black knight

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Cardamaro
2 dash Walnut Bitters (4 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixirs Walnut)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice; the Instagram post showed an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I was perusing online flashcards for the Ironside Fish & Oyster Bar in San Diego when I spotted the Black Knight that seemed like a curious Manhattan riff. I was able to date the recipe to around 2019 via an Instagram post by @artofpoison who had it there. Once prepared, the Black Knight reached the senses with an orange, rye, and grape aroma. Next, grape and dry plum notes on the sip lept to rye, herbal, and grape flavors on the swallow with a walnut finish. Perhaps making the Punt e Mes and Cardamaro each a half ounce might showcase the Cardamaro a bit more, but overall it was quite pleasant to drink.

cornerstone

1 1/2 oz Cachaça (Novo Fogo Bar Strength)
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/4 oz Fernet (Fernet Branca)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays prior, I was flipping through the Raising the Bar book by Jacob Grier and Brett Adams when I landed upon the Cornerstone by Dragon Axinte, founder of Novo Fogo Cachaça. I soon found a pair of references online that dated this drink to circa 2011, and Axinte crafted this after discovering Fernet as something that bartenders were into. Overall, the structure of spirit complemented by grenadine and Fernet reminded me of the Dickensian Villain and perhaps the Jim Rose (if you ignore the lime juice), so I was curious. Once stirred and strained, the Cornerstone showcased an orange oil, grassy funk, berry, and menthol aroma. Next, a red berry sip concluded with grassy melding into minty menthol flavors with red fruit undertones on the swallow.

crosseyed and painless

2 oz Privateer Amber Rum (now called Privateer New England Reserve)
1 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Peach Bitters (Fee's) (*)

Stir with ice and strain into an Herbsaint-rinsed double old fashioned glass.
(*) The original recipe called for a larger volume of a house peach bitters that was less intense in flavor profile, so I adapted the above for Fee's.Two Thursdays ago, I opened up my files for recipes sheets from when I worked at Russell House Tavern in Harvard Square from 2013 to 2015. There, I honed in on the Crosseyed & Painless that was similarly named after the 1980 Talking Heads song as this drink from New Orleans' Ace Hotel was. The recipe appeared on the Spring 2013 menu which was when I just started working there, and it was a Sazerac riff that utilized house-made peach bitters. I adapted the house recipe to utilize commercially available Fee's Peach Bitters, and that yielded anise, Cognac, and peach aromas. Next, a honey sip danced into rum, Cognac, peach, and clove flavors on the swallow. Perhaps a half barspoon of peach liqueur would yield a more authentic peach flavor that the two droppers full of our house tincture did instead of the more artificial tasting Fee's bitters.

bolt from the blue

1 oz Tequila (Olmeca Altos)
1 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
3/4 oz Averna
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with ice; no garnish was specified but a lemon or orange twist would work here.Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted a recipe from online flashcards for the Bolt from the Blue, and I was able to trace the recipe to the Ironside Fish & Oyster Bar in San Diego via a 2019 article in San Diego Magazine. The combination of agave spirits, Averna, Benedictine, and bitters reminded me of Misty Kalkofen's Beneficio de Café, so I was intrigued. In the glass, the Bolt from the Blue donated a vegetal, caramel, and light smoke aromas to the nose. Next, Averna's caramel filled the sip, and the swallow followed up with smoky agave, herbal, and clove flavors.

a kidnapped drink

1 1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz split Ginger-Honey Syrup (3/8 oz each)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a spritz of Angostura Bitters (4 drops).After writing up a Penicillin riff called the Juju Man, I became inspired to riff on its citrus, honey, ginger aspect. I mashed up this concept with the Cynar-Chartreuse The Drink of Laughter and Forgetting and named it A Kidnapped Drink after another Milan Kundera work, A Kidnapped West. I originally made it with the lemon juice common to most Penicillin riffs, but the Green Chartreuse called out for lime; I remade it that way, and my hunch was correct. With lime, the nose proffered the allspice and clove from the bitters garnish and herbaceuous accents from the Chartreuse. Next, caramel and lime on the sip were absconded by herbal, ginger, honey, herbaceous, and clove flavors on the swallow.

