dawn of hospitality

2 oz Old Overholt Rye
1/2 oz Borghetti Espresso Liqueur
1/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
6-7 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass rinsed with absinthe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I was leaving my second day of training to re-open Drink (closed for 4 1/2 months for structural work and to stop the flooding when it rained) and ended up at Shore Leave after a dinner in Chinatown. There, I found a seat in front of bartender Abigail Winn who I asked for a Dawn of Hospitality; it was subtitled on the menu with "If we were on vacation, we'd hope this tropical-inspired Sazerac would be for breakfast." The concept of a Sazerac with coffee flavors was one that I had tried in the Mid-City and with pineapple syrup in the Bounty, but never in the same glass. Here, a lemon and anise bouquet greeted the nose. Next, roast and fruity notes on the sip slid into rye, root beer, and coffee flavors on the swallow.

miles ahead

3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Linie Aquavit (Aalborg)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
2 pods Cardamom

Muddle cardamom pods, add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Mondays ago, I selected The NoMad Cocktail Book for the evening's libation, and I uncovered the Miles Ahead by Pietro Collina that would be a good bridge from Sherry Week 2021. This complex Sour utilized the rye-aquavit duo observed in the Frontier and other recipes, so I was intrigued to give it a go. The Miles Ahead produced a spiced aroma of caraway and cardamom to the senses. Next, lemon, honey, and grape notes on the sip transversed into rye, caraway, nutty, cardamom, and floral flavors on the swallow.

beginning of the end

1 1/2 oz Aged Rum (Don Q Gran Añejo)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
1/3 oz Amer Picon
1/3 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a flamed orange twist.For the final night of Sherry Week 2021, I turned to Difford's Guide for an answer. There, I landed upon the Beginning of the End crafted by Paul Mathew of The Hide in London for the 2008 Boutique Bar Show's cocktail competition. The name reflects how it is a riff on the classic Fin de Siècle but with aged rum and sherry in place of the original's gin and orange bitters. For a last #SherryKu (sherry Haiku) to accompany my Instagram entry, I composed, "Solera system/No beginning or finish/Fractional blending." In the glass, the Beginning of the End donated an orange oil over rum, nutty sherry, and dark orange aroma. Next, caramel and grape notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow rounded things out with rum, nutty sherry, and dark orange flavors.

poa pretensis

1 oz Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Punte e Mes
1/2 oz Drambuie
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

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

Two Saturdays ago was day six of Sherry Week 2021, and I sought out a recipe on the Shake Stir site. There, I uncovered a 2018 creation by Sahil Mehta at Estragon called Poa Pretensis which is the genus and species name for the meadow grass better known as Kentucky Bluegrass. Sahil had previously paired Drambuie with sherry in the Sebastian and Pan-European Pandemonium, and that combination that has existed in the literature since at least the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book with the Golden Heath. For a #SherryKu (sherry Haiku) to accompany my post on Instagram, I penned, "Kentucky bluegrass/Sherry, Bourbon, & horses/For win, place, & show."The Poa Pretensis brought forth an orange aroma from both the twist's oils and the bitters. Next, the sherry and Punt e Mes' grape notes filled the sip, and the swallow crossed the finish line with Bourbon, bitter, and nutty flavors and a honey-tinged finish.

auld acquaintaince

1 1/2 oz Scotch (1 1/4 oz Famous Grouse + 1/4 oz Caol Ila 10 Year)
1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Palo Cortado Sherry (3/8 oz each Lustau Amontillado + Oloroso)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 dash Bitters (Angostura)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube.For evening five of Sherry Week 2021, I turned to the Kindred Cocktails database and spotted the Auld Acquaintance by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2013. To pair with this recipe on Instagram, I generated this #SheryKu (sherry Haiku), "A cup of kindness/With old sherry to the brim/Days of auld lang syne." Once prepared, the Auld Acquaintance greeted the senses with a smoke and cinnamon aroma that introduced a grape-driven sip. Finally, smoky Scotch, apple, nutty, and cinnamon flavors rounded out the swallow with a peat-tinged finish.

in the stacks

1 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
3/4 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

