prohibition

1/3 jigger Gin (1 1/4 oz Bombay Dry)
1/3 jigger Kina Lillet (1 oz Cocchi Americano)
2 dash Orange (1/2 oz Orange Juice)
1 dash Apricot Brandy (1/4 oz Rothman & Winter)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago after I got home from closing the bar, I opened up William Boothby's 1934 World Drinks and How to Mix Them and spotted the Prohibition. The combination of ingredients reminded me of the Charlie Limbergh and the Paradise Cocktail, so it seemed like a safe bet. In the glass, the Prohibition greeted the senses with an apricot, floral, lemon, and pine aroma. Next, apricot, pear, and orange notes on the sip passed into gin, pear, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

slowly goes the night

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Oxford 1970)
1/2 oz Rabarbaro Sfumato or Zucca (Sfumato)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Two Fridays ago, I was inspired enough by the combination of rabarbaro and Pedro Ximenez in the Cold Was the Ground to riff on it. I swapped the spirits for the rye-mezcal duo that has worked in drinks like the My Old Piano and the Intrepid and the bitters for Angostura. I also upped the sherry to the half ounce that I thought would work better the night before. For a name, I kept the musical theme and became inspired by Nick Cave, so I called this one Slowly Goes the Night.Once prepared, the drink showcased a grapefruit oil over roast and smoke aromas. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip transitioned into rye, vegetal, roasty char and smoke, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.

cold was the ground

1 1/2oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Bourbon (Wild Turkey 101°)
1/2 oz Zucca (Sfumato)
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Oxford 1970) (*)
1 dash Fee's Walnut Bitters (2 dash Strongwater Walnut)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.
(*) With Sfumato, the sherry could be upped to 1/2 oz for balance.Two Thursday ago, I was leafing through the recipes on Kindred Cocktails when I latched onto a rabarbaro recipe called Cold Was the Ground. The drink was created by site user Applejack from Chicago in 2018 and named after a Blind Willie Johnson song. In the glass, the Cold Was the Ground proffered orange, roasty smoke, and raisin aromas. Next, grape and roast notes on the swallow led into apple, Bourbon, and bitter smoky flavors on the swallow with a raisin and char finish. Overall, the drink needed a little additional sweetness and roundness, so perhaps upping the sherry to a half ounce would benefit the balance here; it did even out a touch with a little ice melt over time.

[finishing school]

1 1/2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Averna
1/2 oz Campari

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.

Two Wednesdays ago while doing brand work, I ventured down to Backbar and asked for a bartender's whim using Angel's Envy Bourbon. Bartender Carlo Caroscio was acting as a server that night and passed on my request to bartender Kelsey Chase. Carlo handed her a slip of paper with a riff on his Smoking Section that he offered on a Compass Box Scotch menu at the Hawthorne in 2019. Besides switching the spirit from Scotch to Bourbon, he swapped in sweet vermouth for Punt e Mes. For a name, I dubbed this one the Finishing School as a nod to how all of Angel's Envy's products are finished in some sort of secondary cask.The drink began with an orange oil over caramel aroma. Next, caramel and grape notes swirled on the sip, and Bourbon, herbal, and bitter orange flavors rounded out the swallow.

smoke & mirrors

1 1/4 oz Aquavit (Aalborg)
1 1/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I was perusing Kindred Cocktails section of aquavit drinks when I spotted the Smoke & Mirrors that it had sourced from the Drink Boy site. The recipe was created by Neil Kopplin at Clyde Commons in Portland in 2009 as a riff on the Trident. Indeed, the combination of Campari and Cynar has been interesting in the Bookbinder, Pinball Racket, and Uncle Negroni, so I was curious to give this one a whirl. In the glass, it met the nose with orange, caramel, and caraway aromas. Next, caramel and orange notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow wrapped things up with caraway and herbal bitter orange flavors.

