphere has played a role in celebrating drink writing and the monthly theme at hand. I have been active since Mixology Monday 30 back in 2008 after following it for several months in my blog-free existence that all changed when I was invited aboard this blog.

Just like with a sick or aging cat, it's hard to pull the trigger. Participation waned both with posters and people willing to host as bloggers moved on from the not very glamorous or profitable efforts of blogging to becoming professional writers or bartenders or just merely benders of the elbow and not of the finger tips. And some moved on to life style changes such as sobriety (although I have done two alcohol-free posts for MxMo, so that in itself is not a complete excuse). The decline of participation was not enough, just as aging cat has stopped seeking out pets or play time is not enough to signal to the owner that it is time. The final straw was sickness and pain; electronically, it was the Mixology Monday WordPress site losing its log-in module perhaps due to me ignoring the suggested upgrades to the software over the last 4 years. Mixology Monday founder and website host Paul Clarke could not figure out how to help, so I decided that without a homebase that I could update, it was a sign to take Mixology Monday to the vet for the final visit.

Originally, I was just going to let the event die away after MxMo 115 and hope that no one noticed. That seemed like a cowardly approach. Instead, I thought about death. And drinking. And drinking to face another's death and in turn perhaps to face your own. When one of Boston's beloved barmen died all too suddenly a little over a year ago, I was introduced to the Irish Wake. While the family-centered open casket part of the wake was dry, the later gatherings were not. It was all so foreign to me since it was my first open casket given my family traditions for doing closed ones. Moreover, it was the first one that centered around booze for it brought people from many cities together that were united by drink and service of drink.

To get to the participants who wanted to send this event out in style, there was Pete of MeticulousMixing who formed his blog one day before his first Mixology Monday submission. Besides sharing his thoughts such as "For me, Mixology Monday was a great way to introduce myself and this blog to the public and the rest of the cocktail community. My social media footprint is rather small as I don't really like hanging out on Facebook, etc. But this format of monthly challenges was a great way to share my love for cocktails, while getting to know other cocktail blogs and enthusiasts," he mixed up a Jameson and tea based drink, the Golden Sunset. Katie of the GarnishBlog shed a tear with "I'm really glad I got to participate in so many of these events and even host one last month. It's been fun, inspiring, and a great way to connect with other cocktail nerds" and offered up an Irish whisky, coffee, and allspice number called Wake the Dead.

Gary of Doc Elliot's Mixology mused "Slán, in Gaelic, roughly translates to 'goodbye'. That is the theme for this month's Mixology Monday. It's over. It's done. Kaput. So now is goodby to the World's Best Online Cocktail Party. Hosted by our leader and fearless cat herder, Frederic Yarm of the Cocktail Virgin Slut blog, the actual theme for the final Mixology Monday is the Irish Wake. A most appropriate way to say, 'Slán'" and he matched the concept with a shooter named after that Gaelic word with Irish whiskey spiffed up with coffee, blood orange, and Fernet flavors. I was fourth in line to view the corpse and I added, "I would like to thank Paul Clarke for starting the event and for the participants of the 29 events before I started for making it such a welcoming environment, and for everyone who re-enforced the lost art of Roman numerals. And thank you to all the participants who have carried this phenomenon for over a decade. Sláinte!" before adding a recipe for Eryn Reece's Mrs. Doyle, an Irish whiskey Sour spiced with a hint of Swedish punsch.

Shaun and Christa of the BoozeNerds also began participating in MxMo early on in their blogging careers but have recently started to slow down with the posts; they provided the explanation of "As we ourselves are taking a break because the blog was starting to 'feel like work', we felt we should return to help send off this tradition that was our second post for the blog. After 4+ years of almost weekly posts, we felt we needed a break as we were struggling with what to write about and what to do. So we've stopped for awhile to gather our thoughts and reinvigorate our muses. However, MxMo has been an integral part of our own booze blog journey so we had to say goodbye in our own special way" before providing two recipes, one of which is dubbed One More Before You Go. Andrew of the HumbleGarnish blog broke his Mixology Monday lurking with a post -- his first and last one for the event; he concocted the Final Phrasing -- an Irish whiskey Sour embittered by Fernet and Campari to remind him of a friend he lost who made him think about Ferrari (Fernet-Campari) shots.

DJ of the SpiritedRemix blog shared "Mixology Monday was one of the exciting regular events that got me into creating this blog in the first place. In my opinion, its monthly themes have always been sharp enough to spur inspiration and creativity to share new ideas and spread already established ones" before relating how drinking with his relatives helped sooth the passing of a grandparent. The final Mixology Monday also woke ColonelTiki up from his blogging slumber and felt all guilty with "Forgive me Mixology Monday for I have sinned. It has been many years since my last post and your wake brings me back. You were a fantastic host. We wake you with ourselves woke – in some areas sleeping and others wide eyed to meet our challenges" before presenting his Irish coffee riff, Don't Wake Me While I'm Sleeping.