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

After returning home from Offsuit, I still wanted to participate in Sherry Week 2021. Therefore, I decided to riff on the Library Card that I had created a few years ago as my fourth night's submission. I originally crafted this variation with Amontillado sherry, but that first pass was too stark, so I swapped in Lustau's cream sherry, East India Solera, with better success. For a #SherryKu (sherry Haiku) to add to my Instagram post, I penned "Sherry & book night/It's time to pamper one's self/A pour per chapter."
For a name, I kept the library theme and dubbed this one In the Stacks. Here, the nose was greeted by orange, apricot, and herbal aromas. Next, caramel, grape, and orchard fruit notes on the sip selected a Scotch, nutty, and herbal swallow with an apricot and spice finish.

hard bargain

1 1/2 oz Sazerac Rye
1/3 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/3 oz Passion Fruit Liqueur
1/3 oz Falernum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz 2:1 Demerara Syrup
3 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Thursdays ago after my final day bar shift at the Smoke Shop BBQ, I took the subway to meet some out of town friends at Offsuit. For a drink, I selected the Hard Bargain off the menu that reminded me of a Last Rites or a Sexpert by its ingredients and balance. When I received the recipe, I was not all that wrong to fit it to the Test Pilot build in my head. Once served, the Hard Bargain proffered rum funk and passion fruit aromas to the nose. Next, lemon, melon, and tangerine notes on the sip led into rye, rum, and spice flavors on the swallow.

flower & vine

1 oz La Gitana Manzanilla Sherry
1 oz Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil (Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Shake with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass.For night three of Sherry Week 2021, I ventured back to the Hawthorne bar bible and spotted the Flower & Vine by bartender Jason Kilgore. The drink on the menu was subtitled "Throw caution to the wind," and I paired it on Instagram with a #SherryKu (sherry Haiku) of "Mezcal & sherry/Savory & smokiness/A heavenly match." In the glass, the Flower & Vine conjured up smoke and vegetal aromas with a hint of caramel and pineapple. Next, lemon, caramel, and roasted fruit on the sip flowed into tequila, savory, tangerine, and banana flavors on the swallow with a pineapple finish.

christmas in prison

1 1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Cruzan Blackstrap Rum
1/2 oz Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry (1/4 oz each Lustau Oloroso + Amontillado)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/8 oz Maple Syrup
1 dash Bittermens Cranberry Bitters (Crude's Orange-Fig)

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

For the second day of Sherry Week 2021, I found an interesting sherry recipe on Kindred Cocktails by Timothy Miner at the since closed Jake Walk in Brooklyn circa 2013. Like the beer cocktail I had in Louisville a few years ago, this one was named after the 1973 John Prine song. After reading through the lyrics, I was inspired to pen the #SherryKu (sherry Haiku) "Christmas in prison/There's no sherry to be had/One day I'll be free."Christmas in Prison proffered an orange, apple, and maple bouquet. Next, caramel and maple notes on the sip locked down an apple, rum, and cinnamon swallow.

murder county

1 oz Palo Cortado Sherry (1/2 oz each Lustau Oloroso & Amontillado)
1 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
3/4 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 tsp Orgeat
2 dash Grapefruit Bitters (Bittercube Jamaica #2)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with grapefruit oil from a twist.Two Mondays ago was the beginning of Sherry Week 2021, and I set out to celebrate all seven days with an interesting fortified wine cocktail each night. I started with a 2015 Pouring Ribbons recipe by Lana Gailani called Murder County which seemed alluring with the oxidized sherry and orgeat combination experienced in the Lust for Life and Palomino Sling. I spotted the drink on Kindred Cocktails via a Village Voice article that was no longer accessible since the newspaper folded a few years ago, and I paired it with the #SherryKu (sherry Haiku) of "Palo Cortado/Almond syrup and sherry/Nutty synergy." The Murder County began with grapefruit, nutty, and grape aromas and flowed into a sip dominated by the sherry's grape notes. Next, tequila, nutty, and floral flavors rounded out the swallow.

dr. rieux

1 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1 oz Light Rum (Bacardi 4 Year)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
1/2 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand Dry)
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe rimmed with demerara sugar, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Saturdays ago, I had spotted an interesting drink on a friend's Instagram account called the Dr. Rieux, and I tracked down the recipe on Difford's Guide. There, it was an adapted recipe from Vaucluse in Manhattan that was named after the doctor in Albert Camus' The Plague. Overall, the combination reminded me of Between the Sheets plus Swedish punsch with apple instead of grape brandy (or a Deauville plus Swedish punsch with rum instead of the Cognac).The Dr. Rieux conjured up lemon, orange, and apple aromas. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip flowed into apple, rum, orange, tea, and spice flavors on the swallow.

