pan american clipper

1 jigger Applejack or Calvados (2 oz Copper & Kings Floodwall Apple Brandy)
1 scant pony Lime Juice (1/2 oz)
1 tsp Grenadine (1/2 oz)
1 dash Absinthe (1 bsp Copper & Kings Absinthe Blanche)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Tuesdays ago, the topic of Charles H. Baker, Jr.'s The Gentleman's Companion came up earlier in the day, and I decided to find that evening's refreshment from those pages. There, I spotted the Pan American Clipper that Baker attributed to be "from the notebook of one of our pilot friends who -- when off duty -- may seek one." The recipe seemed like the Cuban Aviacion with lime instead of lemon, a Jack Rose with absinthe, or a Shrunken Skull with apple brandy instead of rum. Since the Aviacion was published around the same time as the Pan American Clipper during the heyday of the flying boat, perhaps they stem from the same genesis with different names (especially considering that Cuban recipes were often vague as to whether limón meant lemon or lime).
The Pan American Clipper began with an apple and anise bouquet. Next, a dry lime joined a vague fruit note from the apple brandy or the pomegranate on the sip, and the swallow paired the apple with the pomegranate's berry flavor with an absinthe's anise finish.

wai wai

1 oz Hamilton's 86 Proof Guyana Rum
1 oz Oloroso Sherry
3/4 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1/4 oz Orgeat
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
For my second drink at Estragon, I opted for Sahil Mehta's drink of the day from a week and a half ago that had more of a tropical slant. Given the Guyanese rum driving this drink, it got dubbed the Wai Wai after one of the nine indigenous tribes of Guyana. Once prepared, it shared a banana and nutty aroma to the nose. Next, grape and lime mingled on the sip before rum, banana, and nutty flavors rounded out the swallow.

skin & bones

1 oz Brennivin Aquavit
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
3/4 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quinquina
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass (in Sahil's original Instagram photo, it was a cocktail glass), and garnish with a lemon twist.
Two Mondays ago, I decided to visit bartender Sahil Mehta at Estragon for dinner. For a first cocktail, I looked through Sahil's drink notebook and spotted his drink of the day from a month ago that seemed like an interesting use of Brennivin aquavit by pairing it with Bonal. For a name, it got dubbed the Skin & Bones after the Foo Fighters song that mentioned "Brennivin and cigarettes." Once in the glass, the Skin & Bones gave forth a lemon aroma with herbal hints to the nose. Next, a semi-dry red grape sip gave way to caraway and other herbal flavors on the swallow with a bitter spice finish. Moreover, I found the flavor balance came together more as the drink got a touch warmer.

saigon special

1 pony Cognac (1 oz Courvoisier VS)
1/2 pony Dry Gin (1/2 oz Citadelle)
1/2 pony Cointreau (1/2 oz)
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice (1/4 oz)
2 tsp or so Egg White (1 Egg White)

Shake once without and once with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry.

For the cocktail hour on Sunday night two weeks ago, I delved back into Charles H. Baker, Jr.'s The Gentleman's Companion: Jigger Beaker, and Glass. There, I was drawn to the Saigon Special that Baker discovered when his boat, the SS Resolute, stopped into South East Asia in 1925. Baker described how this recipe reminded him of the Jerusalem's Between the Sheets that he wrote about but with egg white and a bit sweeter in the balance. I ended up increasing the lemon juice to dry things out a bit though.
The Saigon Special provided a lemon and cherry nose with hints of orange and Cognac. Next, a creamy lemon and orange sip transitioned into a gin, orange, and brandy-filled swallow. Overall, the Saigon Special came across like a White Lady with brandy notes in the mix.

crabapple fight!

I just bottled a syrup yesterday for my 5 Monday long residency at the Cocktail Lab at Earl's Prudential. Starting Monday October 30th and throughout November, I will be manning the first floor bar from 5-11pm. Stop on by to see what new trio of drinks I will be serving! The Crabapple Fight below the photo is one of them and will be part of a this week's forage/still growing in my garden theme.

