gastown

1 3/8 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
2 tsp Fernet Branca
2 tsp Cynar
1 tsp Maple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Mondays ago, I was searching the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across the Gastown created in 2012 by Geoff Robinson at London's Happiness Forgets. The combination of Cynar and maple was one that I had enjoyed before in the Wayfarer, Wooden Ships, and other drinks, so I was curious to see how it would do with Fernet in the mix. Maple previously had mellowed out Fernet in the Follow that Black Rabbit, but that was the only time that I had the two together. In a glass, the Gastown reached the nose with smoke, maple, and menthol vapors. Next, caramel and maple on the sip flowed into mezcal, menthol, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

tripwire

1 oz Kilkerran 12 Year Single Malt Scotch (Royal Brackla 12 Year)
3/4 oz Ron del Barrilito 3 Star Rum (Bacardi 4 Year)
1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 tsp Pineapple Syrup
1/2 tsp Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I returned to Death & Co.'s Welcome Home and came upon the Tripwire. This Scotch and rum Old Fashioned of sorts was crafted by Shannon Tebay in 2018 with the thought "What would a stirred Piña Colada taste like? This." Since I lack Ron del Barrilito, I had to use another Puerto Rican rum but one that lacked fruit maceration and sherry barrel finish steps. Once prepared, the Tripwire approached the nose with lemon, pineapple, and Scotch aromas. Next, a roast note on the sip launched into Scotch, funky rum, pineapple, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

casa samba

1/2 Lime in Wedges (3 wedges)
1 cube Sugar
2 oz Cachaça (Novo Fogo at work, Cuca Fresca at home)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop Kübler at work, 12 drop Copper & King at home)
2 drop Saline

Muddle the lime wedges with the sugar cube. Add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, double strain into a double old fashioned glass, and fill with cracked ice.

Two Saturdays ago at Drink, a guest asked for a Caipirinha riff, and I decided to take it on a New Orleans adventure. The original impetus was how well cachaça and rhum agricoles work with Benedictine such as the cachaça Petition and the agricole Homere Punch, and then I rounded off things with Peychaud's and absinthe. Since their next order was doubling up on this creation, I decided to make it once I got home that night.For a name, I dubbed this one later the Casa Samba after the Brazilian Carnival held in New Orleans every year. Once prepared, the Casa Samba met the nose with grassy funk and anise aromas. Next, crisp lime on the sip flowed into grassy, herbal, and anise flavors on the swallow.

south american honey bee

1 oz Pisco (Macchu)
1 oz Cachaça (Novo Fogo at work, Cuca Fresca at home)
1/2 oz Honey Syrup 1:1
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a single old fashioned glass (work) or a coupe glass (home), and garnish with Angostura Bitters.

Two Fridays ago, a guest at Drink requested a Pisco Sour variation. My first thought was to mix things up by splitting the base with cachaça for those two South American spirits have worked well in my Javari Mai Tai and Loreto Swizzle as well as Jay Kuehner's Cienciano. As a second tweak, I swapped the simple syrup for honey. For a name, I recalled David Embury calling the Jamaican rum Bee's Knees the Honey Bee, and Yvonne's Honey Bee included egg white; therefore, I dubbed it the South American Honey Bee.The South American Honey Bee welcomed the nose with a honey and allspice bouquet. Next, a creamy, lime, and honey sip buzzed into funky, earthy, and floral flavors on the swallow. My guests after ordered it again for their next round, and I could see why.

the end is nigh

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye
1 oz Bonal Gentian-Quina
1/4 oz Varnelli Amaro Sibilla
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I had recently finished the Lift Your Spirits book about New Orleans drinking culture through the years written by Elizabeth Williams and Chris McMillian. The book had already inspired me to revisit the Obituary Cocktail, and the one that called out to me next was The End is Nigh from Cure as communicated by Neal Bodenheimer. Once prepared, the End is Nigh donated an orange and herbal aroma to the senses. Next, grape and char notes on the sip flowed into rye, smoky, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

champs elysee

1 1/2 oz Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing Jupiter Disco's Preservation zine when I spotted their take on the Champs Elysées. I had just written up my preferred Yellow Chartreuse version of the recipe as modified from the Green Chartreuse one in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, and the zine authors adapted theirs from an earlier source, namely Nina Toye and A.H. Addair's Drinks Long and Short from 1925. The two authors had a bit of commentary along the margins. Maks Pazuniak wrote, "I'm sure this is the proper spec, but I'll never not be annoyed that Green Chartreuse and lemon are in the same cocktail. Everybody knows Green Chartreuse goes with lime and Yellow Chartreuse with lemon." Al Sotack countered with, "Maks is wrong about all that."The Champs Elysées with Green Chartreuse instead of my usual substitution of Yellow gave forth a lemon, Cognac, and herbal aroma. Next, lemon on the sip pranced into a Cognac and Green Chartreuse herbal swallow with a clove finish.

