first blossom

1 oz Beefeater Gin
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
1/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail (coupe) glass.Two Mondays ago, I picked up the second volume of Jill DeGroff's Lush Life: Portraits from the Bar to look at the artwork and read the anecdotes about the bar characters within, and there I spotted an interesting recipe from Dale DeGroff called the First Blossom. The drink reminded me of a Corpse Reviver #2 mashed up with Sam Ross' Sunflower minus the absinthe component in both. Once prepared, the First Blossom bloomed with an orange, pine, floral, and grapefruit bouquet. Next, a lemon and orange sip developed into gin, pear, grapefruit, and floral flavors on the swallow.

exit strategy

1 1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
3/4 oz Germain-Robin Brandy (Monnet VSOP Cognac)
1/4 oz Amaro Meletti
6 drop Saline Solution (20%)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays prior, I picked up Death & Co.'s Cocktail Codex book and looked to the index for amaro drinks that I might have missed. There, in the Old Fashioned variation section was Natasha David's 2014 Exit Strategy that I might have passed over for it was on page 11 way before the major recipe section or perhaps I skipped it years ago since it used up a decent amount of Amaro Nonino. Regardless, an Old Fashioned with a base of Amaro Nonino seemed intriguing that night, so I got to mixing. In the glass, the Exit Strategy offered up orange, caramel, and herbal aromas. Next, caramel and citrus notes on the sip flowed into caramel, lavender, brandy, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

vieux pompier

3/4 oz Old Overholt Bonded Rye (1 oz 86°)
3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Palo Cortado Sherry (Lustau Oloroso)
1/2 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. The photo in the book showed a large ice cube, so I added one before I realized that the instructions do not mention it.Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make another recipe from A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood by Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix called the Vieux Pompier. That drink was created by Los Angeles' Rhachel Shaw as her take on a Vieux Carré for a Speed Rack bartender's choice round; the combination of American whiskey, Palo Cortado Sherry, banana liqueur, and Peychaud's was one that worked amazingly well in the Zemurray, so I was enthused to try this recipe out. In the glass, the Vieux Pompier donated a lemon, caramel, banana, and anise bouquet to the senses. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip strolled into rye, apple, dried fruit, banana, and anise spice flavors on the swallow.

street of crocodiles

1 1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
3/4 oz Amaro Meletti
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Grenadine

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist.While writing up the Clever Visual Metaphor, I became inspired to craft a new drink using the spirit-amaro base supplemented by small amounts of Fernet and grenadine structure. Instead of the Bourbon in the Clever Visual Metaphor, I opted for a split of apple brandy and mezcal. And in place of the Ramazzotti, I went first with Averna since it paired well with grenadine in the Sicilian Message, but I was not satisfied. I repeated it with Cynar and Amaro Montenegro with similar results, and it was not until I landed on Meletti, that I was pleased. For what to call it, I went back to a list I copied over from my 2013-15 era Russell House Tavern notebook with possible drink names and chose the Street of Crocodiles; that made the list from reading Bruno Schulz's 1934 short story when I was on a surrealist kick in the late 1990s that was amplified when I watched the Brothers Quay stop-motion animation short years later. With the Meletti, the Street of Crocodiles crawled to the nose with orange, caramel, fruity, and floral aromas. Next, caramel and berry notes on the sip snapped at apple, vegetal, minty-herbal, menthol, and smoky flavors on the swallow.

la pistola

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Banhez)
1/2 oz Palo Cortado Sherry (Lustau Oloroso)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a piece of candied ginger.Two Thursdays ago, I reopened the online recipe flashcard sets for Raines Law Room in Manhattan and landed on La Pistola that seemed like an intriguing Autumnal spiced mezcal drink. I was able to find photos and reviews on Yelp mentioning this drink in the 2021 time frame. Moreover, the combination reminded me of Katie Emmerson's Company Swizzle at the Hawthorne but with falernum and lime instead of the cinnamon and lemon here. In the glass, La Pistola shot forth with dried fruit, vegetal, lemon, cinnamon, and ginger aromas. Next, lemon and grape notes on the sip hit upon smoky mezcal, dried fruit, cinnamon, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

kentucky dandy

1 1/4 oz Bourbon (1 1/2 oz Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz St. Germain (1/2 oz St. Elder)
3/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (1/2 oz Rothman & Winter)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice (1/2 oz (*))
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a floated mint leaf.
(*) See text of how I would raise my adapted version to 3/4 oz.Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database, when I came across the refreshing sounding Kentucky Dandy by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles. I then realized that in all the drinks, I had never tasted apricot paired with elderflower liqueur, and here it was in a Bourbon Corpse Reviver No. 2 format. With my slightly adapted recipe described above, the Kentucky Dandy welcomed the nose with a mint, grapefruit, apricot, and floral bouquet. Next, lemon and orchard fruit notes on the sip transitioned to Bourbon, grapefruit, apricot, floral, and anise flavors on the swallow. Even with trying to dry out the recipe by making it more spirit forward, it was still a touch sweet, so perhaps upping the lemon juice to 3/4 oz in my adaptation would help for my preferred balance.

