the smoke also rises

2 oz White Rum (Hamilton's White Stache)
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wheel (omit).Two Sundays, I decided to make an intriguing Hemingway Daiquiri riff called The Smoke Also Rises from Punch. The recipe was crafted by Orestes Cruz at Atlanta's Empire State South, and I was intrigued for I have enjoyed Daiquiris with Amaro Sfumato in the Island Time and the Lush Interlude. In the glass, the drink proffered herbal, smoky, and nutty cherry aromas. Next, a lime, grapefruit, and roast-noted sip flowed into rum, smoky, and bitter-herbal flavors on the swallow with a nutty cherry and char finish.

midnight at the menagerie

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1 1/2 oz Pasubio Vino Amaro
1/4 oz Lazzaroni Amaretto (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Saigon Cinnamon Syrup (Cassia Cinnamon Syrup)
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
5 drop Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Patterson House in Nashville, when I came upon the Midnight at the Managerie that seemed like an interesting Black Manhattan of sorts using the wine-based blueberry amaro Pasubio and accents of amaretto, cinnamon, and chocolate. As for a time frame, I was able to spot the drink on Yelp menu photos from September and October 2020. In the glass, the Midnight at the Managerie started with an orange, almond, and blueberry bouquet. Next, the blueberry continued on into the sip that was followed up with rye, nutty, additional blueberry, cinnamon, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

migration

3/4 oz Goslings Rum
3/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I was scanning through a collection of Sasha Petraske-related online recipe flashcards when I came across the Migration that reminded me of Blossom Bar's Palm Viper given the two rum, vermouth, and Cynar structure. I was later able to find a post on Reddit that narrowed the source down to Milk & Honey. In the glass, the Migration traveled to the nose with orange and molasses aromas. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip flowed into dark rums, caramel, and funky vegetal flavors on the swallow.

thieves in the night

1 oz Sombra Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 oz St. George Terroir Gin
1/4 oz Amaro Braulio
1/4 oz Maple Syrup

Build in a Julep tin, add crushed ice, stir, and top with more crushed ice. Garnish with a mint bouquet and dark chocolate (grated).Two Thursdays ago, I opened up the Death & Co. Welcome Home book and honed in on the Thieves in the Night by Jarred Weigand in 2018. This split based gin-mezcal Julep was accented by Amaro Braulio and maple with mint solely acting as the garnish. Since Braulio has worked well with both mezcal and gin in drinks like the Montañista and Ibsen's Door, respectively, I was curious to try out this combination. Once assembled, the Thieves in the Night amassed a mint and dark chocolate bouquet. Next, caramel and maple notes on the sip smuggled in smoky, vegetal, pine, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

spanish lady

3/4 oz Angostura 7 Year Rum (Havana Club 7 Year)
3/4 oz Benedictine
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing an old bartender's collection of recipes from Eastern Standard here in Boston when I spied the Spanish Lady. The combination reminded me of Damon Dyer's Monte Cassino but with aged rum, Montenegro, and a dash of bitters in place of rye and Yellow Chartreuse. Once prepared, the Spanish Lady ventured forth with a caramel, floral, and herbal aroma. Next, lemon and caramel on the sip twirled into rum, bright clementine, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

man in the yellow hat

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Walnut Liqueur (Russo Nocino)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I recalled having seen a reference to the Man in the Yellow Hat on my Instagram and was intrigued in trying it out. I was able to hunt out this Curious George tribute recipe to the January 2020 issue of Imbibe Magazine which pinpointed it to bartender Sean Saunders at the now closed Devon in Manhattan. The recipe reminded me of the Bourbon for rye and no cinnamon syrup drink, the Social Animal, from around the same time frame and the opposite coast, so I gave this a go. The Man in the Yellow Hat led off with an orange, cinnamon, and walnut bouquet. Next, caramel on the sip gave way to rye, banana, cinnamon, and walnut flavors on the swallow.

