hierophant

3/4 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
3/4 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Licor 43
3/4 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a cherry. Two Tuesdays prior, I returned to an online set of recipe flashcards from Attaboy in Manhattan and was lured in by the Hierophant. The Weekly Cock Tale substack wrote about this split-base drink along with a photo in 2023 after asking the bartender for something boozy and sweet. In an effort to improve my vocabulary, I learned that a hierophant is a priest in Ancient Greece who interpreted sacred mysteries and esoteric principles; it is also a Tarot card that signifies a search for spiritual guidance. Here, the spirit, sherry, and Licor 43 combination reminds me of Eastern Standard drinks like the Ponce de Leon and Black Douglas, so I was curious to try this one even with the larger than average amount of Licor 43 here. In the glass, the Hierophant called forth with a peat smoke, grape, citrus, and vanilla aroma. Next, a sweet grape sip revealed smoky whisky, rich grape from the Cognac and sherry, vanilla, and orange flavors on the swallow.

call it a night

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Carpano Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez (Lustau)
1 tsp Averna

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass rinsed with absinthe (Butterfly). Two Mondays ago, I turned to an old Imbibe Magazine article from April 2019 to make a Manhattan riff called the Call It a Night created by Katie Rose at Goodkind in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The pairing of sweet vermouth and Pedro Ximenez have worked well in drinks like the Stage Dives & Fist Fights, William Wallace, and Riddles in the Dark, so I was curious to try it here with Averna and absinthe accents. In the glass, the Call It a Night summoned a licorice and raisin aroma. Next, a rich grape sip wandered off to showcase Bourbon, fig, and anise flavors on the swallow.

scoundrel

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1/2 oz Islay Scotch (Ardbeg 10 Year)
3/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and found the Scoundrel by Yao Wong at The Elysian in Melbourne circa 2021 in the Manhattan section. While I have not had Green Chartreuse and Pedro Ximenez before, I have had it paired with other sherries such as in The Mouse's Tale and the Ghost of Castle Island. In the glass, the Scoundrel countered with a lemon, raisin, peat smoke, and herbaceous aroma. Next, a rich grape sip revealed smoky Scotch, raisin, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow with dried fruit and smoke on the finish.

devil's whisper

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Saturdays ago, I returned to a relatively recent set of online recipe flashcards that I found for Attaboy, and I picked the Devil's Whisper. While there are four Braulio-Yellow Chartreuse drinks on the blog such as the Inside Job, this is the first time that I had seen Braulio paired with Green Chartreuse. In the glass, the Devil's Whispered communicated a grapefruit, caramel, rum funk, and herbal aroma to the nose. Next, caramel and apple notes on the sip revealed funky rum, caramel, herbal, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow with a pine finish.

hillside cocktail

1 1/2 oz Junipero Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
2 dash Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Fridays ago, I spotted a reference to the Hillside Cocktail created by Chris Bostick at The Varnish. I soon uncovered a YouTube video from 2011 where Chris made the drink and provided the recipe. Back in 2011, this recipe would be notable for Elixir Vegetal had to be suitcase smuggled (although at some point Cocktail Kingdom had a stash), but now as of a few years ago, it is legally imported here. The recipe reminded me of Eastern Standard's Aprilia which is an equal parts number with Cocchi Americano accented by grapefruit bitters instead of dry vermouth and Elixir Vegetal. Once stirred and strained, the Hillside Cocktail proffered a lemon, herbaceous, and pine aroma. Next, light caramel notes on the sip tumbled into pine, herbaceous, and caramel-herbal flavors on the swallow.