my name is nobody

3/4 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz Aperol

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

Two Tuesdays ago, I found my list of recipes that I wanted to make from Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix's A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood book. There, I selected My Name is Nobody by Beckaly Franks as a Negroni variation that is her "personal modern classic". When I began researching the drink, I found a 2017 Instagram post where Beckaly supplied an alternative recipe:

My Name is Nobody
1 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Mancino Rosso Sweet Vermouth
1 tsp Fernet Branca
The photo shows the drink served in an up glass with a twist (could be orange or grapefruit).

This version was served during Negroni Week that year that pre-dates the book's gin and Aperol recipe. Next, LifeStyleAsia in 2018 touted a similar gin-free ingredients list to the 2017 version but this time with the Aperol instead of Campari found in the book's version. That site provided the explanation that it was "named for one of Henry Fonda's more obscure 1970s Westerns... The Pontiac's latest chilli-forward take on the classic Negroni strikes true with its punchy flavours and complex aromatic profile. There is plenty of interplay between the spiciness of Ancho Reyes, caramelised notes of vermouth, and cacao-like Fernet Branca." Perhaps the drink progressed to the softer Aperol over time, or perhaps the Campari version was served only during Negroni Week. Moreover, at some point in time, either for the menu or for the book, gin entered the picture and Fernet dropped off.The book's My Name is Nobody began with grapefruit and orange aromas. Next, a grape-driven sip hid behind gin, orange, grape, herbal, and chili spice flavors on the swallow. While I am curious about the Fernet versions, I was still very satisfied by this gin-containing one.

travel buddy

1 oz Knob Creek Rye Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Aperol (3/4 oz)
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (3/4 oz Cocchi Americano)
1 bsp Fernet Branca (3/16 oz)
1-2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (2 dash)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora or cocktail coupe, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Mondays, I cycled back to Sean Soole's excellent Great Northern Cocktails book and opted for the Travel Buddy by Chris Howell of Winnipeg. While at first, it reminded me on paper of the Scarecrow as an American whiskey drink with a lightly bitter backbone that was dried out with a touch of Fernet, it turned out to be much closer to the Philabuster which has some extra complexity from Cynar. In the coupe, the Travel Buddy welcomed the senses with a lemon, apricot, and menthol aroma. Next, pear and orange notes on the sip ventured towards rye, gentian, menthol, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

buscabulla

3/4 oz Privateer Navy Yard Rum
3/4 oz Fino Sherry (Tio Pepe)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Ginger-Honey Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel (fresh lime wheel).Two Sundays ago, I opened up the Hawthorne bar bible to see if there were any recipes that I had not made yet. There, I spied the Buscabulla attributed to bartender John Rodriguez that reminded me a little of Cane & Table's Death & Sundries given the Fino sherry, rum, and lime components. The drink was subtitled on the menu "Vamos al mambo, comienza bailando (Let's go mambo, start dancing)" which are lyrics of the song Tártaro from the tropical synthpop band Buscabulla. Once mixed the Buscabulla gave forth a dark grape, lime, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, lime and honey notes on the sip cavorted towards rum, bitter herbal grape, savory, and ginger flavors on the swallow. Overall, the combination reminded me of the Rum Manhattan meets Daiquiri number, the Fig Leaf. When asked on Instagram if I would alter anything from the equal parts format, I replied, "I felt that I wanted more rum presence. The Fino sherry was also a subtle note in the background. Punt e Mes, lime, and honey were driving a lot of the flavor balance."

prima donna

3/4 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
3/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Scrappy's)