two o'clock at the metropole

1 1/2 oz Cognac (Du Peyrat Organic Selection)
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

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

Two Fridays ago, I had been thinking about the Saratoga Cocktail variation found in the 1933 reprint of Jack's Manual, and I became inspired. I decided to mashup Harry Johnson's Saratoga with the Metropole – a Cognac Dry Manhattan with Peychaud's Bitters (David Wondrich included gum syrup to make it more agreeable to the modern palate) – first published in George Kappeler's 1895 Modern American Drinks. For a name, I dubbed this one Two O'Clock at the Metropole after a James Thurber piece about the 1912 murder of gambling den owner Herman Rosenthal at Manhattan's Hotel Metropole.The drink began with a lemon oil, cherry, Cognac, and anise aroma. Next, white grape and pineapple notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow uncovered Cognac, pineapple, cherry, and anise flavors on the swallow.

the gryffindor common room

1 oz Rooibos Tea-Infused Bourbon-Mezcal (*)
1/2 oz Los Vecinos Mezcal
1/2 oz Elijah Craig Bourbon
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/2 oz Aveze Gentian Liqueur
1/2 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.
(*) Working off the Earl Grey MarTEAni, 4 tablespoons of rooibos should be infused in a 750 mL bottle of Bourbon-mezcal for 2 hours before straining. 1 tsp per ~2 oz would be the scaled down version. Again, this is only an estimate.Two Thursdays ago, I headed over to Backbar after my day time bar shift to experience their Harry Potter Week menu. The drink I selected was the Gryffindor Common Room; according to the Harry Potter Wikipedia, it was named after the cozy common room at the Gryffindor House at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where students could rest after a long day of studying. In the glass, the cocktail that bartender Rachel Kopelman mixed up for me greeted the nose with orange, vegetal, and smoke aromas. Next, caramel notes on the sip launched into Bourbon, orange, bitter, and smoke flavors on the swallow with a gentian and cinnamon finish.

bitter pill

1 1/2 oz Zaya Rum
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup (1:1)
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into an ice-filled old fashioned glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays prior, I spotted a 2011 recipe from Imbibe Magazine on Kindred Cocktails called the Bitter Pill. This drink by Richard Swan at Cliffs Edge in Los Angeles reminded me at first of the Dirt'n'Diesel with egg white (ignoring the small amount of Cynar) and later of the Daisy Buchanan minus the crème de cacao. Once prepared, this embittered egg white Daiquiri of sorts conjured up an orange oil, caramel, molasses, and menthol aroma. Next, a creamy lime and caramel sip flowed into rum, molasses, and minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.

soul clench

2 oz Waqar Pisco (Macchu)
3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Grapefruit Liqueur (St. Elder)
1/2 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I was flipping through the Death & Co. Cocktail Book and found the Soul Clench that I had previously skipped over since pamplemousse liqueur was a recent addition to my shelves. The recipe was created in 2013 by Jillian Vose as a stirred fruity, floral, and lightly spiced pisco drink. Once prepared, the Soul Clench squeezed out a grapefruit and earthy grape aroma. Next, grapefruit and white grape notes on the sip released into earthy, floral, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

la savane

3/4 oz Rhum Agricole (Rhum Clement Premiere Canne)
3/4 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I recalled the Metexa from the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book and decided to riff on it. Instead of the classic's tequila base, I kept the agave theme with some mezcal and split it with rhum agricole for that spirit paired well with Swedish punsch in the Sleeping with Strangers. I also adjusted the ratios to make it more of a cocktail instead of an aperitif. For a name, I dubbed this one the La Savane after a garden and park on Martinique. In the glass, La Savane conjured an orange, vegetal, caramel, and smoke bouquet to the nose. Next, apricot and grapefruit notes on the sip blossomed into grassy, smoky, tea, and vegetal flavors on the swallow.

grand & central

1 1/4 oz Rye Whiskey (Sazerac)
3/4 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Dubonnet Rouge
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