walk on the wild side

1 1/2 oz Beefeater 24 Gin (regular Beefeater)
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
2 dash Fee's Plum Bitters (Crude "Sycophant" Orange & Fig)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I was perusing the Barnotes site for intriguing cocktails to make that evening. There, I spied Sean Kilfeather's Walk on the Wild Side gin drink that he crafted for the late Summer 2013 menu at Blackbird Bar in San Francisco. The combination reminded me of the Aprilia and perhaps the Marchessa, so I was intrigued to give it a go. In the glass, this tribute to either the 1962 movie or the Lou Reed song began with an orange, caramel, and minty-pine bouquet. Next, caramel and white grape notes on the sip slid into gin, minty, and orange flavors on the swallow with an orange and fruity finish.

merchant of perth

1 1/2 oz Great King Street Glasgow Blend Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Peychaud's Apertivo (Martini Aperitivo)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Oxford 1970)
1/4 oz Cynar
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Sundays ago, I returned to the Hawthorne bar bible and spotted the Merchant of Perth. This recipe created by bartender Rob Ficks was subtitled "Tradewinds down the River Tay," and it reminded me a little of bitter Scotch drinks like the Preceptor and Black Francis. While the recipe book called for a Compass Box blended Scotch, the name and subtitle refer to Joseph Brown who founded the Famous Grouse, so perhaps Rob originally utilized that. Once prepared, the Merchant of Perth met the nose with grapefruit over raisin aroma along with a hint of smoke. Next, a rich grape sip fell aside to Scotch and raisin flavors on the swallow that finished in a delightfully bitter-herbal way.

industry sour

3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After writing up the Banana Toronto and the drink that inspired it, the Old Dog, New Tricks, I realized that I had never had the Industry Sour that influenced the earlier drink. The Industry Sour was crafted by Ted Kilgore at Taste in St. Louis, and Ted entered it into the Kindred Cocktails database in 2011. In Esquire, Ted described its genesis as, "This was a cocktail that I created on a Sunday night for an industry person. I basically thought to myself, 'What if I put all of my favorite things into a glass and just give it to him?' And that just happened in an equal-parts sort of scenario. Green Chartreuse is kind of a mixologist's favorite, as well as Fernet. Both of those ingredients have so much intense flavor that people often shy away from them, but bartenders definitely drink them... It's comforting at first, and then all of a sudden it hits your palate with a bomb of flavor." The combination of Green Chartreuse and Fernet has been utilized for around a century for I can trace it back to the Meditation in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933, but only modern day mixology utilizes these liqueurs as the base spirits.The Industry Sour welcomed the senses with green herbal, minty, and menthol aromas. Next, a lime and caramel sip closed out with Green Chartreuse herbal flowing into Fernet Branca's bitter mint-menthol on the swallow.

uptown

1 1/2 oz 100° Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse Bonded)
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I returned to Chad Austin's Everyone Has a F*cking Cocktail Book and spotted the Uptown. This Manhattan riff featured a hint of apple brandy to add to the complexity akin to the Historic Core Cocktail and Fallback. In the glass, the Uptown shared an orange, grape, and apple bouquet to the nose. Next, the vermouth's grape filled the sip, and the swallow showcased rye, apple, herbal, clove and allspice flavors.

gumptions #2 cocktail

2 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller's 2010 Tales of the Cocktail A to Z book and found the Gumptions #2 Cocktail. This drink was presented by bartender Phil Ward at the "The Truth (La Verdad) About Mezcal: Its Past and Future" talk in 2010, and it reminded me of a mezcal Fancy Free. It seems that the original Gumptions was the Tequila Gumption -- a split of equal parts mezcal and reposado tequila similar to his Oaxacan Old Fashioned (although different proportions). Phil apparently created the original when he was at Mayahuel in New York City for the Jake Walk in Brooklyn where he was a regular (a/k/a he was dating one of the bartenders).I was also intrigued for mezcal and Maraschino have paired rather well together in recipes such as the Señor Elmo's Fire and Division Bell. Here, the Gumptions #2 proffered a grapefruit, Maraschino, and vegetal aroma. Next, a light cherry note on the sip gave way to mezcal, nutty cherry, and spice on the swallow.