omertà cocktail

1 1/2 oz Frapin Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/4 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane
1/4 oz Cocchi Extra Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/8 oz Drambuie
8 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters
8 drop Regan's Orange Bitters
1 drop Saline Solution

Stir with ice, strain into a double fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Mondays ago, I returned to the set of online recipe flashcards for Cure in New Orleans and spotted the Omertà Cocktail. This recipe from their Spring 2023 menu was attributed on their Instagram post from a year ago to bartender Scott Hicks with the description of "This spirited take on the Louisiane marries Cognac with banana and dry cacao." Omertà is a code of silence originating in Southern Italian organized crime families such that members are forbidden to reveal details of any activity to authorities even if it means going to prison or worse; I have no clue why that name pertains here, but the combination seemed curiously tempting. In the glass, the Omertà began with lemon, Cognac, and banana aromas. Next, caramel and honey notes on the sip fled into Cognac, chocolate, and banana flavors on the swallow.

tropical lion's tail

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Appletone Reserve Rum (Appleton Signature)
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lime wheel.Two Sundays ago, I found a note on my phone to make the Tropical Lion's Tail from an October 2023 article in Imbibe Magazine. This riff of the 1937 classic Lion's Tail was crafted by Brandon Ristaino at Test Pilot in Santa Barbara. Along with the Junior, the Lion's Tail is one of the few classic American whiskey drinks paired with lime instead of lemon for it can often create a flavor clash as described by Donny Clutterbuck in his talk Life Gives You Limes. In those drinks, the Benedictine and rum-based allspice dram perhaps act like bridges between the new charred barrel flavors of Bourbon and rye, and I tried to soften things in this classic with a lemon-driven riff called the Lion's Share. Here, the Bourbon was split with rums which is a technique I previous experienced in the Lion's Fang which also took things in a Tiki direction with additional sweeteners like pineapple syrup here and falernum there. Once prepared, the Tropical Lion's Tail began with a lime, caramel, and allspice bouquet. Next, lime, pineapple, and caramel on the sip wagged its way into Bourbon, funky rums, pineapple, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

regent's punch

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
2 oz Brewed Green Tea, Cooled (Choice Organics Japanese Green)
1/2 oz Lemon Cordial (*)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon slice (omit garnish).
(*) Lemon cordial is a scaling of the following: the peel of 1 lemon in 1 oz sugar for 30+ minutes. Dissolve sugar in 1 oz lemon juice and strain.

One of the recipes that I had flagged in Nicola Nice's The Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home was the Regent's Punch as adapted from Eliza Leslie's 1837 Domestic Cookery in Its Various Branches. That source recipe called for "any liquor suitable for punch" and Nicola opted for Bourbon. This recipe was a much more stripped down version of perhaps more authentic versions. David Wondrich in Punch provided a history tracing the original elaborate recipe back to perhaps a Prince of Wales, namely George Augustus Frederick. Getting at an bona fide recipe is challenging for many were recorded over the 19th century. William Terrington in the 1869 Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks listed arrack, brandy, Champagne, Maraschino, pineapple syrup, lemon and orange peels, sugar, and green tea, while Eliza Acton in the 1845 Modern Cookery for Private Families dropped the Maraschino and included Jamaican rum. Regardless, this simple version felt akin to the Zombie Essence that reduced the ten part drink from 1934 to five all while keeping the feel alive (or at least undead).Regardless, I am a sucker for green tea-containing punches such as Cold Ruby and G.M. Gurton's Punches, so I was game to give this one a go. In this cup, this punch proffered Bourbon and lemon oil aromas. Next, a lemony sip succeeded into Bourbon, tea, and lemon flavors on the swallow. Overall, rather pleasant, but I can see how gussying it up with additional flavors from the more extravagant recipes would prosper.