Stir with ice, strain in to a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I had replenished my lemon stock and decided to make a recipe that I had spotted a few days prior in A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood written by Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix. That drink was the Prima Donna by Tess Anne Sawyer while at Mother's Ruin in Manhattan that she made at the 2015 Speed Rack competition for the dealer's choice round. She described how "during that time, I had recently discovered the Adonis and Bamboo Cocktails, and I was in love with them", so she mashed them up. I too had tinkered with a split sherry-split vermouth cocktail in the Improved Bamboo but I opted for Fino and blanc vermouth instead of the cream sherry and sweet vermouth. Here, the Prima Donna launched off with lemon, plum, and raisin aromas. Next, a semi-dry grape sip lapsed into complex grape, nutty, clove, and orange flavors on the swallow.

clever visual metaphor

1 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Grenadine
1/8 oz Islay Scotch (Laphroaig)

Stir with ice, strain into a small cocktail or Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Fridays ago, I opened up Shawn Soole's Great Northern Cocktails book and landed upon the Clever Visual Metaphor by Winnipeg bartender Nicole Cote. The combination of Amaro Ramazzotti with a lesser amount of Fernet Branca reminded me of the Scare Crow and Solomon Grundy that utilized Amaro Montenegro and Amaro Lucano, respectively, instead of Ramazzotti. Moreover, Fernet plus grenadine was one that has worked well since its inclusion in the Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 in the Noble and last written up here on the blog a year ago in the Cornerstone. Once prepared, the Clever Visual Metaphor began with lemon, peat smoke, caramel, and root beer aromas. Next, caramel and berry notes on the sip transitioned into Bourbon, herbal, bitter menthol, berry, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

the brave

1 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1 oz Blanco Tequila (Arette)
1/2 oz Averna
1/4 oz Royal Combier (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)

Build in a wine glass, give a quick stir without ice, and garnish with 3 spritzes Angostura Bitters (6 drops along the inside edge of the glass) and a flamed orange twist. Note: this is a room temperature drink.Two Thursdays ago, I decided to remake Bobby Heugel's The Brave from the Anvil in Houston the right way. The first time I tried to make this 2009 era agave-based room temperature drink, I sourced it from a mezcal brand's website back in April 2015 that incorrectly included pineapple juice in the mix. Bobby wrote me on Instagram and pointed out the error, and I alerted the brand to fix their page. I ended up dubbing the pineapple-laden blunder the Soldadera, and I wrote it up on the blog since the mistake was rather tasty for pineapple played well with many of the ingredients. Using the proper recipe that I sourced from Punch, the Brave launched off with a caramel, cinnamon, and orange aroma. Next, caramel and orange notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow proffered smoky agave, herbal, and orange flavors. The duo of Averna and orange liqueur pleasantly reminded me of the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.'s Crooklyn that inspired me to create the Devil's Staircase.

hey mister

1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Banhez)
1 oz Laird's Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
scant 1/2 oz Orgeat
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3 dash Fee's Molasses Bitters (Bittercube Black Strap Bitters)
1 pinch Salt (4 drop 20% Saline)

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing the entries for Ancho Reyes on the Kindred Cocktail database when I spotted the Hey Mister by Ashley Haussermann at Blacktail in Manhattan circa 2017. My sleuthing suggested that the poster got it directly or indirectly from Gaz Regan's email newsletter, with the indirect aspect being a Reddit cocktails forum thread around that time that asserted the Gaz connection not mentioned on the database. Once prepared, the Hey Mister displayed a woody spice, almond, and apple bouquet. Next, a creamy lime sip gave way to vegetal, apple, almond, and chili spice flavors on the swallow.

pete's word

3/4 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. While writing up the Laphroaig Project, I commented that "it has the same feel of Death & Co.'s Pete's Word on paper (I need to make this soon) with the lemon juice aspect of the Final Ward", and I decided to finally make the Pete's Word. Therefore, I reached for my copy of Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktails to make this Scotch version of the Last Word. It mentioned how Phil Ward was surprised at how well lime worked with the whisky when he invented it at Death & Co. in Manhattan circa 2008. In the glass, the Pete's Word filled the nose with herbaceous, peat smoke, and nutty cherry aromas. Next, a lime and cherry sip opened up into smoky Scotch, herbaceous, and nutty cherry flavors. Overall, the Scotch worked great in the Last Word format, but I found the Laphroaig Project to be the one that I crave more two weeks after the fact.