leather bound book

2 oz Johnny Drum Overproof Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Cardamaro
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Snake Oil Tobacco Bitters (homemade Smoking Ban Bitters) (*)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with absinthe (Kübler), and garnish with orange oil.
(*) Substitute Angostura Bitters here.Two Mondays ago, I came across an online recipe flashcard set that included an interesting Bourbon-Cardamaro drink that reminded me of the Rags to Riches from a few days prior but with cinnamon instead of vanilla syrup. I was able to track down the drink to a 2010 post on Alcademics about the new menu at Blackbird in San Francisco. The menu varied from the flashcard by calling for Snake Oil Tobacco Bitters instead of the more easily substitutable Angostura and an orange twist instead of a lemon one; therefore, I modified the flashcard recipe to reflect the menu's ingredients. Once prepared, the Leather Bound Book met the nose with orange, cinnamon, and anise aromas. Next, Cardamaro's grape on the sip transformed into Bourbon, cinnamon, earthy, and clove flavors on the swallow.

night rally

1 1/2 oz Siete Leguas Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I found a collection of recipe flashcards for Denver's American Bonded, and I honed in on the Night Rally as a bitter tequila drink. Yelp seems to suggest that it was created circa 2018. In the glass, the Night Rally approached with lemon, vegetal, grape, and hints of raisin aromas. Next, grape and caramel on the sip gathered before tequila, dark orange, and date flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

gusano rojo

1 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with cayenne chili powder.Two Saturdays ago when I got home from my barshift, I was feeling creative. Perhaps it was spotting the cayenne chili powder on the shelf, but I decided to make a mashup of the Red Grasshopper with the Mezcal Negroni as Negroni Week 2023 was coming up. I dubbed the end result the Gusano Rojo which is the Red Chili Worm that grows on mezcal plants. Once garnished, the Gusano Rojo opened up with vegetal, red pepper, and smoke aromas. Next, honey and lime on the sip crawled into vegetal and bitter orange flavors on the swallow with increasing amount of pepper heat over time.

remember the maine

1 jigger Rye Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse)
1/2 jigger Sweet Vermouth (3/4 oz Cocchi)
1-2 tsp Cherry Brandy (1/4 oz Cherry Heering)
1/2 tsp Absinthe (Kübler)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime or lemon twist (lemon).I realized when writing up the Julia's Hand and making reference to the Remember the Maine that I had never put that classic on the blog. It is a drink that I first made in November 2007 and put on my LiveJournal that I sourced from Salvatore Calabrese's Complete Home Bartender's Guide which described it as "a rusty red cocktail with a bitter sweet taste and an aniseed-flavored overlay"; moreover, it was a cocktail I mixed up frequently when I started bartending at Russell House Tavern in 2013 where it was on the menu. The recipe that I utilized above is the one from Charles H. Baker Jr.'s Jigger, Beaker, and Glass that Baker had in Havana in 1933. In the glass, the Remember the Maine rallied to the nose with lemon, cherry, and anise aromas. Next, grape and dark cherry on the sip sailed into rye, black cherry, and licorice flavors on the swallow.

physically forgotten

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Maraska)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I opened up the Raising the Bar book by Jacob Grier and Brett Adams and spied the Physically Forgotten by Alise Moffatt at Shift Drinks in Portland, Oregon. The combination of gin, Cynar, and Maraschino reminded me of drinks like the Yeoman Warder and Double Entendre, so I set to work in mixing one up. In the glass, the Physically Forgotten glistened with a lemon, nutty cherry, pine, and herbal aroma. Next, caramel-cherry notes on the sip led into gin, herbal, cherry, and orange flavors on the swallow.

