Monday, February 10, 2025

certain ratio

3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Amaro Lucano
3/4 oz Housemade Falernum (Velvet)
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
Two Mondays ago, I was searching online recipe flashcard sets when I spotted the Certain Ratio off of the speakeasy menu at Puttery in Manhattan. The drink described on the menu as "a sum greater than its parts," and it reminded me of The Brooks which has Cynar in place of the Amaro Lucano here. The name made me think of a Brian Eno lyric from the 1970s, but it is more likely that the cocktail was named after the band A Certain Ratio formed in 2020 that was inspired by Eno. Once shaken and strained, the Certain Ratio gave forth pineapple-noted rum funk and caramel aromas. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip ventured into funky rum, bitter orange, and clove flavors on the swallow.

Sunday, February 9, 2025

hunter-gatherer

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Jägermeister
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed).
Two Sundays ago, I began searching the KindredCocktails database for an interesting nightcap to make. There, I found the Hunter-Gatherer by one of my Instagram friends, Brooklyn enthusiast Jesse Casey, that he entered into the website back in 2013. The thought of winter-spiced Boulevardier with a split of Becherovka and Jagermeister for the liqueur element seemed appealing, and it reminded me of the No Quarter with the aged spirit, sweet vermouth Jagermeister, and herbal cordial structure. Once built, the Hunter-Gatherer delivered an orange, ginger, and clove bouquet to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes swirled on the sip before opening up into rye, herbal, cinnamon, clove, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

Saturday, February 8, 2025

broadway junction

1 1/2 oz The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey (Knappogue Castle Single Malt)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Noyaux
1 dash Bitter Truth Creole Bitters (Peychaud's)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with grapefruit oil from a twist.
Two Saturdays ago, I reached for my copy of Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails and stopped flipping the pages when I reached the Broadway Junction. Jillian Vose's creation at The Dead Rabbit in Manhattan was described as "a Boulevardier meets a Japanese Cocktail with a twist." Overall on paper, the whiskey and Campari modified by liqueur reminded me of her Psycho Killer in structure. Here, the Broadway Junction expressed a grapefruit, nutty cherry, and orange aroma. Next, a semi-sweet citrussy sip led into whiskey, almond, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

Friday, February 7, 2025

copper blue

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Amaro Pasubio
2 dash Citrus Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with 3 blueberries on a pick.
Two Fridays ago, I spotted a house recipe from Chuck Taggart that he posted the day before on the Pixelfed app. That drink was called the Copper Blue with rye, vermouth, and Pasubio, and the closest recipe to this that I have tried was the Return of the King with Scotch and Punt e Mes in place of the rye and regular sweet vermouth and the Rhapsody in Blue with blanc vermouth and celery bitters in place of sweet vermouth and citrus bitters. In the glass, the Copper Blue gave forth a rye and blueberry aroma. Next, grape and berry notes on the sip developed into rye, bitter herbal, and blueberry flavors on the swallow with an orange finish.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

black widow

1 oz Bank Note Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Fee's Walnut Bitters (4 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixirs Walnut)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.
Two Thursdays ago, I was perusing an online recipe flashcard set for Ward 8 in Boston, and I found the Black Widow that seemed like an interesting Scotch-apple brandy up drink that otherwise read like a honey-sweetened Old Fashioned with walnut bitters. I was able to uncover that it was created by Mike Wyatt via a StarChefs article, and I was able to date it to around 2015 by Yelp reviews. Once mixed, the Black Widow wove a lemon, apple, and honey-floral bouquet. Next, a honey-driven sip bit into Scotch, apple, floral, and walnut flavors on the swallow.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