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

Two Sundays ago, I was perusing Kindred Cocktails and started a search for Dubonnet recipes. There, I spied the Grand & Central crafted by Greg Best at Holeman & Finch Public House in Atlanta that was sourced from a 2012 Wall Street Journal article on Manhattan riffs. The combination of rye and applejack has been a popular one in modern drinks like the Fallback and American Trilogy and older ones like the Bronco Buster and Diamond Back, and I uncovered an early Dubonnet and Lillet/Cocchi Americano recipe in the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book with the Pool.The Grand & Central proffered orange, apple, and plum aromas to the nose. Next, grape and pear notes on the sip transferred to rye, apple, plum, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

fugu (for two)

3 oz Blended Aged Rum (Denizen Merchant's Reserve)
1 oz Column Still Rum (Bacardi 4 Year)
1 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 oz Orgeat
1 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Blend with 2 cups crushed ice for 15-20 seconds (whip shake), pour into a Fugu mug or other large vessel (and top with crushed ice).Two Saturdays ago, I was perusing the 5 Minutes of Rum site for a tropical drink, and I landed on their slight riff on the Fugu (for Two). The original was created at Forbidden Island in Alameda, California, and the combination made me think of a Beachbum (lacks the passion fruit syrup) mashed up with a Rum Keg (lacks the orgeat), so I was intrigued. Once prepared, the Fugu swam to the nose with apricot, pineapple, and passion fruit aromas. Next, lemon, pineapple, and stone fruit notes on the sip shimmied into rum, apricot, nutty, and passion fruit flavors on the swallow.

partner in crime

1 oz Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Averna
1/4 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
2 dash Walnut Bitters (Strongwater)
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Top with whipped cream made with 4 parts heavy cream to 1 part cinnamon syrup (2 oz to 1/2 oz) whipped until thick and fluffy.Two Fridays ago, Andrea had bought some heavy cream for she fell in love with the Partner in Crime recipe in the most recent issue of Imbibe Magazine. This stirred dessert-style cocktail was created by Will Lee at the Grey Ghost in Detroit and featured Scotch, Averna, and banana liqueur as the star ingredients along with some nuttier undertones. After assembling it, the Partner in Crime showcased the cinnamon notes from the flavored whipped cream. Next, a creamy and caramel sip led into banana and cinnamon flavors that later gained nuttier notes on the swallow. Overall, the Scotch got a little buried here, so perhaps using something more assertive than my choice of Famous Grouse might be of a benefit.

lawrence

30% Dry Gin (1 oz Bombay Dry)
20% Sloe Gin (3/4 oz Averell Damson)
30% Dry Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat)
20% Regular Vermouth (3/4 oz Lacuesta Rojo)
3 dasy Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Thursdays ago, I delved back into my 1933 reprint of Jack's Manual and spotted the Lawrence which came across like a gin-sloe gin Perfect Martini of sorts. Once prepared, the Lawrence proffered a pine, anise, and berry bouquet to the nose. Next, tart berry and grape notes on the sip traversed into gin and berry flavors on the swallow.

brother cleve sour

1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 dash Dale DeGroff Pimento Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with 2 ice cubes, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, I selected Dale DeGroff's The New Craft of the Cocktail book from my drink book pile and spied the Brother Cleve Sour. The recipe was crafted by New York City bartender Brian Miller as a tribute to the Godfather of the Boston Cocktail Scene. Brother Cleve has been mentioned here multiple times since 2007 including his walking tour of Boston, and the recipe utilizes Macchu Pisco which he has done a lot of brand work for including the pisco class we attended on the styles and techniques for Pisco Sours as well as the culture of Peruvian surf music. Music and touring with bands is what led Brother Cleve to glean from the vestigial cocktail culture still existing during the 1980s and 90s in various parts of America, and he brought that knowledge back to Boston to assist with programs as early as the 1998 opening of the B-Side Lounge.The Brother Cleve Sour began with lemon and cinnamon notes to the nose. Next, a creamy pineapple and citrus sip flowed into Pisco, pineapple, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow with an allspice swallow.

free fallin'

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Averna
1/2 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