Kafka Latte of KitchenShamanism took things in a Irish whiskey Tiki direction with a riff of the Nui Nui called Death in the North Atlantic. Next, Mike of DrinksBurgh also went Tiki with a riff on the Mai Kai's Black Magic with his own Irish Magic.

Adam of MrMuddle raises a glass of his Primus tribute, O'Malley's Alley, with a cheers of "So let's raise a glass to a tradition that is ending too soon. But in true Irish Wake fashion, we know it can never truly die. Its legacy will live on in the archives, Instagrams, tweets, and new cocktails inspired by previous MxMo events. Thanks again to Frederic for keeping it going for this long, and to all who contributed over the years." Dagreb of NihilUtopia joined in one last time with the Irish Derby that balanced the whiskey and citrus with Byrrh and Cointreau.

Michael Dietsch of ADashOfBitters was there from the beginning, MxMo 1: Pastis, and could not let it go without adding in a final message. "Nearly 11 years ago, Paul Clarke — now editor of Imbibe magazine, but then just a guy in Seattle — came up with an idea called Mixology Monday... Paul came up with the idea of hosting a themed round-robin for the then-nascent cocktail-blog community. Back in 2006, there weren't many of us... I've been fascinated to watch my fellow drinks-scribes over these many years since MxMo launched. Some of us have gone on to literary achievements, writing for magazines, newspapers, and web sites. We've even seen a few book deals come out of this pursuit. Some among us have left pundit circles altogether and become bartenders or even bar owners. I know people all over the country who have tended bar for the first time after writing about cocktails on the Internrdz... I haven't participated in Mixology Monday in ... oh, hell, nearly six years. But the theme of this month's Mixology Monday is Irish whiskey, and the Irish wake, the mourning process for seeing loved ones depart these flawed bodies" before toasting Mixology Monday as a great friend.

The Muse of Doom of FeuDeVie mused "And yet, as the old maxim goes, 'those who burn brightest also burn shortest.' So many of those young guns faded before too long. Cocktail blogging is a difficult enough endeavor, even if one has a plan to balance recipe development and output with moderation and self-care. And, alas, we (and our livers) all do get older and life does have a way of getting in the way... The Cocktail Renaissance moment has passed; it's mellowed and in the process of maturation. There's still plenty of room for new recipes and ideas, but, man, would I love to see everyone's recipes get some re-love and appreciation rather than be lost to the ether. For all the joy and fire shared during the best of times, as MxMo rests I do hope our fellowship continues" before offering us the comfort food-drink of the Cinnamon Toast Old Fashioned.

BarinaCraft got historical with a scholastic analysis of 6 recipes for the Irish Cocktail with recipe #3 being my go-to. Though without a blog (he lost it by not watching his renewal dates), Gabe of CocktailNerd left a comment of "Cheers to you and Paul, Fred. Were I to have a blog untainted and co-opted by e-cigarettes, I would gladly have given this a final whirl. I met fabulous people and made amazing memories through this hobby and community so thanks again for being a part of that and keeping MxMo and the community going; it's wonderful." In ending Mixology Monday, I did think of Gabe and the others who helped to found Mixoloseum which I participated in their weekly Thursday Drink Night chatrooms that really taught me volumes about drink creation, trusting my intuitions, and knowing when to cherish and when to sink a recipe. Unfortunately, that came to its demise circa late 2012. So let us all raise a glass to the CocktailNerd blog and Mixoloseum and their fine histories back in the glory days of cocktail blogging!

It wouldn't be a true Mixology Monday without someone being late or not following the rules. For the latter, in my RSS feed, I discovered that Doug of the PeguBlog had either forgotten to alert me of his post or his alert is still making its way over as a message-in-a-bottle since he is hardcore in celebrating February as his Tiki month. Had I not stepped in to take over Mixology Monday in September of 2012, Doug's Tiki-themed Mixology Monday in February of 2012 would have been the last. I am glad I found this post and it got me emotional and teary eyed to read his tribute. Doug declared "To battle the dangers of obscurity, blogs would gather periodically in herds called 'blog carnivals', where related sites would post simultaneously on a specified subject, and link each other to draw traffic to all. In the cocktail world, the great stallion Paul Clarke summoned the herd known as Mixology Monday. After many years, Paul was no longer able to lead the herd, and Fred Yarm, the hardest working blogger in cocktails, took up the mantle and MxMo lived on. But in the fullness of time, MxMo at last dwindled. The original participants faded or were lost, and the new generations found that with tools of social media, they hardly needed the nurture and safety of the blog carnival. Now at last, the time has come to say goodbye to Mixology Monday." In not breaking theme, Doug offers up the Irish Privateer that matches the Irish whiskey and citrus with orgeat and ginger liqueur.