four by four

3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Senior Dry Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
3/4 oz split Ginger/Honey Syrup (3/8 oz each)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I re-read Robert Simonson's article on Boston's number name cocktails that he wrote after purchasing my first book Drink & Tell: A Boston Cocktail Book at The Boston Shaker Store. What I missed last November was that Jackson Cannon left a comment a few days later to add on the Four by Four (a/k/a 4x4) that Katie Emmerson created at the Hawthorne. Its honey-ginger syrup fondly reminded me of the Juju Man that I made a few nights before, and with Smith & Cross in the mix, how could I resist? In the glass, the Four by Four donated caramel, rum funk, and orange aromas to the nose. Next, lemon, caramel, and honey notes on the sip traversed into funky rum, tropical, orange, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

caught in a cabaret

1 oz Blanco Tequila (Olmeca Altos)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Tuesdays ago, I spotted a reference to Ted Haigh's Millionaire variation that reminded me of a Charlie Chaplin with its apricot, sloe, and lime. That got me motivated to riff on that trio of ingredients, and I latched onto the sloe gin aspect and decided to mash the Charlie Chaplin up with Phil Ward's Lipspin that complements the sloe gin with tequila and Cynar. For a name, I dubbed this after one of Charlie Chaplin's films and called it Caught in a Cabaret. Once prepared the Caught in a Cabaret welcomed the senses with vegetal, lime, salinity, and orchard fruit aromas. Next, lime and red fruit on the sip danced into funky, vegetal, cherry, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

juju man

1 oz Black Strap Rum (Cruzan)
1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/8 oz Honey Syrup
3/8 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a glass; the photo showed an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube and garnished with a cube of candied ginger on a pick (omit garnish).Two Mondays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice app on my phone and landed upon the Juju Man by Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin at Lion Lion in 2017. The recipe was described as "the Penicillin but in funky rum form," and I was curious to try this rum take on Sam Ross' modern classic with thoughts of Meaghan Dorman's Amoxicillin and John Gertsen's Panacea in mind. In the glass, the Juju Man proffered a molasses, rum funk, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and lemon notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow danced its way in with dark rum, funk, honey, and ginger flavors.

rags to riches

2 oz Fighting Cock Bourbon (Wild Turkey 101°)
3/4 oz Cardamaro
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
2 dash Root Beer Bitters (The Bitter Queens Sarsparilla)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube.Two Sunday mornings ago, I was scanning a collection of flashcards from the now closed Pouring Ribbons in Manhattan, and I spotted the Rags to Riches from their Spring 2015 menu. The recipe called for vanilla syrup which I have been out of for a while, so I decided to make a batch that would be ready for my nightcap after my bar shift that evening. Once prepared, this Manhattan variation of sorts conjured up Bourbon, plum, and vanilla aromas. Next, grape and plum notes on the sip transformed into Bourbon, herbal, root beer, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

critical mass

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Aperol
1/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/8 oz Green Chartreuse

Stir with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora glass.Two Saturdays ago, I was perusing a set of online flashcards when I spotted a drink called Critical Mass. I was able to identify the source as the Burritt Room in San Francisco via a 2010 Thrillist article. Overall, I was lured in since it reminded me of Eastern Standard's Prospect Park with a hint of Chartreuse instead of Maraschino. Once prepared, the Critical Mass met the nose with rye and herbaceous aromas. Next, grape and orange notes on the sip led into rye, herbal, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow.

julia's hand

1 1/2 oz Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Orange Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/4 oz Cherry Liqueur (Cherry Heering)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Fridays ago, I spotted a recipe called Julia's Hand in an online flashcard set, and I was able to confirm the recipe in a 2017 article in Celebrity Tastemaker. The drink was crafted by Tonia Guffey at Featherweight in Brooklyn that appeared like it might come across like a smoky and orange version of the Remember the Maine. In the glass, Julia's Hand gave forth peat smoke and orange aromas. Next, grape and cherry notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow wrapped things up with smoky Scotch, cherry, and orange flavors on the swallow.

wiffin

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
1 dash Absinthe (20 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the Raising the Bar book by Jacob Grier and Brett Adams and became intrigued by the Wiffin. The recipe was adapted by David Wondrich who based it off a description of a drink in a P.G. Wodehouse short story "The Passing of Ambrose." Overall, the concept reminded me of a more gin than Cognac version of the classic Ampersand with the addition of absinthe as well. In the glass, the Wiffin wafted lemon, grape, pine, and anise aromas to the nose. Next, a grape-driven sip led into gin, Cognac, herbal, licorice, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, the Cognac donated body to an almost Martinez-like libation.