mosquito

3/4 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with candied ginger.Two Mondays ago, I spotted a reference to the Sand Fly which is a Scotch riff on Sam Ross' mezcal-containing Mosquito. Therefore, I went to the Bartender's Choice app and got the recipe for the original that Sam created at Attaboy in Manhattan circa 2017. The trio of Campari, ginger, and lemon was one that I had tried before in the Pimm's-based River Queen and in my Ferrari-based Body Shop, so I was sold. Once prepared, the Mosquito buzzed to the nose with orange, vegetal, smoke, and ginger aromas. Next, lemon and orange notes on the sip landed upon smoky vegetal, tangerine, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

cutlass

1 oz Clear Creek 8 Year Apple Brandy (Morin Calvados Selection)
1/2 oz Laird's Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Banhez)
1/2 oz Crème de Noyaux (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
3 dash Peach Bitters (Fee Brothers)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Sundays ago, I pulled up the online recipe flashcards for Palomar in Portland, Oregon, and the Cutlass called out to me. I soon found it in the bar's menu archives for a December 2022 launch, and it seemed like an interesting use of my bottle of crème de noyaux (that had been gathering dust) to support an apple brandy and mezcal combination. Furthermore, the drink name made me think of the unrelated Cutlass that I found in the 2018 Lustau Sherry competition collection which took a split-based concept in a banana-coffee direction. In the glass, this Cutlass slashed at the nose with grapefruit, apple, and nutty peach aromas. Next, honey, apple, and orchard fruit notes on the sip parried apple, nutty cherry-peach, vegetal, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

dead man's alley

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
1/8 oz Maple Syrup

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I was inspired by a local drink I spotted with rye, Braulio, maple syrup, and walnut bitters to tinker. The Amaro Daiquiri made me think of the Braulio-Sfumato combination, and I split the rye 3:1 with mezcal that has worked in Ted Kilgore's Devil's Soul and in many Death & Co. drinks like the Hunt & Peck and that I have used before in cocktails like Death on the Installment Plan. I named this Black Manhattan with a touch of maple after a sketchy alley in 19th century San Francisco mentioned in Herbert Asbury's The Barbary Coast book. Once assembled, the Dead Man's Alley crept to the nose with an orange, caramel, maple, and roast aroma. Next, caramel and maple notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow ended things with rye, vegetal, herbal, pine, roast, and smoke flavors.

chelsea hook

2 oz Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Crème de Peche (Mathilde)
1/2 oz Orgeat
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Fridays prior, I ventured back to the online recipe flashcards for Polite Provisions in San Diego, and the Chelsea Hook seemed like an interesting Sour. Yelp links the drink to 2021 via both photos and reviews, and the combination of complementary peach liqueur and orgeat elements balanced with citrus has appeared in a trio of drinks: the Henry Trotter, the Cowgirl in the Sand, and most recently for me in the Freydis. Once prepared, the Chelsea Hook opened up with a lemon, almond, floral, and peach aroma. Next, a creamy lemon and orchard fruit sip led into Cognac, almond, peach, and clove flavors on the swallow.

blonde on blonde

1 1/2 oz Dorothy Parker Gin (Tanqueray Malacca)
1/2 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Fino Sherry (Tio Pepe)
1/2 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist perched on the edge of the glass.Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for Raines Law Room in Manhattan, and I was lured in by the Blonde on Blonde that was like Phil Ward's Elder Fashioned expanded into a Martini of sorts down to the grapefruit twist. I was able to find menu and drink photos for this drink on Yelp dating to 2019, and it was probably named after the Bob Dylan song just like Scott Holliday's Blonde on Blonde at Rendezvous. In the glass, this Blonde on Blonde approached the nose with a grapefruit, floral, and pine bouquet. Next, semi-sweet white grape and grapefruit notes on the sip flipped into gin, herbal, savory, floral, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

onyx

1 1/4 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
3/4 oz Appleton Rum (Appleton Signature)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

Stir with ice and strain into a double old fashioned with a large ice cube.
Note: this leaves out the activated charcoal (see text) that was not on the recipe flashcard but in the menu description.Two Wednesdays ago, I found an online recipe flashcard set for Sundry & Vice in Cincinnati for the opening Indianopolis location in 2021. The recipe that I latched onto was the Onyx, and I was able to utilize GoogleMaps to uncover photos of both the menu and the drink in June 2018 at the original Cincinnati spot. The menu photo had activated charcoal as an ingredient which was not mentioned in the recipe flashcard, and the drink photo suggested a decent dose of the stuff due to the dark hue. I left out that ingredient for activated charcoal does not add to the flavor (and I do not have any at home); moreover, activated charcoal is generally frowned upon in food and drinks for it can absorb medications including birth control in the stomach. Once prepared, my brownish Onyx began with smoke, vegetal, and nutty cherry aromas. Next, a caramel sip with a hint of cherry transitioned into rum, vegetal, herbal, nutty cherry, and smoke flavors on the swallow. Overall, the balance was a little sweet, and perhaps dry vermouth in place of the blanc would have nudged things closer to my preferred profile.