And of course, for the former of being late, it is the guys from Scofflaw'sDen! Marshall and Sean-Mike were two that I followed back when they, like me, wrote on LiveJournal before moving over to a blog. The two got together armed with a different bottle of Irish whiskey in each of their hands including one aptly called Writer's Tears. With Averna, orgeat, and lemon in the mix, their Irish Goodbye drink was anything but that (since plenty of MxMo veterans have dropped away without notice).

And it wouldn't be a Mixology Monday without an after the post went live late, here starring Joel from SouthernAsh. Besides presenting a rum-Irish whiskey Old Fashioned, Joel praised the event by declaring, "Mixology Monday has made me a better cocktalian, a better blogger, and a better person. The themes were often challenging and asked me to stretch from my comfort zone. I read, researched, experimented, and sampled more cocktails and variations than I can recall on account of the calls for drinks in this party. I learned to better balance my cocktails through trial and error, improved my presentation and photography from the inspiration provided from the fellow participants, and enjoyed getting to take part in this corner of the cocktail culture revival." Cheers, Joel!

Pardon me if I quoted from your blogs a bit too hardcore, but I wanted a record of some of the words spoken in case your blogs go the way of the Dodo a few years from now. It is February 22nd, 2017, and I, fortified by coffee, am ready to lower this coffin into the grave. With regrets, but that is life. Cheers to all who have joined Mixology Monday on its journey and it's desire to unite cocktail writers near and far. Cheers to Paul Clarke for bringing life to the concept. And thanks to everyone who took the time to host and/or write to keep the beast alive.

Post-note: Please read MxMo founder Paul Clarke's thoughts in the comment section of this post. 

elementary my dear

3/4 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lemon Cordial/Sherbert (*)
1/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a flute glass with 2 oz Cristalino sparkling wine, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
(*) Perhaps lime cordial such as Rose's would work in a pinch. Also upping the lemon juice to a 1/2 oz might cut the sweetness a touch.
Two Wednesdays ago, I found myself in Central Square after dinner. For a drink, I stopped into Craigie on Main where I asked bartender Rob Ficks for the Elementary My Dear. Rob described how this was Ben Kweskin's idea of a basic sparkling wine drink, and that led to the drink's name. Once prepared, the Elementary My Dear offered a bright grapefruit oil aroma that gave way to a carbonated lemon, orange, and white wine sip. Next, the swallow presented the gin along with lemon peel and rhubarb flavors. Overall, the flavor profile was spot on but the balance was a touch sweet for my palate from either the wine's sugar content or perhaps the lemon juice needing to be upped to a 1/2 oz.

lohengrin

1 1/2 oz Angostura White Oak Rum
1 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Luxardo Apricot Liqueur
1/2 oz Giffard Orgeat
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 bsp St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass, fill with ice, garnish with 2 dashes Angostura Bitters and a mint sprig, and add straws.

Two Tuesdays ago, Andrea and I made our way to Estragon to have dinner at Sahil Mehta's bar. While perusing his drink recipe book, I spotted a curiously named tropical number called the Lohengrin. Sahil explained that the Winter weather got him in an escapist mood, and his searching on Wikipedia generated the drink name. That clue was, "King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an escapist who used to 'escape' into the world of Wagnerian mythology. A caricature portrays him as Lohengrin."
The Lohengrin presented a mint, clove, and allspice aroma to the nose. Next, grape, lime, and orchard fruit on the sip transitioned into rum, nutty, and apricot flavors on the swallow with an allspice finish. Indeed, the apricot and orgeat flavors combined elegantly on the swallow as they had in the 1937 Yellow Mist and the modern Tiki Beachbum offerings.

corrascal

1 1/2 oz Dry Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/4 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear Liqueur
1/4 oz Benedictine
4 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe with 2 oz dry sparkling wine (Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with a star anise pod.
Two Mondays ago, I was flipping through the Canon Cocktail Book when I spotted the Corrascal in the low proof section. The drink appeared like a dry aperitif, and it is frequently served during the Fall and Winter months at Canon in Seattle. Once prepared, the Corrascal gave forth a nutty grape aroma with a hint of star anise from the garnish. Next, the sherry and sparkling wine combined to generate a dry carbonated wine sip, and the swallow shared nutty sherry and dry herbal spice elements with a light pear flavor on the finish.

mrs. doyle

The theme for this month's Mixology Monday (MxMo CXVI) was picked by myself, Frederic of the Cocktail Virgin blog. The theme I chose was "Irish Wake," and it was a tough decision to pick this theme and make it the last. Mixology Monday has been around for 2 months shy of 11 years yielding 116 themed-events. Between lagging enthusiasm for bloggers to host events, low numbers of drink posts, and my waning desire to push the online cocktail party uphill, I had been considering this end for a year or so. Then at the tail end of MxMo 114 as I was trying to enter the roundup post link in December, I discovered that the Mixology Monday Word Press site had lost its log-in module and I was locked out. We did MxMo 115's announcements solely by Twitter and word of mouth, and it just did not feel right without a formal home base. It was a sign.

