not even the rain

1 1/4 oz Gin (Bombay Dry)
1 1/4 oz Fino or Manzanilla Sherry (La Gitana Manzanilla)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I was inspired to riff on the Poet's Dream after thinking about how well Benedictine and apricot go together that I first noticed in the Silk Road Sour. Besides adding apricot liqueur to the classic, I swapped the dry vermouth for a dry sherry. For a name, I kept the poet theme and dubbed this one Not Even the Rain after a line from an ee cummings poem. In the glass, the orange oil mingled with the apricot and pine aromas. Next, orchard fruit and crisp white grape notes on the sip cascaded into gin, herbal, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

port of call

1 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
1 oz Calvados
3/4 oz Tawny Port
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Fee's Barrel-Aged Aromatic Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.Two Wednesdays ago, I paid a visit to Foundry on Elm where they had assembled a two drink menu for Angel's Envy's Toast the Trees month. Toast the Trees is the brand's initiative to replant oak trees to replace the ones that are harvested to fulfill the new charred oak container needed to age Bourbon; each #ToastTheTrees hashtag on Instagram in the month of September leads to a tree being planted in the Spring. The one that I had that night was the Port of Call created by bartender Jess as a riff on the Vieux Carre. Since Angel's Envy is finished in ruby port casks, the tawny port substitution for the sweet vermouth worked rather elegantly.

negroni club

1 1/2 oz Gin (Bombay Dry)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Raspberry Syrup
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, and strain into a cocktail coupe. Perhaps a few drops of Peychaud's Bitters swirled into the egg white froth would be a decent garnish here.
In continuing on with Negroni Week, I recalled how well Campari and raspberry syrup recently worked in the Frank Hinton and previously in drinks like the Turn Signal. Therefore, I decided to mashup the Negroni with the Clover Club and used the recipe from Green Street that included Peychaud's the mix. Once assembled, the Negroni Club presented a raspberry, orange, and pine aroma. Next, lemon, orange, and berry notes on the sip shuffled toward gin, bitter orange, and anise on the swallow

old man's beard

1 oz Demerara 151° Rum (Diamond Reserve)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3/4 oz Campari
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz Grenadine

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

Two Mondays ago was the beginning of Negroni Week. I had been thinking of the Hasty Fassionola ingredient of passion fruit syrup and grenadine called for in Jason ALexander's Cannibal Cooler and used historically without that name in the Port Light, and I wondered if I could use it in a rum Negroni -- especially given how well both syrups pair with Campari. I was considering Plantation OFTD as the spiritous component but opted for the sample of Diamond Reserve 151 proof Demerara Rum that I had been sent. As the drink came together, I took a page from Martin Cate's Kaieteur Swizzle and named this one after another waterfall in Guyana, namely Old Man's Beard.The Old Man's Beard flowed to the nose with a grapefruit and orange bouquet. Next, berry, grape, and melon notes on the sip cascaded into rum, cherry, and bitter tropical flavors on the swallow.

jacko's end

1 oz Minero Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a pear (apple) slice.

Two Sundays ago, I spotted a reference to the Jacko's End and hunted down the earliest reference to Paul Clarke's The Cocktail Chronicles. In 2010, Paul attributed the drink to Phil Ward at Mayahuel in 2009 on the day that Michael Jackson died. It came across as a mezcal for Scotch variation on Phil's Shruff's End that he crafted at Death & Co. circa 2008. I was lured in for the combination of apple and agave was one that Misty Kalkofen taught me (and she was in frequent communication with Phil at that time), and I used that duo plus Benedictine in my 2010 Hasta Manzana and my 2013 Downtown at Dawn. The latter was served at a Day of the Dead event at Russell House Tavern hosted by Misty who had just began working for Del Maguey Mezcal.Jacko's End began with apple, vegetal, and smoke aromas. Next, a semi-sweet sip with light hints of apple and caramel notes finished off with smoky mezcal, apple, herbal, and anise flavors.

master's chair

2 oz Weller Bourbon (Larceny)
3/4 oz Krogstad Aquavit (Aalborg)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

Two Saturdays ago, I selected the Hawthorne bar bible for drink ideas. There, I spotted the Master's Chair which was "inspired by the design of the Kartell Masters Chair, one of the most recognizable pieces of furniture chosen by designer Alison Sheffield for the Hawthorne. The chair is a melding of 3 classic chairs designed by Finnish, Danish, and American designers; therefore the drink is a balanced melding of spirits from those countries." I have noted in the past that aquavit pairs rather well with rye whiskey such as in the Immigrant Song and Long Way Home, so I was wondering how it would do with a Bourbon especially since the recipe called for a wheated instead of a rye-containing Bourbon.The Master's Chair delivered a cherry and caraway bouquet to the nose. Next, a dark plum note on the sip cascaded into Bourbon, cherry, and caraway flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was impressed at how the aquavit's caraway and other botanicals broke up any cough syrup aspect of the Cherry Heering and gave the drink an elegant complexity.