Fred at the Cocktail Lab
Earl's Kitchen at the Prudential Center
800 Boylston St in Boston
Monday nights from 5-11pm October 30th, November 6th, 13th, 20th, 29th!

This drink was inspired by the crabapple jelly that I made for my wife Andrea this season after she revealed that she missed the jelly that her mom used to make for her using the crabapple trees in their yard. My crabapples were in my yard of Greater Somerville, and the jelly was so amazing that I decided to make syrup! Yes, crabapples are edible but they are not so tasty without adulteration due to their tartness and tannins, but with sugar added, they are delightful! Crabapples were historically used as pollinators for apple tree orchards mixed between the rows before moving on to be more ornamental yard plantings due to their great floral display.

Crabapple Fight!
• 1 3/4 oz Blended Scotch
• 1/4 oz Benedictine
• 1/2 oz Crabapple Syrup (*)
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist (a floated lemon twist flower)

(*) Crabapple Syrup (recipe makes a little over 24 oz/3 cup)
• 4 cup sliced crabapples (remove stem & cut off the blossom end)
• 2 cup sugar
• 2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
Wash crabapples, remove stems, cut off the blossom end, and slice thinly. Leave in the skins and seeds and place them in a pot. Coat with sugar, mix well, and leave for an hour our more to extract. Add water, bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool or leave overnight to steep further. Strain through a tea towel or cheese cloth. The more gentle you are with the crabapples, the clearer the syrup. The more you mash them, the cloudier the syrup will be but perhaps more flavor will be extracted. Here, I was gentle except for a final squeeze through the tea towel which donated a hint of haziness to the syrup. Bottle and refrigerate. Adding 2 oz 80 proof vodka will help to stabilize the syrup (I did not add here in case I need to use it to make mocktails).
Photo taken at the Cocktail Lab 11/09/17

fascinator

1/2 jigger Gin (2 oz Damrak)
1/4 jigger Dry Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat)
2 dash Absinthe (1 bsp Pernod Absinthe)
1 sprig Mint

Shake with ice (lightly muddle mint in mixing glass with ingredients and stir with ice) and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a floated mint leaf as garnish.
Two Saturdays ago, I reached for Boothby's 1934 World Drinks and How to Mix Them and found the Fascinator. The recipe reminded me of the Cooperstown, but instead of being a Perfect Martini with mint, the Fascinator was a Dry Martini with absinthe and mint. In the glass, the Fascinator gave forth an herbal-driven anise and mint bouquet to the nose. Next, a clean, crisp, dry white wine sip with hints of vegetal greenness led into a swallow showcasing the gin botanicals and the mint blending into the absinthe's anise on the finish.

andy shandy

1 oz Gin (Hayman's Royal Dock)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake once without and once with ice, strain into a Fizz glass (with 2 oz Two Roads Ok2berfest beer), and top with amber ale (1/2 oz more). I added a lemon twist as garnish.

Two Fridays ago, I opened up A Spot at the Bar and happened upon the Andy Shandy in the beer section of the book. The recipe was crafted by Alastair Walker at the Everleigh in Melbourne, and it reminded me of a Skip & Go Naked with egg white in the mix. I learned about that classic when I crafted a beer-for-Champagne French 75 that I dubbed the Dutch 75; I called it that for I used left over Heineken Light for the impoverished-thinking Mixology Monday 36 "Hard Drinks for Hard Times," and Dagreb alerted me to the similarity. Instead of the lager in the Skip & Go Naked, Walker called for an amber ale, and I answered that request with a local amber Oktoberfest-style beer.
The Andy Shandy gave forth a lemon and floral aroma. Next, a creamy sip shared lemon and malt notes, and the swallow presented juniper blending into hops and a sour grain note from the beer.

uncle negroni

2/3 oz Elijah Craig 12 Year Bourbon (3/4 oz Old Weller Antique 107)
1 oz Carpano Antica (Cocchi Sweet Vermouth)
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Cynar
2 dash Molé Bitters (Bittermens)