the cane & the clove

1 oz Aged Rum (Planteray Fiji)
1 oz Mezcal Vago Elote (Banhez Espadin-Barril)
3/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)
3 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed).Two Tuesdays ago, I was perusing the online recipe flashcards for Idlewind, a menuless speakeasy in Charlotte, when I spotted the Cane & the Clove. The recipe was a borrowed one for it was created by Francisco Terrazas at Houston's Pastry War and published in the December 2017 issue of Imbibe Magazine. I then recalled that I did not make the drink back then for I did not have elote-style mezcal (mezcal distilled with corn akin to pechuga); however, this time, I realized that I was probably never going to purchase a bottle for myself and that the large amount of Pedro Ximenez sherry would probably cover those flavor nuances. Therefore, I let my intrigue take over instead of passing up the recipe even with its similarities to the Haitian Divorce. In the glass, the Cane & the Clove donated an orange, raisin, rum, and clove aroma. Next, plum and grape notes on the sip ventured into aged rum, caramel, smoke, vegetal, raisin, and clove flavors on the swallow.

laphroaig project

1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Laphroaig Quarter Cask Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 dash Peach Bitters (Fee Brothers)

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, I was listening to the new episode of the Bartender At Large podcast (or the Patreon bonus episode) where host Erick Castro and Imbibe Magazine editor Paul Clarke discussed the Laphroaig Project, and I realized that I had never made one for myself. I had straw-tasted it years ago when I had a regular at Russell House Tavern circa 2013-14 who was from San Francisco and used to request them off menu from me which was great since we had housemade peach bitters at the time (my bar notebook says that his name was Jonathan and we began talking about cocktails when he ordered a Prince Edward that he had learned down the road at Rendezvous). The closest to a full drink that I had tried was a variation called the Pineapple Project at Ames Street Deli in December 2014. This lesser known neo-classic was created by Owen Westman at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco circa 2009, and its popularity as a bartender's choice drink has probably been effected by the skyrocketing cost of Chartreuses and Laphroaig Scotch as compared to 15 years ago not to mention the availability issues of all those ingredients (when I was doing the ordering at Drink in 2022, I was more crushed by Laphroaig outages than Chartreuse shortages). Overall, it has the same feel of Death & Co.'s Pete's Word on paper (I need to make this soon) with the lemon juice aspect of the Final Ward.In the glass, the Laphroaig Project launched with a lemon, peat smoke, and nutty cherry bouquet. Next, a lemon sip with a hint of fruitiness slid into herbaceous, smoky Scotch, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow.

infinite jest

1 oz Marie Duffau Armagnac
1 oz Iris Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
1 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
2 dash Boker's Bitters (1 dash Bitter Housewife's Cardamon + 1 dash Scrappy's Orange + 1 dash Scrappy's Aromatic)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays ago, I returned to Shawn Soole's Great Northern Cocktails book and spotted the Infinite Jest by Robin Kaufman, bar director at Alo in Toronto. Since apricot and oxidized dry sherries like Amontillado have worked well in recipes like the Immigrant Song and Doubleheader, I was definite game to give my bottle of Armagnac some much needed love. Once assembled, the Infinite Jest opened up with orange, apricot, and nutty grape aromas. Next, grape and orchard fruit notes on the sip progressed into Armagnac, nutty, raisin, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

devil's kitchen

1 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1 oz Pineapple Rum (Planteray Stiggins Fancy)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
2 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass (*), and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
(*) I originally made this in an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube as seen in the photo below. While there was a nice progression of flavors over time, it started to die when diluted too much. When I mentioned this on Instagram, folks tried it up and replied that they enjoyed it served that way, so I am going with my hunch.Two Fridays ago, I looked over various recipes for ingredients that worked well with Ancho Reyes and decided to create a cocktail. Of the 10 Ancho Reyes drinks on the blog, 7 contain mezcal, 2 with Cynar, 2 with mole bitters, and 1 with banana liqueur; moreover, I figured that pineapple rum would bolster the tropical notes of the banana despite it not having previously been paired with Ancho Reyes in my tasting history. Finally, I dubbed this the Devil's Kitchen after a neighborhood described in the 1933 book The Barbary Coast as a rough one in San Francisco during the latter half of the 19th century. In the glass, the Devil's Kitchen gave forth a grapefruit and vegetal aroma. Next, a caramel-tinged sip opened up into rum, vegetal, smoke, tropical, and chili pepper flavors on the swallow. When I made this on the rocks, the tropical aspect became more defined as pineapple and banana as the ice melted over time.

