mr. hyde

1 oz Amaro Nardini
1 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1 Strawberry
1 sprig Mint
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Muddle the strawberry, add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an additional mint sprig.Two Fridays ago, I was listening to Vinepair's Cocktail College where host Tim McKirdy was interviewing Kyle Davidson about the Art of Choke that he created at the Violet Hour in Chicago, and Kyle mentioned his user name of 'Sasquatch' on the Kindred Cocktails database. There, I found the Mr. Hyde that Kyle created at the Violet Hour and had uploaded to the database himself in 2010. In the glass, Mr. Hyde donated a strawberry and mint aroma. Next, caramel, berry, and grape notes on the sip transformed into herbal flavors melding into a dry strawberry one on the swallow with a mint finish.

pyre of minerva

2 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
3/8 oz Velvet Falernum
3/8 oz Fernet Branca
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I was perusing an online recipe flashcard set for Polite Provisions when I spotted the Pyre of Minerva. I then realized that Jacob Mentel had posted it in a comment on my blog after I mentioned that I had been looking for a recipe that he alluded to on a Bartender At Large episode, and when I could not find it, I made a similar drink that I found on Kindred Cocktails called the Velvet Smoking Jacket with mezcal. The drink that Jacob based it on at Wormwood in San Diego was a less bitter one called Fatherly Advice as an Old Fashioned of 2 ounces of Laphroaig sweetened by a half ounce of falernum. Once prepared, the Pyre of Minerva lit up with lemon, peat smoke, and bitter herbal aromas. Next, a semi-sweet sip with a hint of caramel ignited into smoky Scotch, minty, herbal, and clove flavors on the swallow.

castle garden

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I ventured back to the online recipe flashcards from Manhatta in New York City, and I spotted the Castle Gardens that I then tracked down to a September 2018 photo on Yelp. The flashcard described how "Castle Garden is the former name of what we know as Battery Park in the late 1800s. It was the site where many people first stepped foot on U.S. soil." The combination of lemon, honey, and Benedictine was one that I used with success in the dry vermouth-based aperitif French Film and enjoyed in the applejack-based Fecamp 500 and Bourbon-based Bail Out. In the glass, the Castle Island donated a pine and herbal bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and honey on the sip led to juniper, herbal, and clove flavors on the swallow.

apropos barbados

2 oz Plantation 5 Year Barbados Rum (R.L. Seale 10 Year)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with drops of Peychaud's Bitters.Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for the 2012 menu at the Dorrance in Providence, Rhode Island. There, I opted for the Apropos Barbados that had the rum, apricot, falernum, and lime combination of the To the Sun but here with egg white. Moreover, the rum, apricot, and falernum trio was one I had success with in the Mount Pelée at Loyal Nine. In the glass, the Apropos Barbados greeted the senses with an anise aroma from the Peychaud's Bitters garnish. Next, a creamy lime sip with hints of orchard fruit sailed into rum, apricot, clove, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

billy batts

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Aged Full-Bodied Rum (R.L. Seale 10 Year)
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist and an expressed orange peel.Two Mondays ago, I found an online recipe flashcard set for Born & Raised in San Diego dating to 2022. There, I was lured in by the Billy Batts as perhaps a Little Italy crossed with Chad Austin's I Want to Believe, and I was able to spot the drink on a Yelp menu photo in January 2023. Billy Batts was the nickname of William Devino of the Gambino crime family, so the connection to the Little Italy might be very apropos given the syndicate's New York City base. In the glass, the Billy Batts gave forth an orange, lemon, and caramel aroma. Next, grape and caramel mingled on the sip and were followed by rye, rum, funky herbal, and raisin flavors on the swallow with an allspice finish.

after midnight

2 oz Johnnie Walker Red Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Bauchaunt (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass, and garnish with flamed orange oils from a twist.Two Sundays ago, I began perusing the recipe collection from Eastern Standard that came by way of an old bartender there, and I decided upon the After Midnight as a Rob Roy of sorts. I was able to find the drink on a 2016 menu photo on Yelp with the subtitle "And I've got you on my mind" suggesting that it is an Eric Clapton song reference. Overall, it felt like if Eastern Standard's Coup d'État usurped some of Chuck Taggart's Hoskins Cocktail that was on their menu for our first visit back in June 2007. Once prepared, the After Midnight showcased an orange and nutty cherry bouquet. Next, a grape-driven sip gave way to smoky Scotch, orange, herbal, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow.