the belafonte

1 1/2 oz Angostura Rum (Monymusk Classic Gold)
3/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. I added a lime wheel garnish. Two Thursdays ago, I looked through the recipes that I had marked down from online flashcard sets for the Wilson & Wilson Private Detective Agency, a speakeasy connected to Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco. There, I was lured in by the Belafonte from a 2017 menu. There is already one other Belafonte from The Hawthorne on the blog as well as the Stack Banana from the Baldwin Bar making reference to Belafonte's most famous song. Moreover, at the tail end of my tenure at Russell House Tavern in 2015, we had a Belafonte on the dessert menu of black strap rum, banana liqueur, allspice dram, and housemade coffee bitters. Regardless, this combination called out to be made. In the glass, the Belafonte offered up pineapple and banana aromas to the nose. Next, lime, pineapple, and caramel notes on the sip opened up into rum, banana, pineapple, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

the mental demands of modern life

1 1/2 oz Altos Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
3/8 oz Fernet Branca
3/8 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Patterson House in Nashville, and The Mental Demands of Modern Life called out to me especially since I had just replaced my bottle of Pedro Ximenez. A 2022 StarChefs article attributed the drink to bartender Sam McCullough. While the aged spirit, banana, and Fernet trio makes me think of the Away Colors, the closest drink that I have tried is a mezcal with vermouth version called Dead in the Water, and I created a gin with vermouth Hanky Panky riff called Monkey Business. The Mental Demands of Modern Life in the glass evolved an orange, raisin, and menthol aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip unloaded vegetal agave, cooked banana, raisin, gentian bitter, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

dandelion

3/4 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass rinsed with absinthe (St. George), and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Tuesdays ago, I uncovered a recent set of online recipe flashcards for Attaboy, and I started with the Dandelion as a riff on Sam Ross' Corpse Reviver #2 variation, the Sunflower. A post with a photo on Reddit Cocktails dates this cocktail to at least two years ago. Surprisingly, elderflower liqueur and Montenegro have only appeared one time before on the blog, namely the Derby Scaffa at Backbar, so I was curious to try it here. Once mixed, the Dandelion gave forth an anise, smoky, caramel, and floral aroma. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip blossomed into smoky agave, orange, grapefruit, and floral flavors on the swallow with a smoke and anise finish.

pitter patter

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Amer Picon)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry. Two Mondays prior, I returned to the sets of online recipe flashcards from the Patterson House in Nashville and landed on the Pitter Patter from their Summer 2024 menu. While the recipe card lacked the serving style, I was able to glean it from an Instagram reel. Overall, it was akin to a Brooklyn Cocktail with sherry instead of dry vermouth, and also similar to the Blue Collar given the two bitters as accents. In the glass, the Pitter Patter roused up a dark orange and nutty cherry aroma. Next, a semi-dry caramel and grape sip crossed into rye, nutty cherry, dark orange, and oxidized sherry flavors on the swallow.

the noble experiment

1 1/2 oz Casa Noble Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Orgeat
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I spotted an interesting looking tequila drink called the Noble Experiment in a set of online recipe flashcards for Roxanne's in Long Beach, California. While the recipe set was from 2015, it was older than that for I soon found a 2012 Yelp drink photo; moreover, perhaps their choice of tequila brands spurred on the reference to Prohibition in the name. The ginger-orgeat combination was one that I last saw a few weeks ago with the Set Sail, but that duo has only accented sugar cane spirits, gin, and amari but never agave distillates from what I have written about on the blog. In the glass, the Noble Experiment proposed a lemon, vegetal agave, and ginger bouquet for the nose. Next, a creamy lemon sip advanced into tequila, almond, and ginger flavors on the swallow with a cherry and anise finish.

casting spells

3/4 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Strega
3/4 oz Maraska Maraschino
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass (coupe), and garnish with a cherry. Recently on the Reddit Cocktail forum, user Mekmaann (same handle on Instagram) posted an intriguing drink called Casting Spells as a Final Ward-Last Word family member of sorts. I assumed that the name is a reference to Strega meaning "witch" in Italian. Up until this point, Strega and Maraschino have only been paired in two drinks that I have tried – one was Chris Hannah's 'Round Midnight and the other North of Sunset that I created mirroring Chris' drink making and naming style. In the glass, the Casting Spells put forth a nutty cherry and star anise aroma. Next, lime and cherry notes on the sip transfered into rye, anise, minty pine, cherry, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

bermuda dunes

1 1/2 oz Cruzan Gold Rum (Privateer New England Reserve)
1 oz Cruzan Silver Rum (Rhum Barbancourt 110° White)
1 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a pilsner glass (coconut mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint, lime wheel, and cherry (cherry only). Two Fridays ago, I was feeling a tropical mood, so I chose to make the Bermuda Dunes from the Tonga Hut in Los Angeles that I had found in a set of online recipe flashcards. While the flashcards were for the 2015 menu, it is unclear what year this drink was created, and it is still served there under the house originals section on the current menu. Overall, this Mai Tai-like number shares a lot of similarity with the Nutty Like a Fruitcake with different rums, different proportions, and no bitters. Once mixed with somewhat more robust rums, the Bermuda Dunes arrived at the nose with orange, almond, allspice, and funky rum aromas. Next, a creamy orange and lemon sip stepped aside for rum, orange, almond, allspice, and a touch of grassy rum funk flavors on the swallow.