So for this final theme, the Irish Wake, I elaborated on my choice with the description of, "The Irish wake is a funeral tradition that is a send-off that begins at the time of death until the body is handed over to the church. It is viewed as a crucial part of the grieving process. My first Irish wake was a little over a year ago when Boston barman Ryan McGrale met his untimely demise. While the wake part with the family was sober, the mourning process with the Boston bartenders and the New York City ones who traveled up was most certainly not. Irish whiskey flowed... So what better way to celebrate the life and times of Mixology Monday and its 11 year run as the premiere 'monthly online cocktail party' than with Irish whiskey. For this theme, the approach is two fold. You can go traditional and generate or uncover a cocktail recipe calling for Irish whiskey. Alternatively, you can talk about a personal moment either where Irish whiskey played a role in life or where drinks in general helped the grieving process. Such stories were actually rather cool for MxMo 41 'Vodka is Your Friend,' so there is precedent for that, but it's not like we can break Mixology Monday for future events by straying from the rules."
There is a belief that mixing with Irish whiskey is a sin, and one of my old co-workers summed that idea up with his delicious Jameson cocktail the Sacrilege. I hold no spirit sacred, but I wanted to find a recipe that really highlighted the soft nature of the whiskey. In my search, I happened upon Eryn Reece's 2013 Mrs. Doyle in the Death & Co. Cocktail Book. According to a TimeOut article, Eryn named this after "the kooky old housekeeper from the Irish sitcom Father Ted." Essentially, Mrs. Doyle is an Irish Sour accented by a touch of Swedish Punsch. And for the photo above, I picked the best casket imagery that I could since the drink itself was not morbid in the least.

Mrs. Doyle
• 2 oz Redbreast 12 Year Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
• 1/4 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
• 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

The Mrs. Doyle proffered lemon and sweet malt aromas with a honey-like note. Next, the lemon and sweet malt continued into the sip, and the swallow gave forth soft whiskey and a hint of tea and rum funk from the Swedish Punsch.

It is strange to type out my final line to my 87th Mixology Monday event that I have participated in, the 10th that I have hosted, and the 52nd under my cat herdsmanship. I would like to thank Paul Clarke for starting the event and for the participants of the 29 events before I started for making it such a welcoming environment, and for everyone who re-inforced the lost art of Roman numerals. And thank you to all the participants who have carried this phenomenon for over a decade. Sláinte!

howitzer

1 1/2 oz Bourbon Whiskey (Larceny)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Peach Bitters (Fee's)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass with 2 oz champagne (Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with a lemon twist.

After a busy Saturday night bar shift two weeks ago, I felt the need for a nightcap before I opened the next morning for a brunch shift. Therefore, I reached for Paul Clarke's The Cocktail Chronicles for the answer. In the list of flagged drinks to make, the Howitzer as a whiskey French 75 variation stood out. The recipe was crafted by Neal Bodenheimer of New Orleans' The Cure; Neal described his creation on the Barnotes app as, "From our original cocktail list when we opened Cure. A simple variation of the classic French 75 using Bourbon and peach in place of gin or brandy."
The Howitzer presented a lemon, white wine, and Bourbon aroma. Next, the sip shared a carbonated lemon and wine combination, and the swallow paired the wheated whiskey with fruity peach notes.

flor de piña

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Avion)
3/4 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Canela Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a Tiki mug. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with a pineapple wedge (paper umbrella).
After my work shift two Fridays ago, I was in the mood for something tropical, so I returned to David Alan's Tipsy Texan for the Flor de Piña. The recipe reminded me of a Gilda Cocktail with the addition of elderflower liqueur. In the mug, the Flor de Piña shared a floral and pineapple bouquet with hints of agave on the nose. Next, lime and pineapple made for a refreshing sip, and the swallow paired tequila and elderflower flavors with a cinnamon finish.