all she wrote

1 1/2 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/8 oz Grapefruit Liqueur (St. Elder)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Build in a rocks glass, add a large ice cube, stir, and garnish with a pinch of sea salt.Two Wednesdays, I sifted through my cocktail book library and found Maggie Hoffman's Batch Cocktails. There, the All She Wrote by Jeremy Simpson at Bestia in Los Angeles seemed like an intriguing low proof number, and I adapted it from a batch to a single serving recipe. In the glass, it showcased a grape and cherry bouquet. Next, grape and grapefruit on the sip conjured up grape, herbal, cherry, and anise flavors on the swallow.

boss lady

1 1/4 oz Old Grand-Dad 114° Bourbon
3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
1 tsp Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua)
1 tsp Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Oxford 1970)
1 tsp Demerara Syrup
1 dash Aphrodite Bitters (Bitter Cube Corazon)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube.Two Tuesdays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database and spotted the Boss Lady created by Colin O'Neill at the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. circa 2013. The combination of coffee liqueur and Pedro Ximenez reminded me of the PX Sherry Mudslide, Pare de Sufrir, and In the Middle of a Foggy Sea, so I was definitely curious about trying this split base Old Fashioned riff. Here, raisin and coffee aromas rose to the nose. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip were pushed aside by Bourbon, Cognac, raisin, coffee, and pepper spice flavors on the swallow.

robert deniro's facial expression

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
3/4 oz Aged Jamaican Rum (1/4 oz each Smith & Cross, Plantation Xaymaca, and Appleton Signature)
1/2 oz Artichoke Digestif (Cynar)
1/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Giffard)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I selected Chad Austin's Everyone Has a F*cking Cocktail Book and spied the curiously named Robert Deniro's Facial Expression. Chad created at the drink at a R&D Night at Harvard & Stone, and its Cynar-banana combination reminded me of Sahil Mehta's Strangers With Candy and Banana Cup No. 1. Once prepared, it proffered an orange oil, rum and Cynar funk, and smoke aroma to the nose. Next, caramel on the sip transitioned into smoky mezcal, funky rum and Cynar, banana, and clove flavors on the swallow with a banana and smoke finish.

rose (english style)

2/3 Gin (1 3/4 oz Bombay Dry)
1 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1 dash Brandy (1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac)
2 dash French Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass; I added an orange twist.The second drink that I made two Sundays ago was the Rose (English Style) from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. This Martini variation reminded me of the Atta Boy from The Savoy Cocktail Book with the addition of brandy. Here, the Rose greeted the senses with an orange, fruity, and juniper bouquet. Next, berry and orange notes on the sip blossomed into gin, brandy, and fruit flavors on the swallow. Overall, the Cognac helped to round out and provide depth to the fruity notes in the mix.

cigar box

2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
1/4 oz Lapsang Souchong Tea Syrup (*)
3 dash Scrappy's Lavender Bitters
3 dash Smoky Bitters (Crude's "Pooter" Smoke & Salt)

Build in a rocks glass, add ice, and stir. Garnish with an ignited cinnamon stick next to the drink.
(*) Strong 5 minute steep of tea mixed with an equal volume of sugar. Stir until dissolved.
Two Saturday nights ago, my phone died right before the cocktail hour which put me in a bit of a funk. So Sunday, I purchased a new cell phone and doubled up on the drinks to make up for the lost evening. The first drink that I made that evening was the Cigar Box from Brian Bartels' The United States of Cocktails. The recipe was crafted by Jason Lavenue of the Roosevelt Room in Austin, and it was originally made with tobacco bitters that the author replaced with a suggestion for bitters with a smoke element; my "Pooter" bitters from Crude was one of Bartels' recommendations. Once prepared, the Cigar Box gave forth a vegetal, smoke, and floral aroma to complement the dancing smoke trails from the smoldering cinnamon stick. Next, a roasted vegetal note on the sip led into mezcal and black tea on the swallow.

noon as dark as midnight

2 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon (Old Forester 100°)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 oz Nocino (Russo)
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
2 dash Woodford Reserve Cherry Bitters (King Floyd's Cherry-Cacao)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a Luxardo (Woodford Reserve) cherry.Two Fridays ago, I began perusing my new purchase of Jess Hubbard's Punk Rock & Cocktails book. The recipe that called out to me was the Noon as Dark as Midnight named after the song by the band Lucero. With the combination of Bourbon, maple, and walnut, it reminded me of the Fall Back, so I was curious to give it a try. Once prepared, the cocktail offered up a Bourbon, maple, and walnut aroma. Next, the sip shared roast notes that were followed up by Bourbon, maple, walnut, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

banana toronto

2 1/2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Banane
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
2 dash Coffee-infused Angostura Bitters (*)
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry.
(*) The coffee note was not very detectable in the mix, so regular Angostura Bitters will probably work in a pinch.