irresponsible husband

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/8 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
3/8 oz Orgeat

Whip shake, pour into a double old fashioned glass with crushed ice, mix, top with crushed ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Two Thursdays prior, I reached for The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and latched on to the Irresponsible Husband by Brian Lee at San Diego's Noble Experiment circa 2013 via the book's the Fix & Swizzle section. The apricot, orgeat, and lemon juice combination was one that I could date back to the 1937 Yellow Mist, and it appeared once before on the blog with Scotch in different proportions in the Brigadoon. Here, the Irresponsible Husband alerted the nose with a woody spice, nutty, and apricot aroma. Next, a creamy lemon sip was forgotten by Scotch, apricot, and almond flavors on the swallow.

fists of fury

1 1/2 oz Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
1/2 oz Amaro Meletti
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up my file of recipes that I have uncovered on online flashcard sites, and I opted for the Fists of Fury at the now shuttered The Varnish in Los Angeles. While I found the drink in a 2019 set, I spotted it in a Yelp menu photo and review from 2022, so it must have been popular enough to put on the cocktail list more than once. While the name made me think of Erick Castro's Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, instead of a Kill Bill: Vol. 2 reference, it was most like a tribute to the 1972 Bruce Lee movie. Tequila and Meletti have paired well in drinks such as the Aces & Eights and Guapo Buffone, and I used them to great effect in the Cantiflas Mustache, so I was definitely curious to try this one. Once shaken and strained, the Fists of Fury unleashed a vegetal aroma from the tequila. Next, an attack from caramel, grapefruit, and lime notes on the sip opened up tequila, caramel-herbal, and floral flavors on the swallow.

hustle & cuss

2 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Marie Brizard White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
1 dash Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist (omit). Two Tuesdays ago, I selected Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book off of the shelf and found the Hustle & Cuss by Jon Armstrong in 2016. There was no indication about why it was named that, but perhaps it was a tribute to the 2010 song by The Dead Weather. The grapefruit-maple-cinnamon trio appeared to be a driving force here; grapefruit-cinnamon is a proven duo in the Don's Mix as featured in the 1934 Zombie and grapefruit-maple is one that I learned to appreciate in Don's Volcano Bowl. In structure, the recipe vaguely reminded me of the Dead Rabbit's Doctor's Orders with the Bourbon, two citrus juices, cinnamon syrup, and modifiers, but the two take different paths. Here, the Hustle & Cuss donated a Bourbon, maple, and cinnamon aroma to the nose. Next, grapefruit and lemon on the sip flowed into Bourbon, maple, chocolate, cinnamon, and clove flavors on the swallow.

murder of crows

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Nocino (Russo)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 dash Bitters (Angostura)

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel (lemon twist). Two Mondays prior, I began perusing the KindredCocktails database and spotted the Murder of Crows created by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2017. The combination of walnut liqueur and cinnamon syrup is one that worked well in the Five Year Plan and The World is Yours and that I utilized in my Shadows & Tall Trees at Russell House Tavern back in 2013. In the glass, the Murder of Crows gathered around the nose with a lemon, walnut, and cinnamon bouquet. Next, grapefruit and roast notes on the sip opened up into rye, walnut, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

rising sun

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Maraska Maraschio
1 pinch Salt (3 drop 20% Saline)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wheel. Two Sundays ago, I recalled a mezcal drink on Reddit called the Rising Sun, and I tracked down the recipe to a 2014 Saveur article. The drink created at Toro Bravo in Portland, Oregon, came across like a mezcal Hemingway Daiquiri, but the recipe that popped into my head first was the Prado that I was reminded of the day before via the latest Imbibe Magazine issue (the magazine used the Stan Jones' recipe with egg white and simple instead of grenadine one in the link). Moreover, there were of course traces of the Division Bell's flavor profile here. Once shaken and strained, the Rising Sun greeted the senses with a lime, smoky, and nutty cherry aroma. Next, lime and grapefruit notes on the sip unfurled into vegetal, smoky, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow with a lime peel and grapefruit pith finish.