verrazano

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe pre-rinsed with Campari (~1/10 oz), and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Fridays ago, I was perusing a set of Milk & Honey-related online recipe flashcards and found the Verrazano as a curious Manhattan riff. I was able to confirm the recipe in the Madrusian family tree and in the 2012 but not 1994 edition of Mr. Boston Official Cocktail Book. Overall, the combination came across like the Slope with the rinse of Campari reminding me of the Bijou-like Tailspin. KindredCocktails in 2013 attributed this recipe to Allison Hamlin at the Astor Center in Manhattan as perhaps a tribute to the bridge connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn. Once prepared, the Verrazano spanned to the senses with a lemon, rye, and fruity aroma. Next, grape with a hint of orchard fruit on the sip flowed into rye, herbal, and bitter apricot flavors on the swallow.

coley cobbler

2 1/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
2 Orange Wheels

Muddle the orange wheels, add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, and strain into a Collins glass. Fill with crushed ice, add a straw, and garnish with 2 orange half moons and around 1/8 oz juniper-forward gin (Beefeater) dripped over the top.While in Denver reading Nicola Nice's The Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home book in the section mentioning the Sherry Cobbler, I was inspired to riff on Ada Coleman's Hanky Panky and transform it into a Vermouth Cobbler. Sweet vermouth and Fernet were a duo that worked in my Diddlin' Dora back at the Blue Room in 2013, and I decided to make this riff an inverse Hanky Panky of sorts and include classic muddled orange wheels in the mix to smooth out the balance. Once I got home from the trip and made the recipe that I had put into my notes, I dubbed the result the Coley Cobbler after Ada's nickname at the Savoy bar, and it began with an orange and juniper bouquet. Next, grape, orange, and a hint of caramel on the sip opened up into vermouth melding into herbal-menthol flavors on the swallow.

ghosts of graceland

1 1/2 oz Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/2 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
1/2 oz Giffard Peach Liqueur (Mathilde)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
2 dash Mephis BBQ Bitters (Bittercube Corazon)
1 pinch Sea Salt (3 drop 20% Saline)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist (orange twist).After a delayed flight returning from the USBG national meeting in Denver, I was in need of a drink. Therefore, I found the Ghosts of Graceland in online recipe flashcards for Polite Provisions in San Diego. The cocktail was mentioned in a Fall 2023 article on Halloween-appropriate cocktails around San Diego, and the combination of Punt e Mes and crème de peche were ones that worked well in Tony Iamunno's Movin' to the Country and my Barry's Corner. In the glass, the Ghosts of Graceland proffered orange, peach, and Cognac aromas. Next, grape and fruity notes on the sip were haunted by Cognac and bitter peach and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

blackberry old fashioned

2 oz Wild Turkey 101° Bourbon
3/4 oz Blackberry Honey Sage Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large cube, and garnish with a sage leaf and blackberry on a pick.At Josephine, the management wanted to take the Fall-Winter appropriate Maple-Chestnut Old Fashioned off the menu and tasked me with coming up with something more Spring-Summer worthy. When I got the suggestion of blackberry, a flavor pairing matrix suggested sage. For a sweetener, honey has been underutilized at the bar, so I opted with that to give this complex syrup a third flavor component. No major tricks here in the concept or build, but the end result was a winner that guests ordered again and again in the same seating.

Blackberry Honey Sage Syrup
• 16 oz Honey (by weight)
• 8 oz Water (by weight)
• 12 leaf Sage (med-large leaves, or the equivalent of smaller ones)
• 8 oz Blackberries (by weight)
Add Honey and water in a pot (I weighed them in the pot to avoid loss in transfer).
Bring to a boil. Add sage leaves and continue on low heat for an hour. Let cool.
Remove sage leaves, pour into a blender with blackberries. Blend then strain. For a large batch, I would weigh out 3 parts honey-water-sage and add 1 part blackberry per blender load.

mirtillo fresco

1 1/2 oz Citadelle Gin
3/4 oz Blueberry-Black Tea Syrup (* see below)
1/2 oz Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with 3 blueberries on a pick.
Photo by IGer @cocktails_around_bostonAnother menu item I created at Josephine was the Mirtillo Fresco. I honed in on the blueberries that the kitchen had been buying for brunch. I soon considered the Italicus bergamot liqueur that was no longer being used in a cocktail menu item (it was still in the well for use in a spritz), and with that, my mind went to black tea to recreate the flavors of Earl Grey. The combination with gin and lemon juice required some bitters with Angostura providing some depth and Peychaud's bringing out an extra berry accent. The management rather liked the combination and they named it Mirtillo Fresco meaning "fresh blueberry" in Italian.