Two Thursdays ago, I began my account visits for work by stopping in at Offsuit. For a first cocktail, I requested a bitter and stirred Bourbon drink as a bartender's whim. Bartender Ryan crafted this riff on a Toronto with inspiration from a Daiquiri-like number that he had at Blythe & Burrows in Portland, Maine. I was able to locate the drink called "Old Dog, New Tricks" on their Instagram that listed the ingredients as Fernet, banana liqueur, brown sugar, and lime juice with a mint crown garnish. The background that they provided was, "This cocktail came about from late night experiments after work. After finding a nice harmony between Fernet and banana, we decided to play on the classic recipe of an Industry Sour. With light bright citrus and bitter notes, it balances out the dark rich sweetness of the banana and brown sugar. Suspiciously tropical and easy to crush." Ryan extracted the Fernet-banana combination and placed it into an Old Fashioned/Torono format here.The Banana Toronto greeted the senses with a banana bouquet. Next, caramel and fruity notes on the sip ventured into Bourbon, banana, and minty flavors on the swallow.

the mid-city

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Sazerac)
1 oz Cognac (Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Bittermens Coffee Liqueur (Copper & Kings Destillaré)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
6 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted a recipe on Kindred Cocktails created by Avery Glasser that he posted on the Bittermens website called the Mid-City. On the Bittermens site, he described how it was his riff on the Vieux Carré named after the neighborhood in New Orleans that inspired him to created their New Orleans Coffee Liqueur. Once prepared albeit with a different coffee cordial, the Mid-City showcased a lemon, Cognac, and coffee aroma. Next, the vermouth's grape filled the sip, and the swallow came through with rye, Cognac, coffee, and anise flavors with a chocolate and coffee roast finish.

italian old fashioned

1 1/2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
1 oz Amaro dell'Etna

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I was visiting a few accounts in the financial district here in Boston to support my brand work with Angel's Envy. Dan Hennessey, the general manager of Pastoral, spotted my posts on my work Instagram and sent a message to come "swing by Pastoral for an Italian Old Fashioned with Angel's Envy and Amaro dell'Etna." His timing was perfect for Pastoral was on the way to my final stop of the evening. When I stopped in, I was surprised that Kobie Ali was back in town from Washington D.C. and behind the stick. The Italian Fashioned that he whipped up for me had the structure of a Black Manhattan with a different amaro as the complement to the whiskey which added delightful herbal, spiced, and minty notes to the finish.

copenhagen

2 oz Great King Street Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Torani Amer)
1 bsp Cherry Heering
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Mondays ago, I began perusing the Hawthorne bar bible when I came across the Copenhagen that was distinct from the No. 9 Park one with Gameldansk. Unlike the older recipe, this one actually featured an ingredient from Copenhagen, namely Cherry Heering, in a Bobby Burns-like drink crafted by bar manager Jared Sadoian. The cocktail subtitled on the menu "marring the view from Buckingham Palace" began with a Scotch, nutty, and orange aroma. Next, grape and caramel on the sip gave way to Scotch and bitter orange-cherry flavors on the swallow.