dirk diggler

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1 tsp Fernet Branca
2 dash Peach Bitters (Fee Brothers)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and spotted in the Manhattan section a recipe called the Dirk Diggler by Lorenzo Antinori at Bar Leone in Hong Kong circa 2023. Overall, it read like a Moto Guzzi (originally equal parts Booker's Bourbon and Punt e Mes) met a Toronto. In the glass, the Dirk Diggler gave forth an orange, peach, and minty aroma. Next, grape notes on the sip boogied on over to rye, bitter herbal, and menthol flavors on the swallow with a peach and clove finish.

my favorite mutiny

1 1/2 oz Pineapple Rum (Planteray Stiggins' Fancy)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum

1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a mug, fill with more crushed ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Two Fridays ago, I was still thinking about a drink that Andrea had recently had at Trina's Starlite Lounge called the Wagon Wheel Watusi with rye, Smith & Cross, Benedictine, crème de cacao, and lime. Trina's has paired cacao and Benedictine together before in the Grandpa's Drunk, and I have enjoyed the combination in drinks like the Divorcé in NYC and included it in my King of Birds. For a direction, I took it in the way of the Jet Pilot riff Benny & the Jets and I dubbed it after a 2006 hip-hop song by The Coup called My Favorite Mutiny. I had enjoyed that song in a playlist created by a tequila brand ambassador, and I made note of it in my list of potential drinks names a few years ago. Once prepared, My Favorite Mutiny launched off with a woody spice, rum funk, and chocolate aroma. Next, lime, grapefruit, and caramel notes on the sip sailed into funky rum, pineapple, herbal, chocolate, and clove flavors on the swallow.

black jewel old fashioned

1 1/2 oz Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1/2 oz Old Overholt 86° Rye Whiskey
1/4 oz Crème de Cassis (Massenez)
1/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/8 oz Cane Syrup (Sirup JM)
1 dash Bittercube Bolivar Bitters (Bittercube Trinity)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Another recipe from The Patterson House in Nashville that I spotted in online recipe flashcards when I made the Polite Meeting two days prior was the Black Jewel Old Fashioned. This drink from the Fall 2024 menu collection appeared in a Yelp review that praised it in November 2024 and confirmed the timeframe. With Ciociaro being very much like Amer Picon, the combination reminded me of the Manhattan-like Rock Island from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. Cassis has also worked well paired with other amaro such as the Instant Crush with Fernet and the Under the Veil with Sfumato. Here with Irish whiskey and American rye, the Black Jewel Old Fashioned proffered an orange and dark fruit bouquet to the nose. Next, red and purple fruit coupled with caramel notes on the sip stepped aside for whiskey plus tannic and bitter dark fruit flavors on the swallow.

salvador dali lama

1 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Giffard Chili Liqueur (Ancho Reyes)
1/2 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Lustau)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a Calabrian pepper (dried Thai Matchstick). After making the Love in the Time of Covid, I was reminded that I had another recipe from Seattle's The Doctor's Office saved up. That one was the Salvador Dali Lama by Keith Waldbauer that my friend Daniel Zajic posted on his Instagram after acquiring the recipe from one of the other bartenders. Daniel mentioned that while the drink was created with Giffard Piment d'Espelette, he has had good success at home with Ancho Reyes. Overall, it reminded me of a less bitter and citrus-driven Aztec Death Whistle, so I was curious to give this one a go especially with the intriguingly fused drink name. Once prepared, the Salvador Dali Lama gave forth a smoke, roasted vegetable, and clementine aroma to the nose. Next, an orange and caramel notes on the sip led into smoky agave, chili pepper, almond, and tangerine flavors on the swallow.