Build in a double old fashioned glass, add ice, stir, and garnish with a dried orange slice (orange twist).
Two Thursdays ago, I ventured into Gary Regan's The Negroni book to see if there were any passed over recipes worth trying. The one that called out to me was the Uncle Negroni crafted by Michele Fiordoliva at Munich's Negroni Bar as her interpretation of what sort of Negroni an American might want. Utilizing Bourbon as an all-American spirit, the recipe seemed like an intriguing Boulevardier or Left Hand variation that reminded me of Backbar's Left Hand of Darkness. In the glass, the Uncle Negroni gave forth orange oil over some dark notes to the nose. Next, grape and malt on the sip led into whiskey and a mellow and rounded bitter flavor from the earthy Cynar balancing the sharper Campari on the swallow all followed by a chocolate finish.

the modern prometheus

1 1/2 oz Hayman's Royal Dock Navy Strength Gin
1 1/2 oz Diep 9 Genever (Rutte Old Simon Genever)
1 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin (Atxa Patxaran)
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Absinthe (1/8 oz Pernod Absinthe)
1 dash Cinnamon Bitters (1 dash Angostura Bitters + 1 dash Fee's Whiskey Barrel Bitters (instead of cinnamon-steeped Angostura))

Shake with ice, strain into a Zombie glass (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig.
Two Wednesdays ago, I decided to make another Tiki number that I had spotted in Punch the same time that I had spotted the Dry Tongue Therapy. This one was the Modern Prometheus by Martin Cate at San Francisco's Whitechapel. Here, he took the classic Zombie and replaced the three rums with three types of gin: Genever, dry, and sloe. Once prepared and garnished, the Modern Prometheus gave forth a mint aroma that preceded a grapefruit, lime, and berry sip. And the swallow rounded things off with malty gin flavors with an anise finish from the absinthe.

church key

1 1/2 oz Bols Genever
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Pear Liqueur
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 bsp Allspice Dram (1/8 oz St. Elizabeth)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
Two Tuesdays ago, I was browsing the Barnotes app when I spotted the Church Key that Billy Helmkamp created for the 2009 menu at Chicago's Whistler. Since I enjoyed the combination of Genever and pear in the Smokey the Pear as well as Helmkamp's Free Rider, I decided to give this one a go. Once served, the Church Key offered a malt and pear aroma. Next, the Genever's malt joined lemon and orchard fruit notes on the sip, and the swallow gave forth Genever's bitter herbal elements in addition to pear and allspice flavors.

hike in the dessert

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Agave Syrup (2:1)
4 leaf Sage (and a 5th one for garnish)

Muddle sage leaves (I did this in the agave syrup). Add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe rinsed with Laphroaig Scotch, and garnish with a fresh sage leaf.

For the cocktail hour two Mondays ago, I turned to the Brooklyn Bartender book and found the Hike in the Desert that reminded me a little of the Oaxacan Smash. The Hike in the Desert was crafted by David Sheridan of Brooklyn's Wheated from a description of a drink with sage and Laphroaig Scotch; while he could not work out the drink with the single malt as the base, he was able to concoct this recipe using it as an accent.
In the glass, the Hike in the Desert presented peaty smoke joined by sage spice. Next, lime on the sip gave way to tequila and sage on the swallow with a tart lime finish.

skipaway

1 1/2 oz Gordon's Gin
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Highball glass with 3 oz soda water, and top with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and add straws.
After Brick & Mortar, I took Pegu Doug across Mass Ave and one street over to Green Street to give him an idea of what Boston cocktail was like a decade or more ago via this Cambridge cocktail mecca. The other connection is that Green Street is where I met Misty Kalkofen back in 2007, and after her stint at Drink, she returned back to Cambridge to open Brick & Mortar where we had just been. For a drink, I opted for the Skipaway -- a drink that I not only have not had before but one that I have not spotted in any drink book or web search to date. This grapefruit and Peychaud's Bitters for lemon Tom Collins began with a lime aroma from the garnish. Next, a carbonated grapefruit sip led into gin's juniper and other botanicals on the swallow with an anise and grapefruit finish.