surface pressure

1 oz Santa Teresa Rum
1 oz Los Vecinos Mezcal
1 oz Dubonnet Rouge
1/2 oz St. Germain

Stir with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora glass.For my second drink from Backbar's Encanto Week menu, I opted for the Surface Pressure created by Sam Treadway. It was caption on the list as "What's Luisa hiding under the surface?", and it reminded me a little of Jamie Boudreau's La Bicyclette for some reason. On the nose, the Surface Pressure approached with a smoke aroma. Next, caramel, grape, plum, and grapefruit notes on the sip challenged the smoke, floral, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

we don't talk about braulio

1 oz Avua Amburana Cachaça
1 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
3 drop Saline Solution

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a glowing cube (if available), and fill with ice.

Two Tuesdays ago, I saw a post on Backbar's social media that they were extending their Disney's Encanto week another day before they launched into their solar system menu, so I decided to stop in. The drink that called out to me was the We Don't Talk About Braulio as Carlo Caroscio's play on the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno" for it came across as a bizarre Green Point-inspired drink. The menu contained the caption, "Thunderously bitter sweet, but prophesized to be enjoyable." Bartender Rachel Kopelman mentioned that the glowing ice cube was symbolic of Bruno's glowing eyes in the movie; while Encanto was being projected on the wall, we had not gotten to that part of the plot yet.The We Don't Talk About Braulio that Rachel made for me proffered funky, grassy, herbal, and woody spice (from the Amburana aging) aromas to the nose. Next, a caramel-driven sip fled into grassy, soft wood spice, licorice, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

awkwardly tongue tied

2 oz Ford's Gin (Bombay Dry)
1 tsp Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/4 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lime wheel (omit).Two Mondays ago, I opened up Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and spotted the Awkwardly Tongue Tied as an intriguing Gimlet of sorts. The recipe crafted by Jarred Weigand in 2015 was his first menu item at the bar, and he was proud of how Fernet Branca and pineapple worked together here and how cinnamon and orgeat complemented that pairing. Once shaken up, the Awkwardly Tongue Tied gave forth a pineapple, lime, and minty pine aroma. Next, a slightly creamy lime and pineapple sip slipped into gin, menthol, nutty, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

last american hero

1 1/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I saw on Reddit's cocktail forum a recipe called the Last American Hero created by user 1000YearOldStreet. The combination reminded me of a Little Italy crossed with the rye-mezcal split base that I learned about in the Red Ant and recently had in the Hunt & Peck. What drew me in was the mezcal-Cynar pairing added to the Little Italy base, for that combination is magic in many drinks including the Midnight Marauder. In the glass, the Last American Hero served up a lemon, herbal-vegetal, caramel, and smoke bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip were rescued by rye, vegetal, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a smoky finish.

the elves and their antics

1 1/2 oz Genever (Bols)
1 oz Cardamaro
1/4 oz Amer Picon (Torani Amer)
1/4 oz Benedictine

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

I was reminded of the Genever-Cardamaro pairing that I first learned about at Portland Cocktail Week 2012 with the Deck Hand and Walking Spanish and was reminded of years later with the Le Subtil. It inspired a series of creations such as the Wooden Shoe, and I crossed the idea with the Benedictine-Picon pairing in the Creole Cocktail. I dubbed the result The Elves and their Antics in keeping with my previous Dutch fairy tale drink names.The Elves and their Antics teased the nose with a malt and herbal aroma. Next, the malt continued on into the sip where it mingled with the grape notes, and the swallow came through with malt, orange, and herbal flavors.

rare hearts

1 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
1 oz Weller Special Reserve Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 dash Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters (Bitter Housewife)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Thursdays ago, I opened up Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and landed upon the Rare Hearts as a split spirits Sour. Overall, the combination crafted by bartender Tyson Buhler in 2018 reminded me of the bar's Four in Hand especially with the Chartreuse and vanilla. Once prepared, the Rare Hearts proffered a lemon, vanilla, and herbal bouquet. Next, a lemon-driven sip flowed into a Cognac, Bourbon, and herbal swallow with a vanilla and cardamom finish.