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

Two Tuesdays ago, I was perusing Kindred Cocktails when I spotted the Free Fallin' that reminded me a little of the Jukebox Opera at first and then the Brunswick. This recipe was crafted at or before 2014 by Chris Wilkins at Proof on Main in Louisville, Kentucky, and sourced via eGullet.The Free Fallin' dropped orange oils over Bourbon and dark nutty cherry aromas to the nose. Next, a caramel-driven sip flowed into Bourbon and orange-herbal flavors in the swallow. Indeed, the Maraschino softened the Campari as it had in other drinks, but the balance was perhaps a bit too Maraschino forward in the end result.

saratoga cocktail

50% Brandy (1 1/2 oz Du Peyrat Organic Selection Cognac)
40% Regular Vermouth (1 1/4 oz Lacuesta Rojo)
10% Rye Whiskey (1/2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded)
3 dash Pineapple Syrup (1/4 oz)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Mondays ago, I was flipping through the pages of my 1933 reprint of Jack's Manual when I spotted an unique Saratoga Cocktail recipe. When looking at it more closely, it appeared like a mashup of the two better known ones: Jerry Thomas' split-base Manhattan Saratoga and Harry Johnson's Brandy Old Fashioned-like Saratoga; the only element missing here was the Maraschino in Johnson's recipe. This Saratoga began with a Cognac and cinnamon aroma. Next, grape notes filled the sip, and the swallow came through with Cognac, rye, pineapple, clove, and allspice flavors.

2 cents

1 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Laird's Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Carpano Antica (Lacuesta Rojo Vermouth)
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
1 bsp Fernet Branca
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Sunday two weeks ago, I returned to Kindred Cocktails when I spotted a recipe created in 2011 at Mayahuel called the 2 Cents. It reminded me of their All Jacked Up but with crème de cacao and molé bitters instead of Maraschino liqueur. In the glass, the 2 Cents showcased a mezcal and herbal aroma. Next, grape and apple notes on the sip led into mezcal, apple, chocolate, and minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.

the van damme

2 oz Old Grand-Dad 114° Bourbon
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Cynar
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

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

Two Saturdays ago, I found a recipe by T. Read Richards on Kindred Cockatils that he posted on the now defunct BarNotes app called the Van Damme. Richards described how it was "spawned from a gentleman who loved bitter-heavy rye cocktails and anything with a badass name" at the Valkyrie Bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Overall, the combination reminded me of the Ce Soir with the Yellow Chartreuse and Cynar, so I was game to give this one a spin.The Van Damme proffered an orange, herbal, and minty aroma. Next, a caramel sip with a bit of body flowed into Bourbon, rye spice, and herbal flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

quartermaster

1 oz Zaya Rum
3/4 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz Campari
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Fridays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across the Quartermaster that reminded me a little of the 1919 Cocktail due to its split dark rum-whiskey base, aromatized wine element, herbal notes, and chocolate bitters. The recipe was crafted by Jared Lane at the Gin Joint in Charleston at or before 2014. In the glass, the Quartermaster issued a caramel, molasses, and dark herbal aroma. Next, caramel and grape swirled on the sip, the swallow proclaimed rum, chocolate, molasses, and cherry flavors with a chocolate and orange finish.

black river punch

3 oz Smith & Cross Rum
2 oz Black Tea (Lychee Black, cooled)
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Demerara Syrup
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)

Flash blend with 3/4 cup crushed ice for 5 seconds (whip shake), pour into a Tiki mug or tall glass, top with crushed ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted a recipe from the 5 Minutes of Rum blog on Kindred Cocktails. This tropical drink posted by Kevin Upthegrove in 2013 called the Black River Punch seemed like an elaboration on Jeff Berry's Planter's Punch (Improved) given the rum, black tea, and citrus elements, but this contained falernum and allspice liqueurs as well. Once prepared, the Black River Punch donated woody spice from the nutmeg along with a hint of rum funk and black tea to the nose. Next, lemon and caramel on the sip flowed into funky rum, black tea, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

little sparrow

2 oz Busnel VSOP Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Carpano Antica (Lacuesta Rojo Vermouth)
1/2 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I returned to the Death & Co. Cocktail Book to find a recipe that I have previously glossed over. The one that I uncovered was the Little Sparrow created by Brian Miller in 2008 as perhaps an elderflower riff on the classic Star Cocktail. Once prepared, the Little Sparrow flew to the nose with a lemon oil and apple aroma. Next, grape and pear notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow offered up apple, grapefruit, and floral flavors with an anise finish.