libby

3/4 Rye Whiskey (2 oz Sazerac)
1/8 Sherry (1/4 oz Lustau Amontillado + 1/4 oz Lustau PX)
1/8 Sweet Vermouth (1/2 oz Alessio)
1 dash Picon Bitters (1/4 oz Torani Amer)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and began scanning the whiskey recipes. There, I was lured in by the Libby with the sherry element reminding me of the Plymouth Street Harvest. I originally tried all Amontillado in the mix, but it was a bit too dry so I added in some Pedro Ximenez.
Once chilled and strained, the dual sherry Libby provided nutty, raisin, and dark orange aromas over rye whiskey notes. Next, grape and malt on the sip gave way to rye and nutty flavors on the swallow with raisin and bitter orange on the finish. Indeed, the Pedro Ximenez while providing the necessary sweetness overrode the Amontillado's more nutty notes with its raisiny flavors though. Perhaps a better balanced cream sherry such as Lustau's East India Solera would have worked better than this duo. Or perhaps doubling the Picon for its sweetness or spiking in a dash of simple syrup with the Amontillado would have worked well too.

the kirby

1 1/2 oz Olmeca Altos Blanco Tequila
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Combier Pamplemousse Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Dry shake to mix, pour into a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, garnish with 3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters and a paper parasol, and add a straw.
On Wednesday to weeks ago, Andrea and I sought out dinner at Firebrand Saints. For a drink, I asked bartender Dave Erickson for the Kirby which seemed like an interesting herbal and grapefruit-tinged Margarita of sorts. Dave mentioned as he set to work that this was bartender Juan Mederos' creation. Once in the glass, the Kirby shared a cherry and anise aroma from the bitters. Next, grapefruit and lime paired elegantly on the sip, and the swallow showcased the tequila and Chartruese flavors with a herbal and grapefruit finish.

bitter french

1 oz Plymouth Gin (St. George Botanivore)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Campari

Shake with ice, strain into a flute glass with 2 1/2 oz champagne (Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with grapefruit oil from a twist.
Two Tuesdays ago, I ventured into the pages of Gaz Regan's The Negroni for the evening's libation. There, I spotted Phil Ward's marriage of a French 75 with a Negroni that he created at Mayahuel called the Bitter French. Once prepared, it gave forth a grapefruit aroma that led into a carbonated lemon and white wine sip. Next, the gin mingled with bitter orange and more wine notes on the swallow; overall, the Campari donated some bitter complexity to the classic sparkler as well as a delightful pink hue. However, it was not as extreme as the curious Campari-based Posta Aerea. Indeed, Phil in the Death & Co. Book described his 2008 recipe as, "In my opinion, this French 75 variation is the best beginner Campari drink in history."

kongo jungle

1 oz Blackwell Jamaican Rum
1 oz JM Rhum Agricole Gold
1/2 oz Allspice Dram
1 oz Banana Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake ingredients to mix, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, garnish with an edible orchid and a plastic monkey, and add a straw.
(*) Perhaps muddle 1/2 to 3/4 inch of banana in 3/4 oz simple or demerara syrup. Include a fine strain step. Shaking with ice might also help to break the banana up.

Two Mondays ago, I made my way over to the new A4cade that opened two nights before in Central Square, Cambridge. After a short wait, I was allowed to enter the jam-packed room full of video games and pinball machines, and I made my way to second bar in the back where my old Russell House Tavern alums Joe Slavinski and Trevor Christian were tending bar. For a drink, I asked Trevor for the Kongo Jungle off of the Tiki section of the menu. I was a bit surprised that the banana aspect was not Giffard's Banane du Bresil but a banana syrup that donated texture as well as flavor to the libation.
The Kongo Jungle offered up a floral aroma from the orchid garnish that preceded a caramel sip from the dark rum component. Next, the swallow shared the aged rum, banana, and allspice flavors.

swanee shore

2/3 Rye Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Sazerac)
1/3 Grapefruit Juice (3/4 oz)
1 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1 dash Picon (1/4 oz Amer Picon)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a grapefruit twist to the recipe.

For a nightcap Sunday night two weeks ago, I began flipping through Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 for inspiration. There, I stopped upon the Swanee Shore which could have been named after the World War I-era Southern waltz song. What caught my attention was the combination of grenadine and Picon which Trader Vic frequently utilized in drinks like the Jayco and Philippine Punch; the Pioneers recipes made use of this pairing a few times well before Trader Vic ever latched on to it such as in the Bronco.
The Swanee Shore gave forth grapefruit oil and hints of dark orange notes to the nose. Next, malt and grapefruit on the sip stepped aside to rye and bitter orange flavors on the swallow with a tart citrus swallow.