obituary cocktail

2 oz Gin (Bombay Dry)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 bsp Absinthe (1/8 oz Kübler)
1 bsp Herbsaint (1/8 oz)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After reading the Lift Your Spirits book about New Orleans' drinking culture, I realized that I had never written up the Obituary Cocktail despite having one at a hotel bar in New Orleans in 2010. Therefore, I set out to find a more definitive recipe out there such as perhaps the earliest published recipe, and instead, my search landed on a more modern one. This one published in Garden & Gun in 2018 was the recipe that Chris Hannah and Nick Detrich concocted for their Jewel of the South bar that was opening later that year. The two tweaks were upping the dry vermouth from the average recipe out there and splitting the absinthe with Herbsaint to craft in Hannah's words "a deadly spin on the Martini."The Obituary began with an anise and black licorice bouquet. Next, a semi-sweet sip slid into gin, anise, licorice, and herbal elements on the swallow.

charlotte's web

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Falernum (1/2 oz Velvet Falernum + 1/4 oz Simple)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a dehydrated grapefruit wheel and grated black lime (omit garnishes).Two Thursdays ago, I returned to Trevor Felch's San Francisco Cocktails and latched onto the egg white Sour called Charlotte's Web. The recipe was crafted by Wayne Longwell at Range Life, and it was named after the horror punk-themed headshop that was the building's previous tenant. Once prepared, the Charlotte's Web proffered smoke and citrus notes to the nose. Next, a creamy grapefruit and lime sip got tangled up in mezcal, grapefruit, and clove flavors on the swallow with a smoke-laden finish.

the country lawyer

1 1/2 oz Four Roses Bourbon
1/2 oz Zucca Amaro (Sfumato)
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I selected Trevor Felch's San Francisco Cocktails book and landed upon the Country Lawyer. This smoky-herbal Bourbon number was crafted by Casey Doolin at Park Tavern in 2011. In the glass, it provided an orange, earthy, and smoke aroma. Next, white wine and roast notes on the sip slid into Bourbon, herbal, and bitter smoke flavors on the swallow.

mickie walker cocktail

3/4 Scotch (2 oz Famous Grouse)
1/4 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Lacuesta Rojo)
1 dash Grenadine (1/8 oz)
1 dash Lemon Juice (1/8 oz)

Shake with ice (stir) and strain into a cocktail glass; I added a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I ventured into the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book and spotted the Mickie Walker Cocktail. Overall, the concept reminded me of a Rob Roy that took the hint of lemon juice and syrup approach that Maloney did in his Manhattan but with fruity notes of grenadine instead of basic simple syrup. While I was unable to find a Mickie Walker in the history books, there was a famous boxer around the time the book was published named Mickey Walker; the"Toy Bulldog" was the world welterweight and middleweight championships and was a top contender for the light-heavyweight and heavyweight titles. In the glass, the Mickie Walker served up a lemon, berry, and Scotch aroma. Next, plum and grape notes on the sip slipped into Scotch, herbal, and raisin flavors on the swallow.

the end of something

1 oz Absinthe (Kübler)
1 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Germain at work, St. Elder here)
1 oz Grapefruit Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a flute with 2-3 oz dry sparkling wine, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

At work, the general manager of Menton asked if there was a secret to making the Death in the Afternoon a good drink. I replied that there really was not; basically, either you enjoy the combination or you do not. Then that evening at Drink, a guest asked for an absinthe cocktail. I then recalled how well absinthe paired with pink grapefruit juice via one of the drinks at the Kübler Absinthe release party here in Boston pushed on me by woodland nymph characters circa October 2007. With that, I added elderflower liqueur to take the mix in a Bohemian direction, and cava to circle back to the conversation earlier that afternoon. For a name, I dubbed this one The End of Something after a short story by Ernest Hemingway as a nod to the Death in the Afteroon inspiration.When I got home that night, I decided to make one for myself to truly appreciate the combination past a mere straw taste. The End of Something welcomed the nose with grapefruit, anise, fennel, and sparkling wine aromas. Next, a carbonated grapefruit sip flowed into anise, floral, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

cave-in-rock

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Don's Spices #2 (1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup + 1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's))
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (10 drop St. George)

Short shake with ice, strain into a Tiki glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig (omit) and freshly grated nutmeg.