Blueberry-Black Tea Syrup
• Brew a strong batch of black tea with 1 teabag for every 4 oz of boiling water. Steep as directed (3-4 minutes).
• Add 3 parts blueberries by weight to 2 parts black tea (cooled) to a blender. Blend and fine strain.
• Weigh blueberry-black tea liquid after straining, add an equal weight of sugar, and whisk to dissolve.

orange basil martini

2 oz Citadelle Gin
1 oz Carpano Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Orange-Basil Lactic Ferment Brine (* See below)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist, pickled onions, or olives.While I was away at the USBG national meeting two weeks ago, I was not gathering any cocktail recipes and photos for the blog and Instagram. Therefore, I figured that I would feature three drinks that I created at Josephine in Somerville besides the Flowers of St. Francis milk punch that I had written about earlier. One of the frequent questions that we had at Josephine was what beers were on tap, and the answer was none. We had a pair of Vodka Martinis and originally our house limoncello on said taps. The limoncello eventually had to be nixed since the oils and particulates were clogging up the valves on the Cornelius keg regardless of how much we strained it through coffee filters, and we bottled it instead. I proposed a Gin Martini to add to the Dirty Vodka and Vodka with Vermouth Martinis, as guests were asking for it and it would be the Martini that I would want to drink. However, I wanted to level up the classic 2:1 Dry Martini with a tie-in with our food program. Therefore, I decided to incorporate basil and orange flavors, but instead of an infusion, I preserved the flavors with a lactic ferment. This came about as I considered our house Dirty Martini at Loyal Nine in 2015 which utilized a healthy amount of the brine from the sauerkraut that the kitchen was constantly generating. I then experienced a more classic Martini with a quarter ounce of brine in Zach Luther's Dandelion Martini at his guest shift at Backbar in 2017 that utilized a touch of dandelion-lemon peel ferment in a circa 3:1 Dry Martini. Using my sauerkraut-derived lactobacillus culture from home, the end result was a success, and it got approval to be on the menu. It appeared as Jo's Draft Gin Martini with a vague description of "Citadelle Gin, Dry Vermouth, Basil & Orange" since I figured that any talk of fermentation or brine might confuse our diners.As for the brininess quotient, it was present but not overwhelming. Standard olive brine is around 10% salt (one range I saw was 8% for ripe olives up to 14% for less ripe ones), so this was on average around 2.5 fold less salty. Our standard Dirty had with a half ounce of olive brine, so this had 5 times less salt per sip (and 10 times less than a very dirty one). It came across as a savoriness to join the bright and floral orange notes and fresh and herbal basil ones, and the effect was pleasantly noticeable but not overwhelming or shocking to someone expecting a Gin & Dry Vermouth Martini.

Orange-Basil Lactic Ferment Brine
• 150 gram Basil Leaf
• 360 gram Orange, Thinly Sliced (approx 2 Oranges)
• 1100-1200 gram 4% Kosher Salt Saline (Sea Salt will work, but avoid Iodized Salt) (4 grams Salt per 96 grams Water)
• ~1 oz Lactic Brine from a previous ferment
Add basil leaves and orange slices into a large Ball jar. Add in lactic brine from a previous ferment and top with 4% salt solution. Keep botanicals submerged (I used a glass ramekin) and away from air to avoid spoilage, and place jar in a tray to catch overflow. Every few days, tilt the jar to release any trapped CO2 gas bubbles and top up with more saline solution brine. Ferments went on average 10 days (and sometimes as long as 14 days) based on gas bubble generation and appearance of the basil. Strain the liquid through a coffee filter and store in quart containers or jars.