:: rum choice for cocktails talk ticket link and interview ::

Tickets now available for my rum talk, "Rum Choice for Cocktails: How to classify rums, understand their flavors, and use what you’ve got" at Gustazo in Waltham next Thursday the 21st at 7pm -- $15 to cover the cost of 2 half cocktails:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cocktail-class-with-fred-yarm-gustazo-tickets-717519749887

More information about Boston Rum Week: https://bostonrumweek.com

I'll also be a judge for the Daiquiri competition at Shore Leave on Monday the 18th. And here are my answers to the interview questions to help promote my talk:Rum is often used in place of whiskey to make "riffs" on classic cocktails; for instance, the Rum Old Fashioned. Do you have any personal guidelines, observations, or tendencies about developing new cocktail specs based on whiskey-to-rum substitution? And how do you contend with the wide range of flavor profiles that rum has to offer?

Substitutions depend on what whiskey was used in the original. For something smoother like a Bourbon, an aged rum with a good pot still component such as a Barbados rum works well. For a spicier whiskey like rye, a more aggressive aged Jamaican rum like Smith & Cross will deliver. Scotch can be tricky, but sometimes the earthy and smoky Batavia Arrack can fill in. Rum also functions well in a split-base situation, such as including funky Jamaican rum with rye or Scotch, aged Demerara or other less aggressive rums with Bourbon, etc. A lot has to do with what the other components are, such as using an easier rum when combined with an amaro like Braulio or opting for a more aggressive rum when mixed with something smoother like Benedictine or a fruit liqueur.

What are your thoughts on the resurgent New England rum scene? Do you think there is such a thing as "New England-Style Rum"?

At Tales of the Cocktail in 2010, my wife went seeking an answer to this question especially since our house is between the locations of the old rum distillery in Somerville and the famous rum distilleries in Medford, Mass. She spoke to Wayne Curtis, who introduced her to Jeff Berry, who brought her over to Steve Remsberg. Steve asked her if she had ever tasted old New England rum, and then bestowed the honor of inviting us to a rum tasting at his house after Tales was over. The first rum the whole group tasted before we moved on to old Jamaican specimens and pre-Fidel Cuban rums was a 17-year-old Austin, Nichols & Co. Old New England Rum distilled and aged in Everett, Mass., with a hope that the style would be revived. It was something between a rum and a Bourbon, with light stone fruit notes and a twang at the end over the aged molasses flavors. Mind you, this was a year before Privateer started, although there were a few like Thomas Tew and Ryan & Wood starting the concept moving in 2009 and 2006, respectively. New England-style rum seems to carry on the tradition of using molasses and pot stills (although some of the pot stills are almost like a column when run in hybrid mode), ex-Bourbon barrels, and eschewing sweeteners and additives. The more moderate climate than the Caribbean also centers the flavors a bit. While there is not a definitive note like the hogu of rhum agricole, much of New England-style rum clusters well on a flavor spectrum.

What is the level of acceptance you've seen of cocktails based on highly funky rums among the Boston-area cocktail-drinking community?

Jim Romdall at a Tales of the Cocktail talk declared that funk is the seasoning to rum cocktails, and that all rum cocktails taste better with a bit of funk. While not everyone is ready for a full two ounces of Smith & Cross in a drink, there is a large contingent here in Boston that gets excited about those drinks and seeks them out. For the less cocktail-savvy contingent, perhaps leaving out the funk or making it more accessible, like a barspoon or two of agricole as a supplement, might be a better choice. But for the more experienced, full-on or split spirits drinks utilizing Batavia Arrack, high-ester Jamaican, and rhum agricole have gotten folks excited, especially when I could hold a conversation such as when I bartended at Drink or could put it on a menu with the right descriptors.