allie elizabeth sleeping

1 oz Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Peloton de la Muerte)
3 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to KindredCocktails to make a recipe that I had spotted earlier called the Allie Elizabeth Sleeping. The drink created by Sean Muller at Dram in Brooklyn won the September 2013 New York Ciry-regional sherry-themed flash competition on ShakeStir. The combination reminded me a little of the Haitian Divorce with funky Smith & Cross in place of the Barbancourt and with dry vermouth in the mix. Once prepared, the Allie Elizabeth Sleeping awoke with a tropical funk, smoke, and dried fruit bouquet. Next, plum and raisin notes on the sip turned over to funky rum, vegetal, smoke, dark cherry, and raisin flavors on the swallow.

do the right thing

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye
1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
2/3 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/3 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 bsp Disaronno Amaretto (1/8 oz)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Fridays ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I came across the Do The Right Thing. What I believe is a reference to Spike Lee's influential 1989 movie, this drink was crafted by Isaac Cohen in 2015 at the Iris Cafe in Brooklyn a few miles from where the movie was filmed. Overall, the combination reminded me of a rye-based Brooklyn crossed with An Apple Tree Grows in Brooklyn but with amaretto subbing for the nutty Maraschino. Once in the glass, the Do the Right Thing came forward with lemon, apple, and caramel orange aromas. Next, a caramel-noted sip marched into rye, apple, and bitter dark orange flavors on the swallow.

franklin & broadway

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Peated Scotch (Ardbeg 10 Year)
1/2 oz Averna
1/4 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Thursdays ago, I had spotted a recipe on the Instagram account for Chip Welsh (@chips_classic_cocktails), a bartender at The Fig & The Barrel Pub in York City, Pennsylvania, called the Franklin & Broadway. While there are many intersections of Broadway and Franklin including one here in Somerville, Massachusetts, there was a famous one that was New York's most fashionable shopping district in the mid-19th century. This Black Manhattan of sorts began with peak smoke and caramel on the nose. Next, caramel and a hint of cherry on the sip transitioned into rye, smoky Scotch, herbal, and nutty cherry flavors with a peat smoke finish

it never was a cocktail

1 oz Old Forester 100° Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Aperol
1 oz Amaro Meletti

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wdnesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard collection for Analogue in Manhattan, and the It Never Was a Cocktail called out to me for it reminded me of the Automatic's Prince Royal given the Bourboun, Meletti, and Aperol combination but here without the Averna. Once prepared, the drink proffered up an orange, caramel, and floral bouquet. Next, caramel and orange notes on the sip subsided into Bourbon, violet, cola, and orange flavors on the swallow. Overall, it was a touch sweet but enjoyable, and I commented on my Instagram post that "I could see this having lemon [juice] in equal parts akin to a Paper Plane."

jolly jane

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro

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

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by the Cutty Sark brand ambassador about organizing an event with the Boston chapter of the bartenders' guild (USBG). As we brainstormed about adventures in the city, I mentioned that there was a guided crime tour, and the ambassador perked up and replied that it would coincide with how the brand was created to be smuggled into the United States during Prohibition. When I later looked up this up, I confirmed that the brand was born in 1923 by British wine and spirit merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd for American drinkers in the midst of the Noble Experiment that the company named after a style of ship involved in various smuggling operations between 1920 and 1933. Two weeks ago, we gathered to meet up with the tour guide, and the tour began with tales of the Winter Hill Gang. Next, the Brinks bank heist, piracy, art thievery at the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, and Italian mobsters were all covered, but it was the serial killers that got many of us intrigued. While the tales of the Boston Strangler and the path that serial killers progress through caught our attention, I was taken by the tales of Jolly Jane which had to be the most ironic name of the tour. Jolly Jane was Jane Toppan, an 1890s serial killer who used her role as a nurse and her association with Massachusetts General Hospital to target patients and their family. Though she confessed to 31 murders, she was only tried and convicted of 12 and sentenced to life in the Taunton Insane Asylum.That evening, I decided to mark the occasion by naming a drink after the criminal who I could not forget. I was inspired by writing up The Manhatta for the blog earlier that day with the Punt e Mes and Lustau East India Solera Sherry combination. I opted for Amaro Ciociaro which added an elegance to this Scotch drink that Aperol and Campari did not provide in previous iterations. In the glass, the Jolly Jane began with an orange and plum aroma. Next, grape, caramel, and malt notes on the sip led to Scotch, raisin, caramel, and orange flavors on the swallow.