aurora cocktail

1 oz Cognac (Camus VS)
1 oz Rye Whiskey (Sazerac)
1/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1 dash Simple Syrup (1/4 oz)
1 dash Boker's or Angostura Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Stir with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed (Butterfly) cocktail coupe containing 2 oz champagne (Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with either a lemon twist or cherry (lemon twist).
Two Saturdays ago, I ventured into the Canon Cocktail Book for a sparkling wine cocktail. There, I was lured in by their riff on Jerry Thomas' Morning Glory called the Aurora cocktail. The original was published in the 1887 edition of The Bar-Tender's Guide with the curaçao and soda water being swapped here for elderflower liqueur and sparkling wine. Somewhere between the two recipes was something that made me think of the Seelbach. Once mixed, the Aurora Cocktail showcased absinthe notes over lemon oil and elderflower aromas. Next, a carbonated malty and white grape sip gave way to a rye, brandy, and bitter floral swallow with a clean anise and white wine finish.

carnival jump up

2 oz Golden Trinidad Rum (Angostura 7 Year)
1/2 oz Grenadine
1 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and pour into a Highball glass (strain into a Highball and top with fresh ice). Decorate with a pineapple slice, candy sugar cane stick, and a lime slice (lime wheel), and add a straw.
After my bar shift two Fridays ago, I reached for Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery book in a quest for a curious recipe that I might have passed over in previous searches. The one that I found was the Carnival Jump Up that Trader Vic attributed to the bar at the Trinidad Hilton. Once prepared, the Carnival Jump Up presented lime and fruity notes to the nose. Next, a creamy lime and berry sip shared hints of nutmeg, and the swallow offered rum, coconut, and tart lime flavors on the swallow.

foul weather friend

1 1/2 oz Demerara White Rum (El Dorado 3 Year)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Licor 43
1/2 oz Campari
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a goblet (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with fresh mint and a cocktail umbrella.

Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a riff of Trader Vic's Foul Weather that I had spotted on the ModernTiki blog. ModernTiki found the flavors to be a bit more flat than they were expecting from reading the original recipe, and they re-arranged the flavors into the Foul Weather Friend. When I made Trader Vic's, I translated the dash of vanilla as a quarter ounce of Navan Liqueur; here, they used another vanilla-forward (and less defunct) cordial, Licor 43. The biggest change here overall was splitting the orange juice with Campari.
The Foul Weather Friend shared a Jamaican rum funk aroma along with citrus notes on the nose. Next, orange, lemon, and caramel on the sip led into funky rum, bitter orange, and vanilla on the swallow. The only flavor that was lacking as compared to the original was the passion fruit which got lost here in the mix.

the butterfly sting

1 1/2 oz Four Roses Bourbon
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz Sirop de Canne (*)
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.
(*) Substitute a 2:1 simple syrup. Note: this drink was a bit sweet for me once it warmed up, so perhaps a 1/2 oz demerara 1:1 syrup would work better here. Or halving the sirop de canne to 1/4 oz.

Two Wednesdays ago, I made my way down to Stoddard's where I found a seat in front of bar manager Jamie Walsh and bartender Tony Iamunno. For a first drink, I asked Tony for the Butterfly Sting that he described as his Muhammed Ali tribute cocktail. The structure itself reminded me of the Palaver with Swedish Punsch taking the place of the Palaver's Fernet Branca.
The Butterfly Sting floated in with an orange oil notes that brightened the Bourbon aroma. Next, a rich grape and orange sip flipped into a whiskey, bitter, and tea tannin swallow that at first finished somewhat dry. As the cocktail warmed up, the balanced became a bit too much on the sweet side for my palate, so perhaps dropping the sirop de canne or switching to a less concentrated sugar source would help here.

pleasant evening

3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Crème de Cassis (Massenez)
2 dash Peach Bitters (Fee's)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass with 3 oz dry sparkling wine (flute with 3 oz Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Two Tuesdays ago, I was in the mood for something light, so I sought out The Art of the Shim by Dinah Sanders. There, I was lured in by Andrew Mitchell's Pleasant Evening that he created at San Francisco's Rickhouse in 2009. Once prepared, the drink shared a grapefruit oil aroma with a hint of dark berry from the cassis. Next, a crisp and carbonated grapefruit and white wine sip transitioned into a black currant swallow with a peach finish.

:: mixology monday announcement ::

MxMo CXVI: Irish Wake

Mixology Monday has had a good run at life. The event first started with Paul Clarke back in April 2006, and he ran it until MxMo 64 in February 2012. My participation started at MxMo 30 in August 2008 after having read along as a spectator for a year or so. As Paul was losing steam, I begged to take over the event instead of letting him bury it. Luckily, he turned over the reins to me, and I led the march from MxMo 65 in September 2012 until this one for a total of 52 events. When I was looking back at the history, I found a thread on the Chanticleer Society where someone was asking about Paul Clarke in the hiatus between February and September 2012; prophetically, I commented in that thread, "Perhaps I am blinded by my own enthusiasm -- I've been contributing to MxMo for 4 years now and would gladly do another 4 years." In the last year or two, my wife often heard me gripe about how hard it was to get hosts as well as a decent number of participants. The last few despite having amazing replies in quality to the theme were shy of the double digits mark or not much above that in quantity. The final moment that set this death knell a-ringing was when the Mixology Monday website locked me out of logging in right before I was about to enter the wrap up post for MxMo 114, and Paul Clarke did not know how to get me FTP access to see if I could remedy this situation. So that prophecy for another 4 years was correct with another 6 months added on.