How have your personal preferences towards cocktails shifted over the years?

When I started in 2006, there was so much excitement about the classics and modern recipes of the day coming from New York City and elsewhere that were based on them. For example, the 1940s-era Stork Club Cocktail was something that I found cool when it was on the menu at Green Street, but these days few would opt for an orange juice-Pegu Club over a Naked & Famous. As the bar scene locally and on the internet got more savvy, complex recipes were more accessible even if they served a small percentage of the cocktail drinkers. Learning how to balance aggressive things like Fernet Branca or bring out flavor synergies with Swedish punsch became a badge of pride. Lately, since the majority of my drinking occurs after I get home late at night from a bar shift, I tend to drink more stirred and spirits forward drinks with amaro being a frequent ingredient. I will not say no to a forgotten classic, but since I try to drink something new every night, most of those have been covered. If it is not the new drink of the night, an Old Fashioned or a Daiquiri sure hits the spot.

Are there any trends you would like to see take root in the cocktail world?

There are lots of fortified wines that got overlooked as sherry took the pole position. Madeira has a historical basis in mixed drinks and has four noble varieties ranging in sweetness that work especially well with rum and whiskey. Rancio sec, though not fortified, falls somewhere between Madeira and sherry and has generally been overlooked throughout the ages. Aromatized wines like quinquinas, such as Byrrh and Dubonnet, are still overlooked despite having a historical role in the cocktail lexicon, and frequently I see the classics modified to sweet vermouth that lacks the bitter complexity (but are found in all bars). There are so many answers to this question, but it makes me seem less curmudgeonly than answering the question of what trends that I would like to see go away.

Do you have a "kryptonite" cocktail ingredient, that you are intrigued by in principle, but find frustratingly difficult to incorporate into cocktails?

Finding a use for crème de violette other than in an Aviation that I would want to repeat would be awesome.

sayonara

3/4 oz Tequila (Altos)
3/4 oz Apple Brandy (Morin Calvados Selection)
3/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Simple Syrup (1/4 oz)
1 dash Scrappy's Firewater Bitters (homemade Hellfire Bitters)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing the online flashcard set for the Zig Zag Café in Seattle, and I spotted the Sayonara as a spicy split base tequila-apple brandy drink. I was able to find a mention in a 2010 GQ article that declared, "Behold the Sayonara, whose slow, intense pepper-infused-tequila burn can only be soothed by the sourness from a sip of the same drink: fire and extinguisher in a single glass." Once prepared, the Sayonara welcomed the senses with a vegetal, apricot, lime, and red pepper aroma. Next, a lime-driven sip waved at tequila, apple, apricot, and hot pepper spice flavors on the swallow.

telling phoebe

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.

Two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make a drink out of a book that I purchased at my final visit to The Boston Shaker store before it closed for good, namely Raising the Bar book by Jacob Grier and Brett Adams. I soon flipped to the Fernet section and became entranced with the Telling Phoebe by Chantal Tseng due to the Fernet-Benedictine duo that I learned about in early Boston drinks like the Cadet and the Down & Brown and that I utilized in the Campo Viejo. Chantal created this as a homage to R.O. Kwon's The Incentiary during one of her recurrent literary cocktail theme nights. With sweet vermouth in the mix, it also reminded me of the Doberman.Once prepared, the Telling Phoebe proffered peat smoke, herbal, and menthol aromas to the nose. Next, grape, caramel, and malt notes on the sip gave way to smoky Scotch, gentian bitter, and minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.