polite meeting

1 1/2 oz Bols Genever (Bols Barrel-aged)
1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/4+ oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/8 oz Maple Syrup
13 drop Root Beer Bitters (1 dash Bitter Queens Sarsparilla)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Tuesdays prior, I returned to online recipe flashcards for The Patterson House in Nashville, and I was drawn in by a Genever-rye whiskey Old Fashioned called the Polite Meeting for their Fall 2024 menu. The Genever-maple pairing drew my attention since it has worked in drinks like the Western Front and the Smokin' Bols, but Genever-banana is something that I have only seen in the This That & The Other which had other flavors going on. In the glass, the Polite Meeting launched off with lemon and malty aromas. Next, malt and caramel notes on the sip unfurled into Genever, root beer, maple, banana, and wormwood flavors on the swallow.

love in the time of covid

1 1/2 oz Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky
1 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
1/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/4 oz Giffard Menthe de Pastille (Tempus Fugit Crème de Menthe)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail (coupe) glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Mondays ago, I selected my copy of Neil Ratliff's 2022 Seattle Cocktails book for the night's libation. There, I was lured in by Love in the Time of Covid at The Doctor's Office. Bar director Keith Waldbauer described how it was created as a one-off for a charity during lockdown, and it was so successful that it became the bar's first original on a menu of classics. The concept of apricot and mint accents was something that I was familiar with from the Leap Frog and that I utilized in my Derby Julep, so I was curious to see how it would work here with Japanese whisky. Once this updated Gabriel García Márquez tribute drink was mixed, lemon, apricot, and mint aromas jumped out to the nose. Next, pear and grapefruit notes on the sip broadened into whisky, grapefruit, apricot, and mint flavors on the swallow. As the drink warmed up, the Peychaud's cherry and anise aspects started to come out on the back palate.

faithful departed

1 oz Dubliner Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1 oz Cihuatan Indigo Aged Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/4 oz Lucano Café (Borghetti)
1/8 oz Green Chartreuse
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist (include the twist). Two Sundays ago, I was perusing online recipe flashcards from The Violet Hour in Chicago, and I became enraptured with the Faithful Departed from their Fall 2022 menu. I have only had coffee liqueur and Green Chartreuse once before in the Jungle Madness, so I was curious to try it in a Manhattan format. The name refers to the Anglican and Catholic concept of deceased Christians who are waiting in purgatory to arrive in heaven. That definition made me think of Ted Kilgore's Purgatory especially with the straight spirits whiskey and Chartreuse overlap. In the glass, the Faithful Departed rose to the senses with a lemon oil and coffee bouquet. Next, roast and grape notes on the sip summoned rum, coffee, herbaceous, and clove flavors on the swallow.

la chinesca

1 1/4 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
3/8 oz Mezcal (Fosforo)
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and spied La Chinesca in the Manhattan section. It was attributed to Paul Hammond and Priscilla Leong now of The Flowing Bowl Cocktail Company in Melbourne. The other drink that I made from that duo was the Nova Scotia as a Bourbon and Scotch Toronto with honey, and this one read like an agave Little Italy.  Perhaps, they named the drink after the Chinatown in Mexicali, the state capital of Baja California, which historically has contained the largest Chinese community in Mexico. The population arrived to the area to build irrigation systems and either came from the United States to flee a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment or directly from China, and the laborers stayed in the area after the project was completed. The city blossomed during American Prohibition where laborers and farmers moved into the city to open and staff bars, restaurants, casinos, and hotels to welcome thirsty folks from north of the border. In the glass, La Chinesca gave forth an orange, herbal, grape, and smoke aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip wandered into vegetal, bitter herbal, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