So it is time for the final theme, the Irish wake. The Irish wake is a funeral tradition that is a send-off that begins at the time of death until the body is handed over to the church. It is viewed as a crucial part of the grieving process. My first Irish wake was a little over a year ago when Boston barman Ryan McGrale met his untimely demise. While the wake part with the family was sober, the mourning process with the Boston bartenders and the New York City ones who traveled up was most certainly not. Irish whiskey flowed. I remember getting home and wondering why my key would not work and I considered sleeping in the garage. Turns out, it was the wrong key on my key ring and it took awhile to figure that out. So what better way to celebrate the life and times of Mixology Monday and its 11 year run as the premiere "monthly online cocktail party" than with Irish whiskey.

For this theme, the approach is two fold. You can go traditional and generate or uncover a cocktail recipe calling for Irish whiskey. Alternatively, you can talk about a personal moment either where  Irish whiskey played a role in life or where drinks in general helped the grieving process. Such stories were actually rather cool for MxMo 41 "Vodka is Your Friend," so there is precedent for that, but it's not like we can break Mixology Monday for future events by straying from the rules.

Here's how to play this one last time:

• Find or concoct a recipe that calls for Irish whiskey. Or share a drinking story about Irish whiskey or the grieving process.
• Make the drink and then post the recipe, a photo, and your thoughts about the libation on your blog, tumblr, or website or on the eGullet Spirits and Cocktails forum. If it is the story format option, feel free to post a photo or two to make an emotional connection.
• Include in your post the classic MxMo logo or the special Irish wake one above, and a link back to both the Mixology Monday and Cocktail Virgin sites. Actually, you don't need to link back to the deceased MxMo site if you do not want to. And once the round-up is posted, a link to that summary post would be appreciated.
• Provide a link to your submission in the comment section here, tweet at @cocktailvirgin, or send an email to yarm-at-verizon.net with the word "MxMo" somewhere in the subject line.

The due date is Monday night at midnight, February 20th.

Cheers,
Frederic

frosty the julep

2 oz Old Granddad Bonded Bourbon
1/2 oz Peppermint Tea Syrup
1/2 oz St. George Geijer Glögg (*)

Build in a Julep cup, fill with crushed ice, and stir. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, sage leaf, mint sprig, and rosemary sprig, dust leaves with powdered sugar, and add a straw.
(*) Here, the drink was made with a house glögg.
I was about to be one and done and head home, but a mismake occurred and there was an extra Frosty the Julep that needed a home. The drink was created by bartender Josh Cross as his Winter-inspired Julep "because Frosty melted." It was one of the most elegantly garnished libations since the Meyer's Cobbler. Of all of the herbs, the mint was the most aromatic here. The sip was malt from the Bourbon joined by tingly mint notes from the tea, and the rest of the Bourbon and mint notes filled the swallow along with spice from the glögg.

left hand of darkness

1 1/2 oz Jim Beam Black Bourbon
3/4 oz oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (*)
1/2 oz Campari
1/4 oz Cynar

Build in a rocks glass, add ice, and stir to mix and chill.
(*) here, it was a combination of Contratto Rosso and Dolin Rouge sweet vermouths.

After my shift two Sundays ago, I was in need of a stiff drink or two before facing my dying feline companion, Marconi named after the Marconi Wireless. In between work and home was the perfect spot, Backbar, where I found a seat in front of bartenders Josh Cross and Kat Lamper. For a first drink, I asked Josh for the Left Hand of Darkness that was a Boulevardier riff subtitled, "so balanced you won't know what to think." Kat Lamper later explained her creation as being a tribute to Ursula Le Guin and her book of the same name, as well as being a riff on Milk and Honey and Little Branch's Left Hand (but darker from the Cynar).
The Left Hand of Darkness began with a dark malt and grape aroma that led into a grape and caramel sip. Next, whiskey, smoky char, and bitter orange on the swallow finished with funky herbal notes from the Cynar.

accidental tourist

1 oz Rhum Barbancourt 8 Year
1 oz Peychaud's Bitters
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Lime Cordial (Rose's)
1/2 oz 2:1 Raw Sugar Syrup
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