beauty sleep

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/2 tsp Amaro Nardini

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a big ice cube.Two Mondays ago, I began searching the Kindred Cocktails database for a recipe. There, I spied the Beauty Sleep crafted by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2014 that reminded me of The Brigantine with its American whiskey, Cocchi Americano, and Amaro Nonino structure. However, the Beauty Sleep called for Bourbon instead of rye, and a splash of Amaro Nardini instead of Peychaud's. In the glass, the Beauty Sleep ventured forward with caramel, orange, and a hint of mint to the nose. Next, caramel and orchard fruit on the sip tossed and turned into Bourbon, caramel, root beer, and a hint of almost licorice flavor on the swallow.

loaded pistol

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Strega
1 dash Grapefruit Bitters (Scrappy's Black Lemon)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice and rimmed (*) with grasshopper salt (regular salt).
(*) I later found on the Bartender at Large page on Facebook has the bar sprinkled grasshopper salt over the ice cube.Two Sundays ago, I was scanning through the online flashcards for the Raised By Wolves bar, and I spotted the Loaded Pistol by Erick Castro at Polite Provisions in 2019. The structure with Strega in the mix reminded me of Chris Hannah recipes like the Night Tripper and Rebennack, so I was intrigued. I was able to confirm the recipe on Difford's Guide which specified that the garnish of grasshopper salt was a rim (unclear application on the flashcards); I later found on Erick's Bartender at Large page on Facebook, that it was a sprinkle on top of the ice. Without the grasshopper aspect in play, the Loaded Pistol shot forth with a smoke and red fruit aroma to the nose. Next, cherry and red grape notes on the sip recoiled into smoky agave and Strega's herbal-spice flavors on the swallow.

bonnie prince charlie

2 oz Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Drambuie
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Build in an old fashioned glass, add ice, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I returned home from my bar shift in need of a nightcap. Therefore, I opened up the Bartender's Choice app and landed upon the Bonnie Prince Charlie by Brandon Bramhall at Attaboy in Manhattan circa 2018. While the name reminded me of the Bonnie Prince Charles, instead of a Cognac-Drambuie Sour, it was described as "Rusty Nail-esque. Slightly less intense with the addition of sherry." As a Scotch, Amontillado sherry, and Drambuie stirred drink, it reminded me of the Carpenter's Hand and Camino Del Ray that utilized Armagnac and añejo tequila, respectively. Once prepared, the Bonnie Prince Charlie showed off a lemon, honey, and smoke aroma. Next, grape and honey on the sip led into smoky Scotch, dried fruit, honey, herbal, clove, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

rosales

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Cynar
1 dash Grapefruit Bitters (Bittercube Jamaican #2)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe (no instructions were provided so this is how I served it).After my bar shift two Fridays ago, I made a recipe that I had noted the night before from the Zig Zag Café flashcards called the Rosales. I was able to spot references to it in a pair of menu photos on Yelp in Spring 2017, and I was lured in for it made me think that it was a Rosita riff. The Rosales once prepared displayed a smoky, vegetal, and orange aroma. Next, orange and caramel on the sip turned into smoky, vegetal, herbal-bitter, and plum flavors on the swallow.

rear admiral

1 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1 dash Absinthe (12 drop Copper & Kings)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the online set of flashcards that I found from the Zig Zag Café in Seattle, and I spotted the tropical Smith & Cross Daiquiri of sorts called the Rear Admiral. I was not able to find a reference for it on Yelp or other parts of the web, but the combination of crème de banane and allspice dram has worked well before such as in the Meauxbar Rye Cocktail, so I gave it a shot. Once prepared, the Rear Admiral donated a rum funk, pineapple, banana, and allspice aroma to the nose. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip sailed into funky rum, caramelized banana, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

heck fire

1 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
1 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Aged Pot Still Rum (Smith & Cross)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I needed a nightcap after my bar shift so I turned to the Bartender's Choice app. There, I uncovered the Heck Fire by Sam Ross at Nashville's Attaboy circa 2019, and the mezcal, blanc vermouth, and Green Chartreuse components reminded me of Sother Teague's version of the Disco Ball, but here with the aged rum instead of Yellow Chartreuse. In the glass using Smith & Cross as the rum choice, the Heck Fire gave forth smoke, vegetal, and tropical funk aromas. Next, a semi-sweet white grape sip stepped aside for smoky, vegetal, herbaceous, caramel, and rum funk flavors on the swallow.