there is no spoon

3/4 oz Sombra Mezcal (1 oz Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti (1 oz)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano (1 oz)
3 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards from Analogue in Manhattan. There, I latched onto the There is no Spoon that contained the mezcal-Ramazzotti combination in a three equal parts formula that I enjoyed in Paul MacDonald's The Great Satan with Punt e Mes instead of Cocchi Americano. Once stirred and strained, the There is no Spoon showcased a lemon, smoke, and vegetal bouquet. Next, a caramel and pear noted sip fled towards smoky mezcal, grapefruit, caramel, and root beer flavors on the swallow with orange on the finish.

the manticore

2 oz Beefeater Gin
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1 tsp Giffard Menthe Pastille (Tempus Fugit Crème de Menthe)
1 tsp Cinnamon Syrup
1 1/2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Sundays ago, I reached for Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book, and there I spied the Manticore by Scott Teague circa 2014. The concept of a spiced and minty gin Old Fashioned of sorts with the only other gin Old Fashioned popping into my head being Phil Ward's Elder Fashion made me curious enough to mix one up for myself. Once prepared, the Manticore welcomed the nose with lemon aromas from the twist plus hint of mint and cinnamon. Next, a semi-sweet sip revealed pine, mint, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

st. bernard pass

2 oz Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
3/4 oz Amaro Braulio
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I was perusing one of the online recipe flashcard sets for Raines Law Room in Manhattan when I came across the St. Bernard Pass that I was able to spot on their Instagram in a January 2020 post. Overall, it was very similar to a cocktail of a similar name created by Jan Andrew Brown at Drink that he made for me at a guest shift at the Hawthorne back in 2015, but with here with sherry and less Braulio. Both drinks were probably named after a mountain landmark near the distillery where Braulio is crafted. In the glass, the St. Bernard's Pass offered up a lemon, Cognac, raisin, and pine bouquet. Next, caramel and date notes on the sip climbed towards Cognac, fig, and pine flavors on the swallow with an orange finish.

monkey wrench

2 oz Compass Box Artists Blend Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
3/4 oz Giffard Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash (1/4 oz) Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. The drawing of the drink on the menu posted on the bar's Instagram confirms that it is not served on the rocks.Two Fridays ago, I uncovered an online recipe flashcard set for The Old Pal in Athens, George. In the section of Winter 2024 drinks, the Monkey Wench called out to me, and it read like a Scotch version of the Away Colors given the Fernet and banana liqueur. I was able to find on their Instagram that the drink appeared the year prior as well via a December 2022 post showcasing their menu launch. Once mixed, the Monkey Wrench loosed up with a lemon, caramel, and menthol aroma. Next, malt and caramel on the sip spun into Scotch, smoke, and tropical bitter flavors on the swallow with a minty, smoke, and banana finish.

dtcc ii

2 oz Lot 40 Rye (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
2 bsp Simple Syrup (1/4 oz)
3 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I ventured back to the online recipe flashcaard set from Seventy7 Lounge in Culver City, California, where I had previously sourced the Funky Pirate. The one that stood out next was the DTCC II that perhaps stood for the bar's location in "Downtown Culver City" with the first DTCC being a citrus-containing drink the year prior to this 2017 creation. The combination of whiskey, Ciociaro, and Sfumato reminded me of my Scotch-based Kilted Flower that was inspired by a pair of New York City recipes, namely the African Flower and Maravilla. In the glass, the DTCC II offered up lemon, roast, and herbal aromas. Next, caramel and roast notes on the sip slid into rye, bitter orange, and smoky char flavors on the swallow.

captain hook

1 1/2 oz Jamaican Rum (Appleton Signature)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Dry shake and pour into a Collins glass rinsed with absinthe (Butterfly), fill with crushed ice, and float Angostura Bitters (3 dash).Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice app and came across the Captain Hook by Brandon Bramhall at Attaboy in Nashville circa 2018. The app did not identify the Jamaican rum, but I was able to uncover via online recipe flashcards that the bar uses Appleton. Given the name, it seems like a riff on the Captain's Blood from the 1947 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide (1 1/2 oz Jamaican rum, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1 tsp Angostura Bitters, although generally adapted to contain a balancing sweetener) with a split of rums, crushed ice, absinthe rinse, and the bitters floated instead of incorporated. Once prepared, the Captain Hook's bitters float donated clove and allspice aromas to the nose. Next, a crisp lime sip with hints of caramel sailed into funky rum, caramel, licorice, and anise flavors on the swallow.