mother's little helper

1 oz Bols Genever
1 oz Alvear Pale Cream Sherry (Lustau East India Solera)
3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Combier Triple Sec (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1 tsp St. Germain (St. Elder)
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Fridays prior, I turned to The NoMad Cocktail Book and was lured in by the Genever drink called Mother's Little Helper. This drink created by Jessica Gonzalez began with a grape, orange, and malty aroma. Next, grape and malt on the sip set up malty, orange, and floral flavors on the swallow.

the thin veil

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Wild Turkey 101°)
1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
1/4 oz Cynar
1 bsp Nocino (Russo)
1 dash Bittermens Burlesque Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Thursdays ago, I returned to Amanda Schuster's New York Cocktails book and stumbled across the Thin Veil that I had never made before. This recipe was crafted by bartender Bryan Teoh for his friend's band Tin Veil. Once assembled, the Thin Veil proffered molasses, cherry, and nutty notes to the nose. Next, grape and caramel harmonized on the sip, and the swallow drifted into Bourbon, nutty, and cherry flavors.

dutch charlie's cocktail

40% Rye Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse)
40% Dubonnet (1 1/2 oz)
20% Regular Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Sweet)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Wednesdays ago, I selected the 1933 reprint of Jack's Manual and spotted the curiously named Dutch Charlie's Cocktail. The name reminded me of a Dutch Schultz drink, and it was not obvious which Dutch Charlie in history that it referred to. I became intrigued by the name for it reminded me of the nicknames of Andrea's dad's drinking buddies out in Indiana. My favorite historical one was the late 1870s gang member out in the West who ran with Big Nose George Parrott's crew; that Dutch Charlie got caught after a robbery, and, according to the True West site, "while he was being transported from Laramie to Rawlins, the train stopped to take on water [and] an angry mob stormed the railcar, took Charlie and strung him up from a telegraph pole. The lynch party figured Dutch Charlie didn't deserve to be buried in their cemetery so they carted his carcass some distance away and left him in an unmarked grave." Not very likely that author Jacob Grohusko knew about him and it was probably a drink served to a regular, but anything is possible.
There was little confusion about how this drink would turn out though for it read like a slightly inverse Manhattan with two parts Dubonnet to one part sweet vermouth. In the glass, the Dutch Charlie's Cocktail proffered rye, plum, and cherry aromas. Next, grape and plum on the sip slid into rye, dried red fruit, clove, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

frank hinton

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Campari
1/4 oz Raspberry Syrup
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a blood orange twist (regular orange twist).Two Tuesdays ago, I was scanning the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across Rafa Garcia Febles' Frank Hinton that he crafted in New York City in 2013. This Boulevardier/1794 riff added in fruity elements from passion fruit and raspberry syrup, and I was just as intrigued about how it would taste as I was to the identity of the namesake (I asked Rafa with no reply -- the best I can tell is that there is a musician and an author by that name). In the glass, the Frank Hinton donated orange and chocolate aromas to the nose. Next, grape, berry, and nectarine notes on the sip transformed into rye, bitter orange, and tropical berry flavors on the swallow.

marguerite

50% Plymouth Gin (1 1/2 oz Bombay Dry)
50% Dry Vermouth (1 1/2 oz Noilly Prat)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 dash Absinthe (12 drop Copper & Kings)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an olive (lemon twist).Two Mondays ago, I began flipping through the pages of my 1933 reprint of Jack's Manual when I spotted the Martini precursor, the Marguerite. The book sourced this recipe from Harry Johnson's 1900 New and Improved Bartenders' Manual swapping the anisette and lemon twist for absinthe and olive here. Later versions of the Marguerite such as in the 1904 Stuart's Fancy Drinks dropped the anisette/absinthe component to become closer to the classic Martini. This Marguerite with absinthe and lemon twist presented a lemon, pine, and licorice aroma. Next, a crisp sip led into gin, white grape, orange, licorice, and anise flavors on the swallow.