second wind

1 1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Zacapa 23 Rum (Zaya 12)
1/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (1/8 oz Hamilton's Allspice Dram + 1/8 oz Simple Syrup)
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dash Orinoco Bitters (Scrappy's Aromatic)
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe.Two Saturdays ago, I was scanning the KindredCocktails database when I came across the Second Wind at Manhattan's Dead Rabbit circa 2014. A three rum Old Fashioned sweetened by sherry, Benedictine, and allspice dram pleasantly reminded me of a cross of my In the Navy with Rafa Garcia Febles' Conjurers & Concubines. In the glass, the Second Wind breezed to the nose with a caramel, rum funk, and allspice aroma. Next, grape, raisin, and molasses notes on the nose sailed into funky rum, dark rum, caramel-raisin, herbal, allspice, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

princess peach daiquiri

2 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Raspberry Syrup
3/4 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Peach Bitters (Fee Brothers)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orchid (honeysuckle).Two Fridays ago, I departed work one last time before I left for the USBG national meeting in Denver, and I wanted something refreshing. In the online recipe flashcards for Polite Provisions, I found the Princess Peach Daiquiri that reminded me of the 19th century Knickerbocker. Punch in a 2020 article attributed it to bartender Gabriel Fonseca and described it as "reminescent of Hawaiian Punch," so it seemed like the perfect way to unwind. In the glass, this Daiquiri presented a pineapple and raspberry bouquet. Next, lime and tart red berry notes on the sip were rescued by pineapple, rum, and raspberry flavors on the swallow with a peach finish.

continual risk

1 1/2 oz Bar Hill Tom Cat Old Tom Gin
1 oz Cardamaro
1 oz Bittermens Baska Snaps Malört (Jeppson's)
1/4 oz Merlet Crème de Peche (Mathilde)
6 drop Angostura Bitters
3 drop Absinthe (Copper & Kings)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.For a libation two Thursdays prior, I went back to the collection of online recipe flashcards for the Patterson House in Nashville. There, I selected the embittered gin drink called the Continual Risk that I was able to spot on a Yelp menu photo from October 2022. The combination of malört and peach liqueur reminded me of the Bjorn Supremacy, but this went in a somewhat different direction. Once prepared, the Continual Risk showcased an orange, peach, and herbal bouquet. Next, a grape-driven sip welcomed gin, bitter, herbal, and peach flavors on the swallow with a lingering honey and wormwood finish.

cocktail 44

1 1/2 oz Aged Novo Fogo Cachaça (Cachaça Salinas Umbarana)
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Aperol
1/8 oz Grenadine
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I revisited online recipe flashcards from the Paper Plane in Decatur, Georgia, and I landed on the Cocktail 44 as an intriguing stirred cachaça cocktail. I then confirmed the recipe in an April 2013 Imbibe Magazine article which identified the creator as bartender Paul Calvert. The orange liqueur, Punt e Mes, and grenadine components reminded me of Eastern Standard's Coup d'État, but the recipes were completely different. In the glass, the Cocktail 44 began with an orange, woody, and grassy funk of a nose. Next, grape and orange notes on the sip fled into funky cachaça, cinnamon-like spice, and bitter-herbal orange flavors on the swallow.

four corners

3/4 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Combier (Cointreau)
3/4 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Absinthe (12 drop St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist (orange twist).Two Tuesdays ago, I was skimming an online set of Sasha Petraske-related recipe flashcards when I found the Four Corners. I then checked the Bartender's Choice app and uncovered that it was crafted by Brandon Bramhall at Nashville's Attaboy in 2017. The app lacked the absinthe aspect, but I included the Corpse Reviver #2 accent from the flashcard. Moreover, with the absinthe, it reminded me of Scott Holliday's Johnny Jump Up which had Cocchi Americano instead of the Four Corners' Aperol. In the glass, the Four Corners displayed an orange, apple, and licorice nose. Next, lemon, orange, and rhubarb notes on the sip ended on apple, creamy orange, and anise flavors on the swallow.