disco nap

1 1/2 oz Sombra Mezcal
3/4 oz Cucumber Syrup (1:1)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

Two Sundays ago, I met up with Doug from the Ohio-based Pegu Blog to give him another glimpse into the Boston bar scene. For a first stop, we convened at Brick & Mortar. From their disco-themed menu, I went with the Disco Nap for the combination of Chartreuse and cucumber reminded me of the Irma La Douce. The more I thought about it, the Irma was a Green Chartreuse cocktail and the closer concept was the Going Back to Mezcali that paired Yellow Chartreuse with cucumber.
The Disco Nap proffered a soothing cucumber nose with a hint of smoke. Next, lime, honey, and green vegetal notes on the sip were followed by smoky agave and cucumber flavors on the swallow. Overall, the drink teetered on a bit too sweet for my palate and perhaps knocking the cucumber syrup down a quarter ounce or the lime juice up a quarter ounce would help bring this drink into alignment for me.

dry tongue therapy

6 dash Angostura Bitters
4 dash Absinthe (1/8 oz St. George)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
3/4 oz Gin (Damrak)
1 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum

Whip shake with pebble ice and pour into a tulip glass (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with a half grapefruit wheel, mint, and a smoldering cinnamon stick.
Two Saturdays ago, I was in a Tiki mood, so I decided to make one of the drinks that I had spotted on Punch called the Dry Tongue Therapy. The recipe was crafted by Guillermo Bravo of Brooklyn's Featherweight, and the combination reminded me of a Jet Pilot with gin and sweet raisiny sherry in place of two of the rums. Once prepared, the aroma was mostly the acrid scent of cinnamon smoke over more soothing mint and grapefruit elements. Next, grape from the sherry joined grapefruit notes on the sip, and funky rum, raisin, cinnamon, clove, and anise flavors on the swallow closed out the drink.

yucatan bird

1 oz Mezcal (Fidencio Espadin Joven)
1 oz Black Strap (or dark) Rum (Cruzan Black Strap)
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig; a pineapple wedge or leaves would make for a great garnish as well.

Two Fridays ago, I was thinking about how well Campari and crème de cacao work together such as in the Stagecoach Mary and Mon Sherry Amour as well as what a great duo mezcal and cacao are such as in the Ask the Dust and Guelaguetza. My mind wandered over to the Campari-Tiki drink the Jungle Bird, and I wondered if I could split the spirit to dark or black strap rum and mezcal and split the liqueurs to Campari and cacao (or better stated switch the simple syrup to cacao)? I do know that mezcal works as a base spirit substitution in a Jungle Bird after having one made for me at Drink two years ago. For a name, I opted for the Yucatan Bird after the part of Mexico that contains rain forests, a good number of jungle birds, and much of Mexico's chocolate production.
The Yucatan Bird greeted the nose with mint aromas over chocolate and smoke nose. Next, pineapple, lime, and molasses on the sip were joined by smoky agave as well as molasses' and Campari's bitterness melding into chocolate on the swallow with a lingering smoke finish.

first of four

1 1/2 oz Prairie Gin (Damrak)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Avèze Gentian Liqueur (Salers)
1/4 oz Crème de Violette (Rothman & Winters)
1/4 oz Honey Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a cucumber slice (lemon twist).

On Thursday two weeks ago, I remembered the Punch Drinks article on how to use Avèze in cocktails. As I reread the text, the recipe that I decided to make with Luke DeYoung's First of Four that he crafted at Chicago's Scofflaw. I was curious to see if Salers would work just as well in DeYoung's riff on an Aviation as it did in the Of Lambs and Lions.
The First of Four greeted the nose with a lemon bouquet with a hint of gentian; had I used the cucumber garnish, it probably would have brought out and complemented the gentian notes more than the lemon twist. Next, lemon on the sip transitioned into gin, earthy-herbal, and floral flavors on the swallow.