After my shift two Saturdays ago, I returned home with my purchase of grapefruits to make another drink from the Tipsy Texan book. The recipe was for the Accidental Tourist that the text seemed to suggest was created by the author, David Alan. The inspiration here were the series of Angostura Bitters-heavy drinks such as the Trinidad Sour; there was definitely a series of Peychaud's Bitters-heavy recipes created in Boston around that time as well such as Antoine's Demise and Fishnets & Fangs.
Despite the freakish appearance of the recipe, the only intense standout here was the Fernet Branca that first appeared as a menthol note on the bouquet. Next, the sip was citrussy from the grapefruit and lime, and the swallow shared rum, anise, and menthol flavors.

the seaplane

1 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice and strain into a flute glass pre-rinsed with absinthe (Butterfly). Top with Champagne (2 oz Willm Blanc de Blancs).
After my shift two Fridays ago, I turned to Sasha Petraske: Regarding Cocktails for a sparkling wine cocktail idea. There, I was lured in by the Seaplane crafted by Joseph Schwartz. For the book, Joseph pondered what he would make for Sasha, and he decided up a variation on one of Sasha's favorite classics, the French 75. Once in the glass, the Seaplane provided anise and other herbal notes to the nose. Next, a carbonated lemon and white wine sip led into a juniper and orange-tinged swallow with light absinthe elements on the finish.

black sea swizzle

1 oz JM Rhum Agricole Blanc
1/2 oz Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Add a straw, float 1/4 oz Fernet Branca (photo shows 1/2 oz which is for braver folk and 1 bsp might be better for others), and garnish with a citrus peel boat. Adding the straw before floating the Fernet Branca makes for a clean first sip.
For drink of the day two weeks ago, the week's theme was Fernet Branca. As I was setting up the bar, I thought about how the low sugar content of Fernet makes it great for floating such as in the Benton Park Swizzle and Fratelli Sling. I also considered Fernet's ability to fit into Tiki and tropical drinks such as the Free Rider. The Swizzle concept stuck and I recalled the Sinking Ship Swizzle that reminded me of blood in the water given the Peychaud's Bitters float. With the blackness of the Fernet, the name the Black Sea Swizzle seemed to tie everything together.

wooden ships

1 oz + 1 bsp Neisson Rhum Agricole Reserve Special (~1.7 oz Depaz)
1 scant oz Cynar (~1.4 oz)
1 scant bsp Maple Syrup (~1.4 bsp)
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters (3 dash)

Stir with ice and strain into an Old Fashioned glass with fresh ice.
The day that I got home from Kentucky, my copy of David Alan's Tipsy Texan arrived. Two drink recipes quickly caught my attention, but I could not make one since I lacked a grapefruit to juice, so I opted for the Wooden Ships by Jason Stevens of Austin. The combination of rum and Cynar reminded me of Scott Holliday's Rum Scaffa, and here, there were added rich notes from chocolate bitters and maple. In the glass, the Wooden Ships proffered a grassy aroma from the rhum agricole with a hint of herbal and caramel notes from the Cynar. The caramel continued on into the sip, and the swallow gave forth grassy, minty, and funky flavors with a maple and chocolate finish.

christmas in prison

2 oz Laird's Apple Brandy
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a 10 oz beer glass with 4 oz Coors Banquet Beer. Top with ice and garnish with a lemon twist.

After my stop at Rye, I continued on to the Silver Dollar in Butchertown. When I had asked the bartender at Rye how much a two bedroom apartment runs in Louisville, he gave the highs and lows and told me that he paid around $800 for a place in Butchertown, and he was lucky for the wind blew the right way. In the mile and a quarter walk to the Silver Dollar, I quickly understood what he meant for the neighborhood's name reflects the present, not just the past. While the Highlands were the "Keep Louisville Weird" section, the Butchertown bars had a similar but very different comfortable vibe; it was more of a neighborhood and industry-friendly part of town.
For a first drink, I asked the bartender for the Christmas in Prison. When I inquired about the recipe, I was greeted with the statement that it was "in her contract not to tell the recipes." This took me back for a second, but I had already watched her jigger the drink and was confident that my taste buds and drink-building sense could confirm or approximate the amounts. For example, the allspice dram and vanilla both were partial fills on a 1/2 oz jigger and I figured that this was akin to Don's Spice #2. In the glass, the lemon twist provided most of the aroma, and the sip was carbonated and malty with a hint of citrus. Finally, the swallow was apple, allspice, and vanilla flavors. For my next round, I requested a local porter and a Heaven's Hill Bonded pour; I was alerted that the Bourbon special of the night was $3 for a J.T.S. Brown bonded pour. Yes, indeed. And in homage to the aromas on the walk over (and not the staff), "That'll do pig, that'll do."