sparrow

3/4 oz Laird's Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Nardini
3/4 oz Grenadine
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays prior, I was perusing a collection of Attaboy-related online recipe flashcards, when I came across the Sparrow that was different from Cook & Brown's Sparrow and Death & Co.'s Little Sparrow. This one was described as Michael MacIlroy's opposite Paper Plane, so it coaxed me in. Here in the glass, the Sparrow flitted to the nose with orange, apple, berry, and herbal aromas. Next, a lime, caramel, and berry sip perched on top of apple, bitter herbal, and pomegrate flavors on the swallow. Instead of a Paper Plane, it was more akin to a embittered Jack Rose or perhaps a Jack Rose crossed with a Pay Day.

el rosario

1 1/2 oz Novo Fogo Cachaça (Novo Fogo Bar Strength)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
5 leaf Mint
1 pinch Black Pepper (2 cracks)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a mint leaf.Two Sundays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcards for the Paper Plane near Atlanta and became intrigued by El Rosario from their April 2014 menu. Fernet and cachaça have partnered well before in recipes like the Pencil Thin Mustache and Macunaima, so I was game to give it a whirl. In the glass, El Rosario welcomed the senses with a mint, menthol, and grassy bouquet. Next, caramel, lime, and honey notes on the sip elevated into funky rum, mint, herbal, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

party line

1 1/2 oz Tequila (Olmeca Altos Blanco)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Saturdays ago, I reached for the Raising the Bar book by Jacob Grier and Brett Adams and spied the Party Line. The recipe was created by author Jacob Grier for a guest bartending event at the Latin American bartending convention Barra in Mexico City. In the glass, the Party Line broadcasted a vegetal, lime, and mineral nose. Next, a honey and lime sip slid into tequila, bitter orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

so on and so forth

1/2 oz Plantation 3 Star White Rum (Hamilton's White Stache)
1/2 oz Paranubes Rum (Uruapan Charanda)
1 oz Giffard Banana (Tempus Fugit)
1 oz Pasubio Vino Amaro
1 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Bittercube Bolivar Bitters (Bittercube Trinity)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a floated lime wheel.Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard sets for the Patterson House in Nashville and came across the Banana Daiquiri of sorts called the So On and So Forth. With a high ester Mexican rum and some blueberry amaro in the mix, I was sold. In the glass, the drink proffered lime, blueberry, and banana aromas. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip flowed into funky rum, blueberry, and bitter banana flavors on the swallow.

fernet cocktail

2 oz Michter's Rye (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1 dash Fee's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.When I was speaking with Jackson Cannon before the Calvados event two Mondays ago at Eastern Standard, we began to talk about strange drink requests and strange cocktails. After I mentioned the Sputnik that I made twice for folks at Drink which elongated Fernet Branca with vodka in a Sour format, he countered with the Fernet Cocktail created at Eastern Standard a few years ago. The earliest Fernet Cocktail that I had tried was the one in Louis' Mixed Drinks from 1906 with sweet vermouth and curaçao. The drink with the best connection in my head is the Fernet Cocktail in Robert Vermeire's 1922 book before it later got renamed the Toronto, and many have spotted the one in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book of gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet Branca (more Fernet and less vermouth than a Hanky Panky from that same tome). The Eastern Standard one that I was able to get the exact proportions from my recipe collection that I was sent was more akin to a Red Hook or Green Point with Fernet as the liqueur instead of Maraschino or Yellow Chartreuse, respectively. Once mixed, this modern Fernet Cocktail showcased an orange, grape, and menthol aroma. Next, caramel and grape on the sip progressed into rye, herbal, and minty menthol flavors on the swallow.