another sunken boat

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Banhez)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
2 dash Absinthe (12 drop Copper & Kings)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make the Another Sunken Boat by Phil Ward at New York City's Long Island Bar circa 2022 as a riff on the Remember the Maine originally published in Charles H. Baker Jr.'s first book. I had spotted this recipe on a friend's Instagram post in early July, and I was able to trace it back to Robert Simonson's Substack. The combination reminded me of the reposado tequila-based Remember the Alamo, so I was definitely interested in trying Phil's spin on things. In the glass, the Another Sunken Boat proffered smoke, vegetal, and licorice aromas to the nose. Next, grape and dark plum notes on the sip nestled into vegetal, smoke, bitter herbal, cherry, and licorice flavors on the swallow that later gained more dark fruit notes as the drink warmed up.

black pearl

1 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Planteray 5 Year Barbados Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1/2 oz Appleton Signature Rum
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1 spritz Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add ice, and stir to mix and chill.Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted a drink on the Reddit cocktails forum for the Black Pearl from Charlie Was a Sinner in Philadelphia that intrigued me. The recipe was posted by user Gordonf23 who was provided the information by a bartender there. The combination of Amaro Montenegro and Fernet Branca was one that worked amazingly well in Backbar's Scarecrow and that I later used in my Songs My Mother Taught Me. Moreover, the combination of rum, Punt e Mes, and Montenegro reminded me of Erick Castro's Blood of My Enemies, so I was excited to try this out with Fernet and absinthe in the mix. In the glass, the Black Pearl opened up with a caramel, rum, and herbal bouquet. Next, grape, caramel, and orange notes on the sip formed into rum, minty, herbal, and anise flavors on the swallow that later gained a menthol and clementine aspect as the ice diluted the mix.

pizzacato passage

1 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Amaro Meletti
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/2 oz Dry Gin (Beefeater)
2 dash Scrappy's Chocolate Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with candied ginger.Two Tuesdays ago, I fell back to the 2020 Community Cocktails book and spotted the Pizzacato Passage by owner-bartender Anu Apte at Roy Roy in Seattle. Matt Pietrek in his blog CocktailWonk wrote how the drink was part of the bar's December 2015 Advent Calendar cocktail menu. I was lured in for Amaro Meletti and dry oxidized sherries have worked well together in recipes like the 69 Holland and Globetrotter, so I gave this one a whirl. In the glass, I was greeted with a ginger, nutty grape, caramel, and floral-herbal aroma. Next, caramel and grape notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow wrapped things up with herbal, violet, chili pepper, dried fruit, and chocolate flavors.

pajazo mental

1 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Honey-Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and float 1/4 oz Nocino (Russo, it sank though).Two Mondays ago, the September/October issue of Imbibe arrived in the mail, and that night I latched onto the Pajazo Mental by beverage director Eric Syed at Parche in Oakland from an article on Penicillin riffs. This Penicillin riff had the smokey element in a split base with rye instead of as a float; here, the float was a walnut liqueur one. Due to the sugar content, my float sank but it did imbue a walnut aroma though through residuals on the ice and on the surface of the drink. That walnut note was joined by vegetal and smoke aromas on the nose. Next, lemon and honey on the sip led to rye, vegetal, smoke, and ginger flavors on the swallow that were later joined by a walnut finish.

the bitter blend

1/2 oz Gin (St. George Dry Rye)
1/2 oz Bourboun (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays prior, I ventured back to Shawn Soole's Great Northern Cocktails book and landed on the Bitter Blend by Montreal bartender Sean Michael McCaffrey. It read like a Negroni crossed with a Boulevardier, but with the Cynar part, perhaps a Negroni crossed with a Little Italy would be more fitting. Bourbon and gin in a straight spirits format was one that I have seen three times before: the Manhattan/Martinez-like Arnaud's Atomic Bomb, Fool's Gold with a Picon-like element, and Sother Teague's Youthful Expression with Ramazzotti (not to mention with citrus and ginger ale, the Suffering Bastard, of course). Moreover, the name reminded me of Eastern Standard's Bitter Brew that they crafted when their Amer Picon stock ran out. In the glass, the Bitter Blend proffered an orange and grapefruit bouquet. Next, a grape-driven sip slid into Bourbon, juniper, funky herbal, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.