Two Fridays ago at Drink, I had a guest in a party of four ask for a Bourbon and vanilla drink. After stepping away from the group to make the round, I was inspired by the Tiki combination of vanilla and allspice dram called Don's Spices #2 that I discovered in the Nui Nui. The Bourbon Tiki drink the Fiji Mermaid inspired me in a grenadine, lemon, Angostura, and absinthe direction while pineapple juice as a buffer akin to the Pago Pago and others rounded out the recipe. Luckily, that guest was a Tiki fan, so they were pleased; I was concerned since I never checked back if a tropical direction was okay.When I got home, I was curious to recreate the combination for myself. For a name, I wanted to pay tribute to domestic piracy by dubbing this one after a base camp for pirates on the Ohio River -- namely Cave-in-Rock. Once prepared, the Cave-in-Rock ambushed the senses with a woody spice and fruity bouquet. Next, lemon and berry notes on the sip flowed into Bourbon, pineapple, vanilla, and allspice flavors on the swallow with a clove and anise finish.

champs elysees

3 glass Cognac (2 oz Du Peyrat Selection)
1 glass Chartreuse (1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse)
1 1/2 glass Sweetened Lemon Juice (1/2 oz regular Lemon Juice)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glasses (cocktail coupe); this recipe serves six (single version).After writing up the Seven Year Itch recipe here, I realized that I did not have the Champs Elysées on the blog despite having made it and posted it on my LiveJournal's recipe entries. This was something that I noticed through the years when I wrote up various drinks including the La Belle Epoque, Destiny Street, and Howling Winds. The earliest reference to the Champs Elysées appears in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book as a tribute to that ritzy shopping district in Paris. While it was written as a Green Chartreuse drink, it benefits from changing that identity to Yellow Chartreuse to bring forward the Cognac akin to a Sidecar. Made with this softer liqueur, the Champs Elysées donated a lemon, honey, and clove aroma to the senses. Next, lemon and honey mingled on the sip, and the swallow sealed the deal with Cognac, herbal, and allspice flavors.

the bloodborne of beverages

1 oz Rhum Agricole (Rhum Clement Premiere Canne)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Jagermeister

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I was skimming through the Kindred Cocktails database and became intrigued by the Bloodborne of Beverages. The recipe was crafted by Natalie Weizenbaum of Seattle in 2017, and the combination of rhum agricole and Campari reminded me of the Sleeping with Strangers with Jägermeister here instead of Swedish punsch and grapefruit bitters. In the glass, the Bloodborne of Beverages met the nose with a rhum funk, orange, and ginger bouquet. Next, caramel with hints of orange on the sip passed into grassy-funky rhum, bitter herbal, and orange flavors on the swallow.

21st century

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass rinsed with Pernod (Butterfly Absinthe).While writing up the Golden Phone, Jim Meehan's 21st Century was cited as the inspiration. Having not made that recipe from the PDT Cocktail Book before, I decided that it was time. Meehan's 20th Century riff breaks from tradition by not having an aromatized wine in the mix but counters with an addition of pastis. The book provided 2007 as its creation date at the Pegu Club with guidance from Audrey Saunders. In the glass, the 21st Century gave forth a lemon, black licorice, and chocolate aroma. Next, lemon on the sip advanced into tequila, cacao, and anise flavors on the swallow.

close enough for jazz

2 oz Gin (Bombay Dry)
3/4 oz Fino or Manzanilla Sherry (Tio Pepe Fino)
1/4 oz Honey Syrup 1:1

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe rinsed with absinthe (Kübler), and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, I was writing up the Close But No Cigar post, and I was inspired by the combination of Manzanilla sherry and honey in that Manhattan riff. I wondered how it would do in a Martini riff; I had used a 3:1 dry vermouth to syrup ratio in the As Perfect as a Limerick at Nahita, and I knew that it would come across like blanc vermouth. To round off the combination, I added an absinthe rinse instead of the inspiration's Peychaud's Bitters in the mix and the Scotch rinse, and in keeping close to the original in name, I dubbed this one Close Enough for Jazz.Close Enough for Jazz introduced the senses with lemon, anise, and juniper's pine aromas. Next, an off-dry white wine with hints of honey on the sip flowed into gin, honey, savory, and anise flavors on the swallow.

koki'o punch

2 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum (El Dorado 5 Year)
1 oz Hibiscus Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1 dash Bittermens Burlesque Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice. I strained into a Zombie glass with cracked ice and garnished with a lime wheel.
(*) A strong steap of hibiscus flower for 5 minutes to make a tisane or "tea". Combine with an equal volume of sugar and stir to dissolve.