ironbound

1 oz Cachaça (Avua Balsamo)
1 oz Laird's Bonded Applejack
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/6 oz 2:1 Demerara Syrup (1/4 oz 1:1)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I decided to make a drink called the Ironbound that I had spotted on a friend's Instagram post. The recipe was crafted by Mayur Subbaro who I first learned of when he collaborated with Avery and Janet Glasser of the Bittermens to open up Amor y Amaro in Manhattan back in 2011, and I was able to track down a potential source on Difford's Guide. Cachaça and apple brandy have worked together before in the Lowest Branch and Fantastic Fizz, so it seemed like a win here especially with the Benedictine as a binding agent similar to in the Shruff's End. Once stirred and strained, the Ironbound opened up with a lemon, apple, and wood bouquet. Next, a slightly caramel sip grew into funky cachaça, apple, herbal, spicy wood, and anise flavors on the swallow.

mahogany hall

1 oz Redbreast Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1 oz Appleton Rum (Appleton Signature)
3/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.Two Tuesdays prior, I was searching the KindredCocktails database when I spied the Mahogany Hall by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2013. The combination reminded me of Jackson Cannon's Goodnight Irene but with a split base that included rum. Rafa named this after a famous bordello in old New Orleans' Storyville that was owned by Lulu White who I paid tribute to in my Tales of the Cocktail Martini contest submission the Diamond Queen. Once prepared, the Mahogany Hall seduced the nose with woody spice, slightly raisin-like grape, and light molasses aromas. Next, grape and caramel notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow transacted with whiskey, rum, dried dark fruit, and funky herbal flavors on the swallow.

sabotage

3/4 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Rhum Agricole Blanc (Rhum JM 100°)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass, and garnish with orange oils from a twist.Two Mondays ago, I attended a Calvados event at Equal Measure. Before the event began, beverage director Jackson Cannon came over and mentioned that last night at Eastern Standard next door, there was a request for the Espionage that was created there in 2012. When the staff was unsure of the recipe, they found it here on this blog and were able to fulfill the request. Later that night, I decided to riff on the Espionage which had a quinoa vodka base to create the Sabotage with the mezcal-rhum agricole combination that worked well for me in the Miracles Take Longer and the Up Jumped the Devil. In the glass, the Sabotage started off with an orange, grassy funk, and smoke-filled nose. Next, caramel and orange notes on the sip slid into vegetal, herbal, pine, and minty flavors on the swallow.

doctor's orders

1 1/2 oz Redemption Rye (Templeton)
3/4 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/8 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Sundays ago, I returned to the collection of Eastern Standard recipes that I was gifted, and I landed on the Doctor's Orders. This was different from the Dead Rabbit's Doctor's Orders and more akin to a Gold Rush with added flavor complexity of the Swedish punsch-apricot liqueur combination that I learned about in a Havana Cocktail variation and utilized in the Tainted Love at Loyal Nine. I was able to find a GoogleMaps menu photo from July 2019, and the subtitle was "Old world remedy". In the glass, the Doctor's Orders prescribed a rye, honey, and apricot aroma. Next, lemon, honey, and orchard fruit notes on the sip were followed up by rye, tea tannin, and dry spice flavors on the swallow.

sorcerer's apprentice

2 oz Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Nocino (Russo)
2 dash DeGroff's Pimento Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I found an online set of recipe flashcards for Polite Provisions in San Diego, and I landed on the Sorcerer's Apprentice that reminded me of the Juglans Regia with the Scotch, sherry, and walnut liqueur combination. Eater in 2015 attributed this cocktail to bartender Aaron Zieske in an article about Christmas drinks across San Diego. In the glass, the Sorcerer's Apprentice welcomed the nose with an orange and nutty bouquet. Next, a semi-dry grape sip conjured up Scotch, raisin, and walnut flavors on the swallow with an allspice finish.