handcuffed lightning

3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Cognac (Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Sundays ago, I thought about the Swedish punsch-apricot liqueur combination that I first discovered in the Havana Cocktail as well as the apricot-Punt e Mes duo found in the Slope. The other combination in the trio of Punt e Mes-Swedish Punsch occured in Tony Iamunno's Butterfly Sting, and I decided to riff on that Muhammed Ali tribute. For a spirit base, I split things up with a funky Jamaican rum and a rich Cognac, and for a name, I opted for the Handcuffed Lightning from Ali's quote, "I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick."The Handcuffed Lightning shot forth with an orange, apricot, and rum funk bouquet. Next, caramel and grape swirled on the sip, and the swallow thundered out with Cognac, funky rum, apricot, tea, and rounded bitterness on the swallow with a clove, smoke, and funk finish.

mad max

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Cynar
1 oz Aperol

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I spotted the Mad Max on Kindred Cocktails that was crafted at Kingfish in New Orleans circa 2016. Given that the Cynar-Aperol duo has been a win before in the Rucola Negroni, Juan Bautista, and The Scottish Play, I was game to give this rye drink a spin. Here, the Mad Max met the nose with an orange, caramel, fruity, and herbal bouquet. Next, caramel and orange notes on the sip fled into rye, funky herbal, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

slow motion

2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
1/2 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Amaro Nardini

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.Two Fridays ago, I paid a visit to Yvonne's to provide a staff training on Angel's Envy. Afterwards, I found a seat at the library bar and asked bartender Sam Lee for something in the Manhattan realm using Angel's Envy Bourbon. He modified that Slow Motion on the menu that sounded delightful with Amaro Nardini and Lustau East India Solera Sherry. Once prepared, the Slow Motion proffered orange and caramel aromas to the nose. Next, caramel and grape on the sip crept into Bourbon, caramel, nutty, and herbal flavors with a hint of woodiness and mint on the swallow.

the bowery

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse Bonded)
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe pre-rinsed with absinthe (Copper & Kings), and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I recalled how I saw Rachel at Backbar making Eric Alperin's Skid Row as a bartender's whim, and I was inspired to riff on it. I swapped the Genever for rye, kept the Ramazzotti and apricot liqueur, and supplemented the notes with sherry and absinthe. For a name, I dubbed this one the Bowery after one of the historical skid rows in Manhattan. Here, the Bowery gave forth an orange, dried apricot, and anise nose. Next, malt, grape, and dried fruit on the sip led into rye, nutty, and bitter apricot flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

the smoking man

2 oz Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1 oz Bittered Sweet Vermouth (Punt e Mes)
1 bsp Cinnamon Syrup

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass pre-rinsed with Islay Scotch (Caol Ila).Two Wednesdays ago, I turned to Chad Austin's Everyone Has a F*cking Cocktail Book and spotted the Manhattah riff called the Smoking Man. The text declares that it is an The X-Files reference, and the show's Wikipedia described how, "The Cigarette Smoking Man is a fictional character and one of the primary antagonists of the American science fiction drama television series The X-Files. He serves as the arch-nemesis of FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder." Despite my not having seen an episode with him in it that I can recall, I set to mixing. In the glass, the Smoking Man showcased a medicinal-peaty smoke and plum aroma. Next, a grape sip uncovered Irish whiskey, cinnamon, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

explorer's negroni

3/4 oz Batavia Arrack (Von Oosten)
3/4 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
2 dash Absinthe (1 scant bsp Kübler)

Stir with ice, strain into an Old Fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, someone made my Explorer's Dream and posted that riff on the Poet's Dream on Instagram. Therefore, I revisited the combination and wondered what else the Batavia Arrack-mezcal duo for gin would work in. The classic I went with was the Negroni, and I kept the absinthe from the Explorer's Dream for it worked great with Campari and sweet vermouth in the Quill.The Explorer's Negroni discovered an orange, funk, and hint of smoke on the nose. Next, a dark berry on the sip reminded me of sloe gin, and the swallow landed with funky spirits melding into bitter orange flavors with anise accents.

attorney privilege

2 oz Bourbon (Larceny)
1/2 oz Orgeat
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I spotted a reference to Erick Castro's Attorney Privilege published in Imbibe Magazine in 2012. The recipe that he crafted at Polite Provisions in San Diego reminded me of a Bourbon Japanese Cocktail, so I decided to give it a try. The Attorney Privilege proffered a lemon, earthy, and almond aroma. Next, a creamy sip led into Bourbon, nutty, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.

