innsmouth fogcutter no. 2

1 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1 oz Crème de Cassis (Massenez)
1/2 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 1/2 oz Rumfire Overproof White Rum

Whip shake, pour into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice. "Float" a chilled 1/2 oz Cherry Heering + 1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo), and garnish with mint.

On the BG Reynold's Tiki Bar group on Facebook, there was a discussion of what to put into a large Tiki mug, namely the Innsmouth Fog Cutter mug at 24 oz. I replied that a standard 14-16 oz mug is perfect for a 4-5 oz build before shaking and filling with crushed ice, so a 24 oz one would work well with a 6-7 oz build. One of the replies was to put the namesake Innsmouth Fogcutter in there which is a 7 oz build plus a 1 1/4 oz float (see below) that was created by the mug designer Jonathan Chaffin of Horrors in Clay. I was curious about that one for it utilized blackberry brandy that had appeared in a few classic Tiki drinks like the Don's Own Grog, the Kamehameha Rum Punch, and the Rum Runner. Later in the thread, someone posted a variation that was originally attributed to Jason Alexander, but alas Jason claimed it was not his creation after I had already posted it on Instagram. The second variation seemed guided by a professional bartender for most bars do not contain blackberry brandy but often do have crème de cassis (although I have a 12 year old bottle of Marie Brizard blackberry brandy in the back recesses of my collection).
Innsmouth is a fictional town in Massachusetts that was invented by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft for a 1936 story. Lovecraft considered his town "a considerably twisted version of Newburyport, [ Massachusetts]." I generally associate Lovecraft with Providence, Rhode Island, which is where his tomb is located, so a connection to Massachusetts albeit fictionally made me intrigued by the recipe. Once prepared, the riff on the Innsmouth Fogcutter shared a mint, cherry, and nutty Maraschino nose. Next, a dark berry note was countered by the crisp lemon on the sip, and the swallow began with funky rum, black currant, and nutty flavors that later gained a medicinal cherry element as the "float" cascaded down to the bottom where the straw end was. The "float" here was much more intense of a flavor shift than the cream sherry one in the classic Fog Cutter. Moreover, the citrus-alcohol heat to sugar ratio was closer to balanced before the liqueurs cascaded down here whereas the classic Fog Cutter is still lemon crisp even after the sweet sherry hits the straw.

Innsmouth Fogcutter #1
• 2 oz Light Rum
• 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin
• 1 oz Blackberry Brandy
• 1 oz Orange Juice
• 2 oz Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz Orgeat
Whip shake, pour into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice. Float of "Broken Heart": a chilled 1 oz Cherry Heering + 1/4 oz Maraschino mix.