coperta da sci

3/4 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
3/4 oz Amaro Braulio
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I selected Kara Newman's Nightcap book and honed in on Kelly Thorn's Coperta Da Sci created Empire State South in Atlanta. The name translated to "ski lodge blanket" which made it seem like it was too early in the year to try it, but I was lured in by the call for Braulio. Once assembled, the drink showcased an orange, caramel, and grape bouquet to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes continued on into the sip where they were followed by apple, caramel, bitter, chocolate, and mint flavors on the swallow.

protect ya neck

1 1/2 oz Aged Rhum Agricole (JM Gold)
3/4 oz Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
1/2 oz Peach Liqueur (Mathilde)
1/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe (old fashioned glass), and garnish with a lemon wheel (lemon twist).Two Mondays ago, I spotted Chad Austin's Everyone Has a F*cking Cocktail Book in the drink book shelves, and I began to flip through the pages to find something to make. There, I landed on the Protect Ya Neck (Killa Bees on the Set) that reminded me a little of the Missionary's Downfall with the rum, honey and peach liqueur in the mix. The combination of rhum agricole and Cognac is one that has worked in Her Majesty's Pearl and A Rum with a Vieux and I utilized in the Prelude to a Broken Arm, so I was curious to give it the recipe a try. In the glass, it conjured up lemon, peach, and grassy aromas. Next, a creamy lemon and orchard fruit sip launched into grassy, lemon, peach, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

the staggerly

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse Bonded)
3/4 oz Aquavit (Linie)
3/4 oz Amaro Nardini

The recipe did not specify serving instructions other than an orange twist, so I prepared like an Old Fashioned – stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays ago, I uncovered an online collection of recipe flashcards from the Zig Zag Café in Seattle and landed upon the Staggerly. I was able find an early reference to it in a 2013 Yelp review, and it was described in the 2018 book 100 Things to Do in Seattle Before You Die. I was lured in by the rye-aquavit combination that David Wondrich utilized in 2005 in the Old Bay Ridge and I later used in cocktails like the Nude Descending a Staircase. Once assembled the Staggerly donated a lemon, caramel, caraway, and herbal bouquet to the nose. Next, the amaro's caramel filled the sip, and the swallow gave forth rye, caraway, caramel, bitter, and minty flavors.

northern lights

1 1/2 oz Islay Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
3/4 oz Fino Sherry (Tio Pepe)
3/4 oz Aperol

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.After my bar shift two Saturdays ago, I returned once again to the Bartender's Choice app as a quick source of a recipe. There, I spotted the Northern Lights that was not the Northern Lights at Craigie on Main (albeit both have Scotch) or the one as a Malört version of Trader Vic's Port Light. This one was Sam Ross' creation circa 2017 at Manhattan's Attaboy that reminded me of a Contessa but with Scotch and Fino instead of gin and dry vermouth. Here, the Northern Lights opened up with a glow of lemon, peat smoke, and orange aromas. Next, a semi-crisp orange and malt sip progressed into smoky Scotch, almond, and orange flavors on the swallow.

sunset park

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.After my bar shift two Fridays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice app and found the Sunset Park. The recipe was crafted by Michael Madrusan at Manhattan's Milk & Honey circa 2009 as "a lighter, summery Manhattan inspired by Frank's Special (Frank Meier's 1934 combo of gin, dry vermouth, peach liqueur)" that he named after a neighborhood in Brooklyn. In the glass the Sunset Park welcomed the senses with a lemon, rye, apricot, and clove bouquet. Next, a semi-dry orchard fruit sip flowed into rye, bitter apricot, cinnamon, and allspice flavors on the swallow. Over all, it came across like a lighter Slope or less herbal-bitter Mulberry Bend.