Two weeks ago, I caught the news that Boston bar legend Aaron Butler had passed away. I met Aaron when he was on the opening staff for Drink in 2008; moreover, he helped to open Russell House Tavern as its bar manager in 2010. Those two locations are very dear to me for Russell House Tavern was where I got my start as a bartender in 2013, and Drink is my currently bar home as of November 2021. In fact, two weeks before Aaron's passing, we were chatting online about Drink's past and present and catching up on each others' lives. Aaron's passing was in the same week as Junior Ryan in Portland, Oregon, who I had met at Portland Cocktail Week 2012 and attended his Demystifying Vermouth class.

The longest legacy cocktail that Aaron had was the Battle of Trafalgar that was on the opening menu in 2010 and lasted on the menu for the two years that I was there and a few years past my leaving in 2015. That recipe with a half ounce of Batavia Arrack made Russell House Tavern the largest account for that spirit in the United States. After Aaron's passing, I made this recipe for guests at Drink, and the combination still held up; even without explanation of why I suggested it, they were recommending it to others in their party or to others at the bar around them. Later that week, bartender and musician Randy Wong posted a recipe, the Koki'o Punch, that Aaron had crafted for an Opus Affair event in 2011 where Randy's band, the Waitiki 7, performed. The recipe struck me as a parallel creation stylistically to the Battle of Trafalgar with the Pimm's base and St. Germain accent being substituted for the red and floral combination of rum, hibiscus, and Burlesque Bitters and with the honey swapped for falernum. That might be a stretch, but both had the three quarters ounce lime and the trademark half ounce of Batavia Arrack.

It took a bit of effort to find hibiscus tea for most stores sell it as part of an herbal blend. Andrea was able to find it in the ethnic aisle for it is big in Caribbean cultures. Once prepared, the Koki'o Punch donated a lime, berry, floral, and rum funk aroma to the nose. Next, lime and tart berry on the sip flowed into rum, Batavia Arrack funk, and clove flavors on the swallow.

heart throb

2 oz Flor de Caña 4 Year Rum (Bacardi 4 Year)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Giffard Grapefruit Liqueur (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Saturdays after getting back from my bar shift, I selected Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book for the evening's libation. There, I was lured in by Scott Teague's 2014 Daiquiri riff that reminded me of the Zombie Essence with grapefruit liqueur instead of juice here. Scott explained, "This spec was born out of our 'Gangster Time Daiquiri' sessions" which was their term for a Snaquiri. Once shaken and strained, the Heart Throb began with a cinnamon and grapefruit nose. Next, lime on the sip flowed into rum, grapefruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

sacred monkey forest

2 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe rinsed with smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year).

Two Thursdays ago, I was inspired by the Krakatoa that I had at Drink as a patron back in 2008 and that I started making in the past few weeks on the other side of that same bar. That night, I made a first pass at a riff, and I improved it a few days later. To the house classic, I removed the Chartreuse on fire aspect and included the liqueur in the mix. Taking a page from Avery's Arrack-Ari, I added in a smoky Scotch rinse, and from the Banana Toronto, I dosed in some banana liqueur to mingle with the Fernet. For a name, I uncovered the Sacred Monkey Forest which is a park in Indonesia (where Batavia Arrack is made) where one can feed and interact with the monkeys at one's own risk (yes, they do and will bite).The Sacred Monkey Forest began with a peat smoke and herbal nose. Next, caramel and tropical fruit notes on the sip swung into funky rum, bitter herbal, and banana flavors on the swallow.

panama papers

1 oz Plantation Pineapple Rum
1/2 oz Ginger Liqueur (King's Ginger)
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Orange Juice (Cara Cara)

Shake with ice, strain into a flute glass containing 2 oz champagne (La Burgondie Cremant de Bourgogne), and garnish with a lime twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I continued on with my search for sparkling wine recipes and recalled that there was one in T. Cole Newton's Cocktail Dive Bar called the Panama Papers. This pineapple wonder was crafted by Megan Devine at New Orleans' 12 Mile Limit. Once assembled, the Panama Papers proffered a lime, ginger, and sparkling wine aroma to the nose. Next, a carbonated white wine and pineapple sip wrote off rum, pineapple, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

seven year itch

1 1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Cane Sugar Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe with 1 1/2 oz dry sparking wine (La Burgondie Cremante de Bourgogne).Two Tuesdays ago, we had an opened bottle of sparkling wine, so I returned to Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book for a possible use. There, I was charmed by Eryn Reece's Seven Year Itch that she created in 2014 that came across like an apple brandy for Cognac Champs-Élysées plus bubbles. In the glass, the Seven Year Itch gave forth an apple and herbal bouquet. Next, lemon, apple, and honey notes on the sip led into apple, tart, and herbal flavors on the swallow.