death & taxes

1 oz Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1 oz Gin (Barr Hill)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I was intrigued by a recipe that I had spotted in Imbibe Magazine called Death & Taxes. It was crafted by Michael Madrusan of the Everleigh in Melbourne when he was at Milk & Honey in New York City. The combination reminded me of the classic Automobile Cocktail with Benedictine or the Butcher Cocktail with Benedictine and orange bitters, so it intrigued me. Here, the Death & Taxes offered up unavoidable lemon, malt, and grape aromas to the nose. Next, grape and plum notes led into juniper, Scotch, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

cure's boulevardier

1 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye
1 oz Punt e Mes
1 oz Campari

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I spied on Kindred Cocktails the house recipe for the 1930s Boulevardier at Cure in New Orleans that they came up with in 2009. With bonded rye and Punt e Mes for the Bourbon and sweet vermouth, it seemed novel enough to give it a whirl. This variation on the Boulevardier welcomed the nose with orange, grape, and plum aromas. Next, grape and nectarine notes on the sip ventured into rye and Punt e Mes' rounded bitter notes leading into Campari's bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

doberman

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Four Roses)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Fridays ago, I spotted on Kindred Cocktails the Doberman that was sourced from The Bartender's Choice app. The recipe was ceated by David Molyneux at The Everleigh in Melbourne, Australia, in 2018, and the combination reminded me the Problem Solver, 4 Devils, and perhaps the Down & Brown. Once assembled, the Doberman charged at the nose with lemon oil and menthol notes. Next, a caramel and grape sip lunged into a Bourbon, minty, menthol, and herbal swallow.

henry's dream

3/4 oz Rhum Agricole (Rhum Clement Premiere Canne)
3/4 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass.

Two Thursday ago, I decided to tinker and continue on with my rhum agricole-mezcal stirred drinks that started with Up Jumped the Devil and followed by Stranger than Kindness. This time I went with the Cynar-apricot duo that I learned to appreciate in the One One Thousand, and I utilized Punt e Mes to bolster the fruity and bitter notes. For a name, I kept with the Nick Cave song titles concept with Henry's Dream.Henry's Dream conjured up apricot, smoke, and dark funk aromas to the nose. Next, caramel and orchard fruit on the sip aroused grassy, vegetal, and bitter-fruity flavors on the swallow.

[the sgarallino]

2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/4 oz Meletti Amaro

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.

Two Wednesdays ago, I stopped into Backbar during my brand work with Angel's Envy. There, I found a seat in front of Rachel Kopelman, and I asked her for a bartender's whim using said spirit. She returned with a Gold Rush riff containing Meletti Amaro akin to the Without a Trace that utilized Amaro Nonino. For a name, I dubbed this one the Sgarallino after Andrea Sgarallino who was part of the Italian wave of immigrants who partook in the '49ers gold rush in California. Sgarallino was rather successful there, and he brought back his gold and money collected from the community to help fund the Italian Revolution that united the country in the early 1860s.The drink began with a Bourbon, lemon, and floral bouquet. Next, lemon, honey, and caramel on the sip gave way to Bourbon, floral, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow with Meletti's violet flower note working elegantly with the honey here.

kingston negroni

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 oz Campari

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

After having made the Pineapple Kingston Negroni the night before, I was reminded that I have never written up the original. An Aperol riff, the Kingston Contessa, created at Eastern Standard as a take on No. 9 Park's Contessa, was the closest thing that I could refer to. Therefore, I sought out the recipe crafted by Joaquin Simo in the Death & Co. Cocktail Book; in 2009, Haus Alpenz's Eric Seed handed Joaquin the newly launched Smith & Cross Rum bottle, and this came about five minutes later. It was a simple Mr. Potato Head technique of this high ester rum in place of the gin. He attributed the success of the combination in Punch Drinks as, "Smith & Cross is no shrinking violet, so it stands up to the bombastic chocolate and bitter orange notes in the vermouth while drying out the Campari's richness and tempering its bitterness. Further evidence that less can sometimes be quite a bit more."The Kingston Negroni began with orange oil over rum funk aromas. Next, the sweet vermouth's grape filled the sip, and the swallow followed through with funky rum, bitter orange, and dark berry flavors.

pineapple kingston negroni

1 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1 oz Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3/4 oz Campari

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I uncovered Paul McGee and Shelby Allison's riff on Joaquin Simo's Kingston Negroni. Their drink was the Pineapple Kingston Negroni that they crafted at Chicago's Lost Lake and got published in Imbibe Magazine in January of 2020. Instead of taking a funky route with Smith & Cross rum, the duo opted for a tamer Jamaican rum with Appleton Signature and supplemented with fruity notes from Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum. Once prepared, the Pineapple Kingston Negroni proffered orange, pineapple, and berry aromas to the nose. Next, grape and cherry on the sip twisted into rum, caramel, and bitter pineapple-orange flavors on the swallow.