the rest is noise

1 oz Daron Fine Calvados (Morin Selection)
1 oz Linie Aquavit
>1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1 pinch Salt (3 drop 20% Saline)

Stir with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass rinsed with Laphroaig Scotch.Two Tuesdays prior, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Chicago's The Violet Hour, and I stumbled onto the apple-herbal The Rest is Noise from their Summer 2022 menu. The flashcards described it as a "Scandanavian smoky Sazerac", and the photo I took reminded me of Pouring Ribbons' Parade of the Fairies despite Chartreuse being the only overlapping ingredient. Once prepared, The Rest is Noise started off with a peat smoke aroma from the Laphroaig rinse. Next, apple notes on the sip continued on into the swallow where they were joined by complementary herbaceous and caraway flavors.

black & red lumberjack

1 1/2 oz Russell's Reserve Rye (Old Overholt 86°)
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur (Mr. Black)
1/4 oz Giffard Pamplemousse (St.Elder)

No instructions were provided so I stirred and strained into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube. A grapefruit twist would not be out of place here.Two Mondays ago, my searching uncovered a set of online recipe flashcards for Pammy's in Cambridge, and the Red & Black Lumberjack from the 2018 menu called out to me as coffee Boulevardier of sorts. In the glass, the Red & Black Lumberjack opened up with a caramel, coffee, herbal, and pine bouquet. Next, caramel and roast notes on the sip chopped into rye, bitter orange and coffee, and pine flavors on the swallow.

promises, promises

1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
1/4 oz Giffard Pamplemousse (St. Elder)
7 drop Bittermens Grapefruit Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays ago, I reached for Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake's Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em book and landed on the Promises, Promises by Nicholas Jarrett. Jarrett was inspired by Julie Reiner's Gin Blossom and Phil Ward's Elder Fashion, and a blog post suggested that it was served at Cure as early as 2015. In the glass, the Promises, Promises gave forth an orange and orchard fruit bouquet. Next, pear notes on the sip slid into gin and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

presidential suite

1 oz Old Overholt Rye (86°)
1 oz Old Forester 100° Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz @cruzanrum Black Strap Rum
1/4 oz Honey Syrup (3/8 oz 1:1)
2 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with an ice sphere (big cube), and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for the Patterson House in Nashville and became intrigued by the 3-spirit Old Fashioned riff called the Presidential Suite. I was able to get an approximate date to its creation when I spotted it on a 2014 menu photo on Yelp. Once prepared, the Presidential Suite opened up with an orange and molasses aroma. Next, caramel and honey notes on the sip transformed into American whiskey, dark rum, and orange flavors on the swallow.

the manhatta

2 oz New York Distilling Ragtime Rye (Templeton)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
2 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry and orange oil from a twist.Two Fridays ago, I unearthed an online recipe flashcard set for Danny Meyer's restaurant in Manhattan's financial district called Manhatta that opened in 2018. The drink that I started with was The Manhatta as the seasonal Manhattan variation that was put on the menu in Spring of 2019. For the vermouth element, it was a combination of Punt e Mes with Lustau's East India Solera Sherry which I have enjoyed before in Blossom Bar's Tito Puente and Death & Co.'s Night Owl. Once stirred and strained, the Manhatta showcased an orange and raisiny grape bouquet. Next, grape with a hint of creaminess on the sip flowed into rye, bitter herbal, oxidized sherry, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.

mezcal me maybe

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pamplemousse (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cinnamon powder swirl.Two Thursdays ago, I uncovered an online recipe flashcard set for Yvonne's here in Boston, and I landed on the Carly Rae Jepsen-tribute drink named Mezcal Me Maybe. I was able to date the creation to around 2020 via spotting it on Yelp. Its combination of mezcal, grapefruit liqueur, and cinnamon syrup reminded me of the This Is Not Berlin but in a spirit, grapefruit liqueur, cinnamon, and lime combination found in Death & Co.'s Heart Throb although here with the addition of egg white. In the glass, the Mezcal Me Maybe shined through with a cinnamon, lime, and grapefruit aroma. Next, a creamy lime sip dialed into a mezcal, grapefruit, cinnamon, and smoky swallow.

front street

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

Stir with ice, strain into an up glass, and garnish with a cherry.Two Wednesdays ago, I was on the KindredCocktails database when I spotted the Front Street that was sourced from the StraightBourbon message board in 2007. This creation by user Crispy Critter was very different from No. 9 Park's Front Street and reminded me of the Brooklyn Bridge with a slightly different balance, so I was game to give this one a go. In the glass, the Front Street proffered a cherry and caramel aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip gave way to rye, root beer, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow.