uss mallard special

1 1/2 oz Aged Panamanian Rum (Planteray Panama Old Reserve 1997)
1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.
Two Wednesdays ago, I found a reference to a drink on KindredCocktails that would make use of my dusty bottle of Panamanian rum that has sat unused since a Planteray-sponsored virtual Daiquiri Time Out session during the Pandemic shutdown of 2020. That drink was the U.S.S. Mallard Special that David Wondrich wrote about on the DailyBeast from his rare copy of the 1939 naval-themed Kresch's Place cocktail book published by bar owner Isaac Kresch in Colón, Panama. The drink was named after a minesweeper in World War I that was later converted to a submarine rescue ship, and Wondrich adapted the recipe slightly by increasing the rum from 1 to 1 1/2 oz and adding a lemon twist. Overall, the combination of rum, sweet vermouth, and Benedictine reminded me of Trina's Starlite Lounge's Tony Montana and Bottoms Up's Tony Vaughn, so I was intrigued to try it with my funky Planteray rum. Once prepared, the U.S.S. Mallard Special sailed to the nose with a lemon, caramel, and herbal bouquet. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip opened up into aged rum, herbal, clove, and anise flavors on the swallow.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

mr. manager

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
3/8 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/8 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/8 oz Walnut Liqueur (Russo Nocino)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a banana chip (omit).
Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set from Rosewater in Houston and selected the Mr. Manager as a desserty and tropical Manhattan. On paper, it fell somewhere between the banana-walnut Man in the Yellow Hat and the banana-sherry Vieux Pompier. In the glass, the Mr. Manager sauntered over with a nutty, banana, and clove aroma. Next, a grape sip with dried fruit notes gave way to rye, banana, walnut, and allspice flavors on the swallow. Overall, it initially was not overly sweet as I had feared, but as things warmed up, the cloying quotient began to creep up; perhaps serving this on a large ice cube would help things out.

Monday, February 3, 2025

queen village

2 oz Laird's Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Varnelli Caffè Moka (Mr. Black)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
Two Mondays ago, I found a set of online recipe flashcards from Giuseppe & Sons in Philadelphia, and I honed in on the Marconi Wireless riff called the Queen Village named after a neighborhood nearby the bar. With the apple brandy, sweet vermouth, and Fernet, it reminded me of the Newark but with coffee liqueur instead of Maraschino. Once prepared, the Queen Village showcased an apple and minty-menthol bouquet to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip led into apple and bitter herbal-coffee flavors on the swallow.

Sunday, February 2, 2025

cobra's tail

3/4 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1 1/4 oz Bonded Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

After going to Wusong Road where I tasted their Cobra's Fang riff for the Chinese New Years celebration for the Year of the Snake, I became inspired. When I looked at a modern remake of the 1937 Cobra's Fang and the classic 1962 Cobra, the remake's OFTD Rum called out to me and I wanted to pair it with brandy from the Road to Ruin a few nights before. I then removed the orange juice component, and instead of doing the Paul McGee move of subbing in curaçao, I opted for Campari given how well it pairs with passion fruit in the Novara. In considering of the remake's addition of falernum, I thought about allspice dram with how well it worked with Campari in the Chester Rapkin, Negroni Grog, and other drinks. With the allspice dram, I realized that it was close to a Lion's Tail, and I switched the Cognac to Bourbon. For a name, my mind went to the Cobra's Tail; I later uncovered the Lion's Fang which would have been the other choice (that recipe is less like the Cobra's Fang and closer to a Lion's Tail though, and definitely distinct from my end result).
The Cobra's Tail proffered a cinnamon, passion fruit, orange, and allspice aroma. Next, caramel and lime notes on the sip slithered into funky rum, Bourbon, passion fruit, and allspice flavors on the swallow. Indeed, with all of the overproof and bonded spirits plus the liqueurs, the Cobra's Tail left a detectable bite when I woke up the next day.

Saturday, February 1, 2025

wonderlust king

2 oz Wild Turkey 101 Rye (Rittenhouse Bonded)
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Amaro Nardini
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)
1 dash Saline (4 drop 20% Salt Solution)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.
Two Saturdays, I was perusing a bar's online recipe flashcards when I spotted a curious borrowed recipe, the Wonderlust King from Esquire Tavern in San Antonio. Overall, the combination reminded me of the Jackson Ward with different proportions; however, the Wonderlust King is closer to a Little Italy in structure than Jackson Ward's more Black Manhattan-like recipe. In the glass, the Wonderlust King dictated an orange and herbal aroma. Next, caramel and grape notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow rounded things off with rye, root beer, licorice, herbal, and chocolate flavors.