crown chelsea

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Old Forester 100°)
1/2 oz Aged Guyanese Rum (El Dorado 12 Year)
1 tsp Orgeat
1 tsp St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (1/2 tsp Hamilton's Allspice Dram + 1/2 tsp simple syrup)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Build in an double old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, and stir. Garnish with orange oil from a twist and with another orange peel spiked with cloves.Two Sundays ago, I selected a recipe called the Crown Chelsea that I had found on Punch Drinks. The drink was created by Meaghan Dorman at the Raines Law Room in New York City, and this Tiki-esque take on an Old Fashioned became her shift drink as she cleaned up the bar at closing. In the glass, the Crown Chelsea shared an orange, clove, and allspice aroma. Next, a creamy and caramel sip developed into Bourbon, dark rum, nutty, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

long way home

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Aalborg Aquavit
1/2 oz Mancino Bianco Vermouth (Dolin Blanc)
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the 2020 Community Cocktails book were I spied the Long Way Home by Andrea Zeuge who worked at the Barnacle Bar and Vito's in Seattle. What drew me to the recipe was the combination of rye and aquavit that has been a great duo in drinks like the Immigrant Song and the Frontier. Moreover, the presence of Maraschino as a modifier was also appealing for it has complemented aquavit in cocktails like the Argyle and Bohemia.The Long Way Home displayed a nutty cherry and caraway bouquet. Next, white wine with a hint of cherry on the sip wandered into rye, nutty cherry, and caraway flavors on the swallow.

dark matter

2 oz Suntory Toki Whisky (Kavalan)
1/2 oz Sfumato Rabarbaro
1/4 oz Clement Creole Shrubb (Pierre Ferrand Curaçao)
1/4 oz Coffee Cordial (Kahlua)
3 drop Saline (1 small pinch Salt)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.Two Fridays ago, I returned to the Hawthorne bar bible and spotted the Dark Matter by bartender Rob Ficks who now is at Pammy's in Cambridge. This bitter whisky drink was subtitled, "it's what you don't see that shapes our universe"; despite the physics allusion, I wondered if it was named after the Chicago coffee roaster given the coffee cordial in the recipe. The Dark Matter began with orange oil over dark herbal and smoky aromas. Next, a roasty char and orange sip transmuted into whisky, bitter herbal, and coffee-orange flavors on the swallow.

vancouver

1/2 jigger Gin (2 oz Bombay Dry)
1/4 jigger Italian Vermouth (1 oz Cocchi Sweet)
1 spoon Benedictine (1/4 oz)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a pimola (olive stuffed with a chili pepper).Two Thursdays ago, I began a search for the evening's cocktail in William Boothby's 1934 World Drinks & How to Mix Them. There, I spotted the Vancouver that fell somewhere between the Rolls Royce from the Savoy Cocktail Book and the Fitchett from The How and When. Here, it displayed the gin's pine-like and the vermouth's grape aromas. Next, the grape continued on into the sip, and the swallow sealed the deal with gin, sweet grape, and herbal flavors with some spicy heat from the chili pepper-stuffed olive's brine.

when you're a jet

1 1 /2 oz Aged Dark Rum (Diplomatico Riserva Exlusiva)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Torani Amer)
2 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lime twist.Two Wednesdays prior, I selected Amanda Schuster's New York Cocktails book from the shelf. There, I was lured in by Amanda's Rum Manhattan that reminded her of a Jet Pilot, so she called it When You're a Jet after the Westside Story song. Once prepared, the drink showcased a lime oil and dark rum bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and orchard fruit notes on the sip danced into rum and dark bitter orange flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

metro century

1 1/2 oz Plantation 3 Star White Rum (Privateer Tres Aromatique)
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Tuesdays ago, I was scanning the Hawthorne bar bible when I spotted Jackson Cannon's rum riff on the 20th Century. He dubbed this variation the Metro Century, and the menu subtitle was "light rail to light speed." In the glass, the Metro Century proffered a funky rum and chocolate aroma. Next, lemon and orchard fruit notes on the sip flew into rum and chocolate flavors on the swallow with a lemon finish.

little caribbean

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Plantation Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Orgeat
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass pre-rinsed with Herbsaint, and garnish with a cherry.