ned king's gem

1 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Appleton Signature Rum (Appleton 8 Year)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup 2:1 (3/4 oz 1:1)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with freshly grated cinnamon. When we were in Easthampton a few weeks ago, we visited Lauren Clarke's store, Tip Top Wine Shop. Lauren used to run the seminal DrinkBoston blog from 2006 to 2014 that captured the players. places, and some of the recipes of the Boston cocktail renaissance in parallel (but with an earlier head start) with this blog. During our visit, she recommended a few nearby cocktail bars; however, we had an intinerary of breweries and a restaurant to visit and did not make it out for mixed drinks. One of those bars was Gigantic in Easthampton, and I found their recipe for Ned King's Gem in a 2022 Punch article. His riff on William Schmidt's The Gem from the 1891 The Flowing Bowl Book added bitters, removed the lemon slice garnish, changed the rum origin from Santa Cruz (Virgin Islands) to Jamaica, and replaced the sugar with the pineapple syrup to all pineapple syrup to modernize the classic. Once prepared, Ned King's Gem proffered cinnamon, barrel-aged, and vaguely fruity aromas to the nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip revealed rum, Cognac, tropical, clove, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

winterbird

1 1/2 oz Dark Rum (Coruba)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
4 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Collins glass or ceramic mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with an orange quarter wheel (half slice) and a cherry. Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a drink that I spotted on Facebook's Tiki Recipes group called the Winterbird. I was able to trace it back to a Liquor.com which attributed this winterized Jungle Bird riff to Randy Hayden at Nine Mile Station in Atlanta. To me, it seemed more like a 1941 Here's How Zombie with a stripped down rum base plus orange juice and Fernet more than a Jungle Bird proper. In the mug, the Winterbird flitted to the nose with a caramel, menthol, and apricot aroma. Next, caramel, lime, and orange notes on the sip landed on funky dark rum, minty-menthol, pineapple, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

wonk holiday punch (2025)

1/2 oz Planteray Mister Fogg Sail No. 1 Rum
1/2 oz Planteray Xaymaca Rum
1 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup 2:1 (1:1)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Two Wednesdays ago, I was listening to a Bartender at Large podcast where Pierre Ferrand's Alexandre Gabriel was the guest, and I later checked out Alexandre's Instagram. One of the posts was a joint one from Matt Pietrek from December 2025 where Matt posted his Wonk Holiday Punch. Matt was inspired by a conversation with bartender Jason Alexander, and his recipe utilized three of Alexandre's products. I had not seen orange liqueur as a base since the Grand Marnier event at Drink at 2009 where John Gertsen led the pack with 2 1/4 oz with the Mission of Burma as an inverted Pegu Club and Scott Holliday's Alicante at 1 1/2 oz (our cocktail, the Lioness (of Brittany), was a meager 3/4 oz by comparison). Once prepared, the Wonk Holiday Punch named after Matt's CocktailWonk and RumWonk accounts began with orange, caramel, and cinnamon aromas. Next, a medley of grapefruit, lime, and orange notes on the sip sailed into rum, orange, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow. The roundness of Pierre Ferrand's orange liqueur akin to that of Grand Marnier allowed for this large amount of curaçao to prosper as half of the alcohol volume.

vito's catch

3/4 oz Don Julio Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
3/4 oz Cherry Heering
1 pinch Sea Salt (4 drop 20% Sea Salt Saline)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. Two Tuesdays prior, I opened up the Hawthorne bar bible, and I spotted the Vito's Catch that read like a tequila Blood & Sand riff that swapped the Scotch and orange juice for aged tequila and grapefruit. In the glass, the Vito's Catch effused a vegetal agave and cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, cherry and grape notes on the sip blossomed into tequila, dark fruit, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was impressed at how the grapefruit tied together the combination better than regular orange juice in the classic. This was a more subtle change than in my Rogue's Romance a few months ago where I replaced the orange juice in the Scotch original with lemon juice, a heavy dose of Angostura Bitters, and an orange peel included in the shake, but equally as enjoyable.

cinn-ful bastard

2 oz Mount Gay Black Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Collins glass (Tiki mug), and garnish with a cherry and candied ginger. Two Mondays ago, I was perusing online recipe flashcards sets when I found a 2015 collection from the Tonga Hunt in Los Angeles. There, I locked in on the Cinn-ful Bastard, and its rum, lime, orgeat, and cinnamon combination reminded me of the Cuban Anole. Later, I realized that I used to make a similar drink at River Bar in 2018 called the Zombie Nation. In the mug, the Cinn-ful Bastard erupted with a cinnamon, almond, and cherry aroma. Next, a creamy grapefruit and lime sip got tripped into rum, cinnamon, almond, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

wagon train

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
3/8 oz Amaro Braulio
1 tsp Maple Syrup