hinky dinks fizzy

2 oz Sparkling Wine (Willm Blanc de Blancs)
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 oz London Dry Gin (Beefeater)
1 oz Blended Lightly Aged Rum (Plantation 3 Star)

Blend all but the sparkling wine with 12 oz crushed ice and 4-6 small ice cubes, and pour with a gated strain into a 22 oz snifter with the sparkling wine (shake with ice, strain into a 16 oz snifter with sparkling wine, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with a mint sprig (mint and a nasturtium).
Two Wednesdays ago, I was in a Tiki mood so I reached for the Smuggler's Cove book and found the Hinky Dinks Fizzy. The drink was created by Trader Vic's in 1984 for their 50th anniversary, and it reminded me of their 1950s era Rum Keg punch with a few changes including splitting the rum with gin, switching lemon to lime, and lightening the body with sparkling wine. The name itself pays tribute to the original name of the first Trader Vic's, Hinky Dink's. Once prepared, the Hinky Dinks Fizzy gave forth a mint and floral aroma that led into a carbonated lime and tropical passion fruit sip. Next, the gin's botanicals joined pineapple, white wine, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

amaro sour

1 1/2 oz Amaro (Ramazzotti)
3/4 oz Bourbon (Fighting Cock 103)
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice or into a coupe without ice (rocks glass with ice), and garnish with a lemon-cherry flag.

Two Tuesdays ago, Andrea was in the mood for a digestif so I grabbed Brad Parson's Amaro. Out of the list of drinks I still want to make from that book, I was lured in by Brad's Amaro Sour that was based off of Jeffrey Morgenthaler's The Best Amaretto Sour in the World recipe. Brad swapped the amaretto for a dealer's choice pick of an amaro akin to Katie Emmerson and my Kitty Leroy Fix, and I opted for Ramazzotti which often gets overlooked on the amaro shelf despite being both affordable and flavorful.
The Amaro Sour when made with Ramazzotti began with a lemon and root beer aroma. Next, sweet caramel from the amaro was balanced by the lemon's crispness on the creamy sip, and the swallow offered root beer, licorice, and orange flavors that were well supported by the Bourbon backbone.

evening redness no. 1

2 oz Beefeater Gin
1 oz Carpano Antica (Cocchi Sweet Vermouth)
1/4 oz Campari
1/4 oz Angostura Bitters
1 tsp Sugar Cane Syrup (JM Sirop de Canne)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit (orange) twist.

Two Mondays ago, I was captivated by a recipe by Nicholas Jarrett called the Evening Redness No. 1 that I spotted on the Barnotes app. Jarrett crafted this number at Philadelphia's Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co. back in 2009, and the drink reminded me of a embittered Martinez crossed with a hint of Negroni. As a side note, the Evening Redness No. 2 varied by calling for Junipero instead of Beefeater Gin as well as Amaro Nonino instead of Campari; since I lack Amaro Nonino at home, it was an easy choice to make. I trusted Jarrett's call to shake this straight spirits drink and figured that it would yield a frothiness from the Angostura Bitters.
In the glass, the Evening Redness No. 1 shared an orange and juniper nose that preceded a rich off-dry grape sip. Next gin, clove, cinnamon, and orange flavors on the swallow rounded out the drink.

autumn daiquiri

2 oz Mount Gay Eclipse Rum (Plantation Barbados 5 Year)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
Two Sundays ago for the cocktail hour, I reached for the Death & Co. Cocktail Book. My search ended up in the Daiquiri variation section where I was drawn to Joaquin Simo's 2008 Autumn Daiquiri. The name reminded me of the Winter Daiquiri which used vanilla and allspice dram instead of the Autumn Daiquiri's cinnamon syrup and pineapple juice. In the glass, the Autumn Daiquiri presented the aged rum's caramel along with the syrup and bitters' cinnamon on the nose. Next, lime, caramel, and hints of pineapple on the sip led into rum, vanilla, cinnamon, and clove on the swallow.

southern

1 jigger Whisky (1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye)
1 dash Grenadine (1/2 oz)
1 dash Benedictine (1/2 oz)
1 dash Lemon Juice (3/4 oz)

Stir with a lump of ice, add a cherry, twist a lemon peel over it, and serve with a spoon (shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist).