susie q

1 1/2 oz Suze
1 oz Ten to One White Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Hamilton's Allspice Dram
1/4 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (1:1 passion fruit puree to simple syrup)

Build in a Collins glass, add crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and garnish with a float of 1/4 oz Green Chartreuse.Two Tuesdays ago, I was invited to attend an Suze liqueur educational event at Backbar, and for drink options, there were four choices that fell into theme with their current Mix Tape menu. The one I selected was the Suzie Q by Iruma Shibuya named after the Creedence Clearwater Revival song and only overlapped with Trina's Starlite Lounge's Suze-E-Q with the Suze and lemon juice. This Suzie Q reminded me of the Saturn with the lemon, orgeat, passion fruit components as well as the Sinnerman (and my Sinnerman Swizzle inspired by it) with the Suze and allspice dram ingredients. In the glass, this Swizzle showcased an herbaceous aroma from the Green Chartreuse float. Next, a lemon and slightly creamy sip gave way to rum, passion fruit, and earthy herbal swallow with an allspice finish.

funky pirate

3/4 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup (3/4 oz 1:1)
2-3 dash Celery Bitters (3 dash Bitter Truth)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lime peel spiral and a spritz of absinthe (rinse Copper & Kings).Two Mondays prior, I uncovered a set of online recipe flashcards from the Seventy7 Lounge in Culver City outside of Los Angeles, and the Funky Pirate from their 2017 menu called out to me. The combination of Wray & Nephew Rum, Green Chartreuse, and lime reminded me of the Nuclear Daiquiri but here with honey, absinthe, and celery bitters instead of falernum. Once shaken and strained, the Funky Pirate boarded the nose with a lime, rum funk, licorice, and floral aroma. Next, a lime and honey sip sailed into a funky rum and herbaceous swallow with a celery finish.

honest abe

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Cynar
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a single old fashioned glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.Two Sundays ago, I returned to an online recipe flashcard set from Providence's Cook & Brown Public House and decided on the Honest Abe from their Fall 2012 menu. This Black Manhattan of sorts made me think of Tonia Guffey's C.I.A. mashed up with my F.L.A.N.. Once mixed, the Honest Abe announced an orange, apple, and caramel-herbal bouquet. Next, the caramel continued on into the sip where it relinquished into rye, apple, and herbal flavors on the swallow with an orange finish.

nazgul negroni

1 1/2 oz Russell Reserve Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Averna
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur (Russo Nocino)
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (2 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixirs Walnut)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Saturdays ago, I was going through the screen captures on my phone, and I spotted the recipe for the Nazgûl Negroni from Backbar in Somerville that they posted on Instagram in December 2023 to support their Lord Of The Rings menu. While I have had American whiskey and walnut liqueur with Averna such as in the recent Left Hand of Darkness and with Cynar such as in the Bitter Branch, I have never tried the two amari with nocino in the same glass. Here, the Nazgûl Negroni opened up with Bourbon, caramel, herbal, and earthy aromas. Next, the Averna and Cynar's caramel filled the sip, and the swallow rounded things off with Bourbon, vegetal, herbal, and walnut flavors on the swallow.

bae of biscay

1 oz Arette Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Fino Sherry (Tio Pepe)
1/2 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/8 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/8 oz Sirop (Sirop JM)
2 dash Tonka Bitters (my Abbott's Bitters that include Tonka)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I uncovered a small set of online recipe flashcards for Billy Sunday in Chicago, and I opted for the Bae of Biscay that I found posted on their Instagram in July 2021. This tequila drink was named after popular culture and the bay between northern Spain and France and contains a pair of sherries and a gentian liqueur to perhaps mirror that. In the glass, the Bae of Biscay began with a lemon and vegetal aroma. Next, a slightly crisp sip showcased raisin and caramel notes and was chased by tequila, gentian, herbal, and root beer flavors on the swallow.

#treatyoself

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/4 oz Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/4 oz Amaro Meletti
1/8 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Water

Build and give a quick stir. I built in a rocks glass instead of funneling into a flask.Two Wednesdays ago, I reached for Sarah Baird's Flask book and spotted the #Treatyoself by Cari Hai at Big Bar in Los Angeles in the wedding-themed section of the book. This room temperature cocktail came across with a smoke, orchard fruit, caramel, and floral aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip ended with smoky Scotch, Cognac, apricot, raisin, and floral flavors on the swallow.