Two Mondays ago, one of my friends and regulars stopped into the Smoke Shop for dinner. For one of his drinks, he requested a Manhattan. When I inquired if he wanted a classic, a riff, or even something tropical, he latched on to the last option for he had spent part of the weekend making Tiki drinks for a gathering. I decided to riff on the Martinique from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933, and I altered the rye whiskey base and pineapple juice into a split of rye and pineapple rum. Also, instead of sweet vermouth, I swapped in Punt e Mes embittered by Angostura and Peychaud's. When I got home, I decided to make my own using my homemade orgeat instead of the Giffard that we have at work. Moreover, I dubbed it the Little Caribbean after a neighborhood in Brooklyn. It began with a pineapple, anise, and rye aroma. Next, a creamy, grape, and tropical fruit sip slid into rye, rum, pineapple, bitter herbal, and anise flavors on the swallow.

the crafty & elusive elk

1 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
3/4 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Orange Bitters (Scrappy's)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wheel.Two Sundays ago, I selected the Kindred Cocktails database as my drink recipe source for the night. There, I spied a 2011 recipe that bartender Daniel Warrilow entered himself from his time at Los Angeles' Son of a Gun restaurant called the Crafty & Elusive Elk. The combination reminded me of an agave-based version of the Charley's Royal Reserve Cocktail from Crosby Gaige's 1941 Cocktail Guide & Ladies' Companion. Once prepared, the drink began with a lime, vegetal, nutty-funky, and smoke aroma. Next, lime with some richness on the sip gave way to smoky agave, clove, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow. I was at first concerned that the Maraschino would dominate the flavor profile, but it did a great job complementing the mezcal here and adding base notes to counter the brighter ingredients.

wilderness

1 1/2 oz Noble Oak Rye (Templeton)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays, I began perusing the 2020 Community Cocktails book when I came across the Wilderness crafted by Melissa Cross at Seattle's Vito's. The combination of rye, Cocchi Americano, and Cynar reminded me of the rum-based Tailor of Panama and the Scotch-based Gloamin Dwines. In the glass, the Wilderness showcased an orange oil over caramel aroma. Next, the caramel from the Cynar continued on into the sip where it joined orchard fruit and orange notes, and the swallow came through with rye and mint herbal flavors.

honi honi

1 1/2 oz Blended Whisky (2 oz Four Roses)
1 1/2 oz Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix (3/4 oz Lime Juice, 1/2 oz Orgeat, 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Curaçao)

Shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tahitian mug (coconut mug), and garnish with mint and a fruit stick (omit).

Two Fridays ago, I returned to Trader Vic's 1972 Bartender's Guide Revised and spotted the Honi Honi which was marked as a Trader Vic original. While the 1946 edition of his book had a recipe under the same name with rum, apricot liqueur, and lemon, this one was a whiskey Mai Tai. The first few times that I had spotted the recipe over the years, I assumed that "blended whisky" meant a blended Scotch Mai Tai; however, Trader Vic spelled all aged grain-based spirits as "whisky," other bloggers and Instagrammers have made this drink with Bourbon, and I confirmed the Bourbon aspect by viewing old Trader Vic restaurant menus. Therefore, I opted for a blended Bourbon -- namely Four Roses Yellow Label -- instead of a blended Scotch as I first suspected or a blended whiskey (perhaps 20% or more Bourbon diluted with grain neutral spirits) which would have been rather common in the 1970s.The Honi Honi greeted the nose with a mint bouquet before launching into a creamy and lime sip. Next, the swallow came through with Bourbon, orange, earthy-nutty, and lime flavors. The lime juice did not greatly clash with the American whiskey here as I expected, but my gut would have steered me to the lemon juice that was used in the Bluegrass Mai Tai instead if I had created the drink myself.

seas the day

1 1/2 oz Rhum Agricole (Clement Premiere Canne)
1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/4 oz Strega

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orchid (ornamental pea blossom).Two Thursdays ago, I began scanning the pages of the 2020 Community Cocktails book when I happened upon the Seas the Day. This unusual Daiquiri riff was crafted by Trevor Osterman at Seattle's Heartwood Provisions. Rhum agricole has worked well with tequila in Martin Cate's Menehune Gonzalez and my Gunwale Punch, so I was curious to see it in action again. The Seas the Day once prepared sailed in with a grassy funky aroma. Next, lime and pineapple on the sip cruised into funky rum melding into tequila via the vegetal element on the swallow along with pineapple and Strega's spice flavors.