Two Saturdays ago while cooking dinner, I began perusing the pages of Boothby's 1934 World Drinks & How to Mix Them when I spotted the Southern. The drink reminded me of a Frisco Sour with grenadine as well as my Frisco Sour-Jack Rose mashup, the Frisco Rose without the apple brandy and Peychaud's Bitters. For the spirit, the book referred to whiskey as "whisky" perhaps as a throwback to Prohibition when most of the whisk(e)y was either Canadian or Scottish, and I opted for an American rye whiskey here. And for the proportions and style, I crafted this more like a Sour than a built drink.
The Southern gave forth a lemon, whiskey, and hint of pomegranate bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and berry on the sip led into rye and herbal notes on the swallow with tart lemon and pomegranate on the finish.

stigmata

1 1/2 oz Cognac (Camus VS)
1 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Nardini Amaro

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a floated mint leaf.
After enjoying the Great Satan, I decided to make another recipe by Philadelphia bartender Paul MacDonald. The drink I made two Fridays ago was another straight-spirits Negroni-esque number that I spotted in the OnTheBar site called the Stigmata. Once prepared, the Stigmata gave forth mint aromas over dark notes from the aged brandy and the amaro's caramel. Next, caramel paired with sweet white grape on the sip, and the swallow supplemented the Cognac notes with herbal, chocolate, and mint elements from the vermouth and Nardini Amaro. Indeed, the mint garnish prepared the palate some of the amaro's botanical flavors on the finish.

commando bird

1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz Doctor Bird or Plantation Original Dark Rum (Plantation Dark)

Shake with crushed ice and pour into a glass (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). I garnished with nasturtium flowers and added a straw.

Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted on El_Nova_1's Instagram called the Commando Bird. The drink is a Jungle Bird riff crafted by Jason Alexander (a/k/a the Tiki Commando) of the Tacoma Cabana and Rum Bar. Here, the main variance from the late 1970s classic is that the simple syrup was switched to passion fruit syrup. Given how well Campari and passion fruit pair such as in the Novara, I was definitely intrigued. Moreover, the drink reminded me of the Urban Bird that I collaborated on for a drink of the day that swapped the classic's pineapple juice and simple syrup for orange juice and passion fruit syrup, and also the Aperol and gin 'I'iwi Bird came to mind.
In the mug, the Commando Bird donated a peppery floral aroma from my choice of nasturtium blossom garnish. Next, lime, pineapple, and a tropical note from the passion fruit filled the sip, and the swallow showcased the dark rum and the Campari-passion fruit bitter tropical flavors.

hercules

2 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Bittermens Molé Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed ice, garnish with mint sprigs, and add a straw.

Two Wednesdays ago, I decided to remake my submission to the 2017 Lustau Solera Stand Out competition. I was inspired by my Negroni Week offering that melded the classic Negroni with the 1960s Tiki drink the Saturn that I called the Negroni on Saturn. In remembering how well Amontillado and Oloroso sherry go well with nutty orgeat and tropical passion fruit, I rearranged the drink to make a sherry-driven Tiki drink with sherry subbing in for gin and sweet vermouth in my mashup and with molé bitters taking the place of the falernum as the spice element. For a name, I kept the god theme of the Saturn and went with a related one, Hercules, who was allegedly buried in Cadiz, Spain, the center of sherry production.
The Hercules began with a mint aroma that led into a creamy grape sip with hints of lemon. Next, the swallow was nutty from the sherry and orgeat with passion fruit softening Campari's bitterness, and it ended with a chocolate and passion fruit finish.

aku aku

Juice 1 Lime (1 oz)
8-10 leaf Mint (10 leaves)
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (1/2 oz Simple)
1/2 slice Pineapple (1 oz Pineapple Juice)
1/2 oz Peach Liqueur (Briottet Crème de Pêche de Vigne)
1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Angostura White Oak)