jacques & doris

1 1/4 oz Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Laphroaig Scotch
3/8 oz Sirop JM (*)
4 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Lavender Bitters (Scrappy's)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass pre-rinsed with Suze, and garnish with grapefruit oil from a twist.
(*) 2:1 Demerara syrup will work in a pinch.Two Sundays ago, I reached for Carey Jones' Brooklyn Bartender book and spotted the Jacques & Doris. This Sazerac riff was crafted by Tyler Caffall at Fort Defiance circa 2015; the presence of Suze reminded me of other Sazerac riffs such as the La Tour Eiffel and Goldenback but here it was in the rinse instead of acting as a sweetener. The Jacques & Doris began with a grapefruit oil, earthy-herbal gentian, and peat smoke aroma. Next, a malt-laden sip gave way to smoky Scotch, lavender, and anise flavors with hints of gentian from the rinse on the swallow.

linden square

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Saturdays ago, I searched for recipes on Kindred Cocktails created at Eastern Standard that I might never have tried. The one that caught my attention was the Linden Square by Bobby McCoy as a 2010 update to the Red Carpet that we published here in 2008. Bobby reduced the liqueur amounts and added in sweet vermouth and mole bitters. The duo of Amaro Nonino and Aperol are best known for being partners in the Paper Plane, but they also do well in citrus-free drinks like the Marchessa. In addition, there is no indication as to whether the name refers to the neighborhood in Wellesley, Massachusetts, similar to how his Wildwood was a tribute to his old street.The Linden Square gave forth an orange, caramel, and rye aroma. Next, grape and orange on the sip developed into whiskey and dark orange flavors on the swallow. Overall, the Linden Square's swallow and finish reminded me a bit of the Liberal.

the boardroom

2 oz Cognac (Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
1/4 oz Walnut Liqueur (Russo Nocino)
2 dash Abbott's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist and either a cherry or walnut (cherry).Two Fridays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I spotted the Boardroom by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles circa 2014. I was lured in by this Cognac Black Manhattan of sorts by the combination of Amaro Nonino and walnut liqueur that I had tried before in the Royal Union and Rock and a Hard Place. Once stirred and strained, the Boardroom presented an orange oil, dark orange, and Cognac aroma to the nose. Next, caramel-orange notes on the sip circled back to Cognac, dark orange, walnut, clove, and spice flavors on the swallow. Overall, the balance of the drink reminded me of Nicole Lebedevitch's Ce Soir that she created at the Hawthorne.

great silence

1 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Orgeat
2-3 dash Luxardo Maraschino (1/8 oz)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a spiral cut lime twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I delved into the June 2021 article in Imbibe Magazine on Maraschino liqueur. The recipe that called out to me was a shaken mezcal number crafted by Isaac Shumway at California Gold in San Rafael, California called the Great Silence. Given how Campari-orgeat works great in the Pinwheel Swizzle, Maraschino-orgeat in the Gallivanting in Golden Gai, and Campari-Maraschino in the Carnivale, this recipe seemed to do no wrong.The Great Silence conjured up lime, mezcal, and grapefruit aromas. Next, a creamy lime and orange sip lulled into mezcal and bitter grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

the problem solver

2 oz Overproof Rye (Rittenhouse Bonded)
1/2 oz Cherry Herring
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays, I decided to make a recipe that Jabriel Donohue posted on his Facebook that he created over a decade ago at the Acadia in Portland and now serves at the Doctor's Office in Seattle called the Problem Solver. Since Fernet works well with both Benedictine and Cherry Heering, I was excited to give this one a go. Moreover, it reminded me a little of a Remember the Maine crossed with a Down & Brown. In the glass, the Problem Solver proffered an orange, rye, and cherry aroma to the nose. Next, a cherry-grape sip concluded with a rye, cherry, and bitter menthol swallow.

call me old fashioned

2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays ago, my brand work with Angel's Envy brought me to JM Curley in the Downtown Crossing neighborhood of Boston. For one of my drinks, I asked bar manager Katie Soule for an Old Fashioned or a variation thereof. She whipped up one of her creations that had appeared on a previous menu named Call Me Old Fashioned. The combination of Bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, and cinnamon syrup reminded me of the Battle Annie that I had in New York right before quarantine, so I was excited about the drink before it even hit my lips. Overall, this combination made for a great harbinger of Autumn in a glass.