Blend with ice (~8 oz) and pour into a large cocktail glass (water goblet). I garnished with a mint sprig and a nasturtium blossom.
Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for Trader Vic's 1972 edition of his Bartender's Guide where I spotted one of his originals, the Aku Aku. The recipe appeared to be his take on Don the Beachcomber's circa 1940 Missionary's Downfall with rock candy syrup instead of honey. Once prepared, the Aku Aku gave forth a glorious mint aroma. Next lime and pineapple mingled on the sip, and the swallow offered complementary rum, peach, and mint flavors.

part-time lover

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice (coupe glass sans ice), and garnish with a grapefruit (orange) twist.

Two Mondays ago for the cocktail hour, I turned to Imbibe Magazine online where I had bookmarked the Part-Time Lover created by Jon Weimorts at Los Angeles' Idle Hour. Indeed, the combination of Aperol, elderflower, and lemon reminded me of Paul Clarke's Dunniette and Josh Childs' Shaddock. Here, the spirit was tequila with an added spiced complexity from Angostura Bitters.
While the recipe prescribed an on-the-rocks presentation, I was more in the mood for an up drink and served it as such; I was also out of grapefruit, so I switched the twist identity to orange. With this change in garnish, the orange oil brought out the Aperol aroma on the nose. Next, lemon juice and Aperol's orange combined to generate an almost tangerine flavor, and the swallow gave forth tequila, rhubarb, and elderflower flavors with clove-driven bitters on the finish.

mambo #5

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Lunazul)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Campari

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and orange peel.

Two Sundays ago, I was looking through the OnTheBar drink directory when I spotted the Mambo #5 by Ian Kearney of Manhattan's The Daisy. The combination of tequila, Campari, and orgeat reminded me of Death in the Garden, and the Swedish punsch element seemed like it would complement the tequila and Campari as described in my Swedish punsch cheat sheet. So overall, I was definitely looking forward to trying this combination.
Once prepared, the Mambo #5 offered an orange and mint bouquet to the nose. Next, a creamy lime sip led into swallow which saw tequila's herbal flavors melding into the punsch's tea notes as well as the nutty orgeat working well with the Campari's bitter orange. Overall, the combination reminded me of the tequila Mai Tai called the Pinky Gonzalez with a touch of the Bitter Mai Tai thrown in too.

tiger balm

2 oz Brugal Añejo Rum (Diplomatico Añejo)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup (2:1)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca Menta

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a mint leaf.
Two Saturdays ago, I returned to my 2009 copy of Rogue Cocktails to see I missed any recipes. There, I spotted the Tiger Balm, an herbal-minty Daiquiri variation crafted by Kirk Estopinal of New Orleans' The Cure. The drink also appears in the 2011 edition of the book that got renamed Beta Cocktails due to legal issues with a certain West Coast distillery, and its use of Fernet Branca Menta seemed to match my memory of Tiger Balm ointment's aroma. In the glass, the Tiger Balm gave forth caramel, mint, and menthol notes to the nose. Next, a rich caramel balanced by lime sip transitioned into rum on the swallow with a menthol finish. Overall, the Tiger Balm perfectly soothed my itch for a Daiquiri.

leyenda milk punch

1 1/2 oz Pampero Aniversario Rum (Diplomatico Añejo)
1 1/2 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
3 oz Whole Milk (Soy Milk)

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick (freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon).

Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted while reading Fred Minnick's Rum Curious book called the Leyenda Milk Punch. The recipe was attributed to bartender Max Solano, and I was drawn to it for I love New Orleans-style milk punches and even crafted one for my last program's brunch menu. As I wrote in my first exposure to the style, milk punches of this sort (opposed to the clarified type) appear in Jerry Thomas' 1862 Bartenders Guide: A Bon Vivant's Companion and later became popular brunch drinks especially in New Orleans.
Once prepared, the Leyenda Milk Punch shared a nutmeg and cinnamon aroma from the garnishes. Next, a creamy sip gave forth grape and honey notes, and the swallow was a pleasing combination of aged rum and nutty sherry with vanilla accents from the Licor 43.

white zombie

1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco
1 1/2 oz Banks 5 Island Rum (Plantation 3 Star)
1 oz Hayman's Royal Dock Gin
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Don's Mix (BG Reynolds)
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Purée (1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup (none, combined with purée above)
1 bsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 bsp Absinthe (Kübler)

Shake with ice and pour into a Tiki mug (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with an orange wheel, mint sprig, and a paper umbrella (mint sprigs and nasturtium flowers).

Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a Tiki drink that I had spotted on Punch Drinks by Zac Overman of Fort Defiance in Brooklyn. Zac's White Zombie, besides perhaps being a tribute to the band, was a less colored riff on the classic 1934 Zombie. Instead of three rums, there was a single white one joined by gin and pisco. Moreover, the absinthe was increased and the classic's grenadine and Angostura Bitters were swapped for Maraschino liqueur and passion fruit purée here. Since I have enjoyed Zac's Three Scots and a Dash, Padang Swizzle, and Angostura Colada, I was game to give this one a try.
The White Zombie greeted the nose with mint and peppery floral aromas. Next, lime and grapefruit on the sip led into juniper, passion fruit, and Maraschino on the swallow with an absinthe and cinnamon finish. Overall, it was in the ballpark of the classic, and the addition of passion fruit was in line with the Spievak and Tonga Room Zombies.

mexican-style mint julep

1/2 Felipe II Brandy (1 1/2 oz Courvoisier VS)
1/2 Sandeman Port (1 1/2 oz Sandeman Tawny)
1 tsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Lemon Peel
Peppermint (8 leaf)

Shake with ice in a double old fashioned glass and serve with 2 cherries without straining (Muddle the lemon peel with the sugar and then gently muddle the mint. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and remove the mint and peel. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with mint sprigs.).
Two Wednesdays ago, I was looking through the EUVS library and rediscovered the 1939 Floridita Cocktails book by Constante Ribalaigua Vert. What caught my eye in this Cuban tome were the two Mint Juleps inside with the more recognizable recipe being referred to as the "Virginia-style" one. The other was the "Mexican-style" Julep that had a mix of brandy and port with Maraschino, bitters, and citrus oil accents. The presence of a fortified wine in a Julep did not surprise me for I have had the Dubonnet Mint Julep as well as the sherry-based Platonic Julep before, but I could not remember a single time that I had mint muddled into a port drink. Once prepared, the Julep offered a mint aroma that gave way to a rich grape sip. Next, the swallow gave forth brandy, port, and a hint of nutty notes with a mint and clove finish.

debutante

2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Grenadine
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lime wedge (omit).
Two Tuesdays ago, I was perusing the A Spot at the Bar and found in the Gimlet section the Debutante that was their "go to for those who are after a Cosmo." I was able to trace back the recipe to the 1934 Jayne's Bartender's Guide, and it seemed like a pleasant way to round out the evening. In the glass, the Debutante gave forth gin and hints of lime on the nose with an orange note from some combination of my grenadine's orange blossom water and the recipe's orange bitters. Next, lime and berry flavors on the sip gave way to gin and pomegranate on the swallow. Overall, the feel of the drink reminded me of the Jack Rose with less fruit notes (there is the intermediate Blue Skies as well).

the great satan

1 oz Mezcal Vida (Fidencio Joven)
1 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1 oz Punt e Mes

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.
Two Mondays ago, I was browsing the cocktail database on the OnTheBar app and I spotted an intriguing mezcal Negroni riff from one of my Instagram friends, bartender Paul MacDonald. Paul crafted this number, the Great Satan, at Philadelphia's Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and it seemed to match my mood for something bitter and stirred. Once prepared, the Great Satan provided an orange and smoky vegetal nose. Next, caramel and grape filled the sip, and the swallow offered agave and rounded bitter complexity with a dark orange and smoke finish.