Stir with ice, strain into an old fasioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Sundays ago, I elected for The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book to guide the drink of the night, and in the Old Fashioned section, I spotted the Wagon Train by Matt Clark at Dutch Kills. To get an approximate date on the recipe, I found a mention of the drink in an October 2019 review on Yelp. I was drawn in for Braulio and maple worked rather well in the Thieves in the Night, and I added some maple to my Braulio-Sfumato Dead Man's Alley with good results. In the glass, the Wagon Train approached the nose with orange, nutty grape, maple, and pine aromas. Next, grape and maple notes on the sip were followed by rye, bitter herbal, pine, and nutty grape flavors on the swallow with a dry maple finish.

te anuanua

2 oz Jamaican Rum (1 3/4 oz Appleton 8 Year + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a glass or mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig, a half passion fruit, and an orchid (spent lime shell with 151 proof rum (El Dorado) ignited). Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted on a friend's Instagram called the Te Anuanua. It was created by Derek Cole on his Make and Drink account on YouTube, and this Mai Tai riff's name translates to rainbow in Tahitian. The combination seemed familiar, and I decided to make it and check later; my hunch was right, for the Te Anuanua is essentially the Tequi la Banane that I had a month before but with rum and lime instead of tequila and lemon and a flip of the banana liqueur and orgeat amounts. In the glass though, the Te Anuanua began with a rum funk, banana, and passion fruit aroma. Next, a slightly creamy lime and caramel sip refracted into funky rum, nutty, banana, and passion fruit flavors on the swallow.

barroom hero

1 oz Angostura Bitters
1 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Giffard Orgeat (homemade Orgeat)
1 1/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
2 spray Tahitian Vanilla (1 dash Savoy Society Orange Vanilla)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a flamed (unflamed) orange twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I bought the four volume set of Kahuna Kevin's Tiki Cocktails books as PDFs from the author via Etsy. From the fourth volume, I was lured in by Kahuna Kevin's Barroom Hero that read like a hybrid of two of Giuseppe Gonzalez's drinks: the Trinidad Sour and the Magic Julep. Perhaps, Kevin named his drink after the Dropkick Murphys song, although the protagonist in that song only drank [high]balls and beer. Once shaken and strained, the Barroom Hero lurched to the nose with an orange, allspice, and minty aroma. Next, a creamy lime sip opened up into minty-menthol, almond, clove, and allspice flavors on the swallow. Given the ingredients and amounts here, Bartender Hero might be an appropriate name too for I have drank more Fernet and Angostura shots with my fellow bartenders than I have ever on my own.

night nurse

1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum (Appleton 8 Year)
1 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Overproof Jamaican Rum (Wray & Nephew)
1/4 oz Cynar
1 tsp Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1 tsp Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing my copy of the January/February 2026 issue of Imbibe Magazine when I spotted the Night Nurse by Robby Dow at Bespoke in Wilmington, North Carolina. Overall, it was akin to the Coffee Negroni with different rum origin plus touches of Cynar and banana liqueur. Once mixed, the Night Nurse gave forth an orange, banana, rum funk, and coffee aroma. Next, grape, caramel, and roast notes on the sip transferred into funky rum, herbal, coffee, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow with a coffee and banana finish.

serpiente

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Pastis (1/4 tsp Pastis d'Autrefois)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a ceramic mug, and top with crushed ice. Two Tuesday prior, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted on Instagram called the Serpiente by Rob Giuffrida that he posted on his tiki_after_midnight account. I met Rob around 16 years ago at work when I was still pursuing a career in science, and we bonded over our interests in beer, spirits, and later tropical drinks. The recipe reminded me of the Tequi la Banana from the Easy Tiki book with the added touches of pineapple, mezcal, and pastis but no passion fruit. Rob served this in a LowTiki snake mug, so perhaps that along with the Mexican spirits is why he named it after the Spanish word for snake. In the my non-reptilian mug, the Serpiente slithered to the nose with a smoky, earthy, vegetal, and anise bouquet. Next, a creamy lemon and caramel sip opened up into smoky agave, pineapple, almond, banana, and anise flavors on the swallow.

transmigration

3/4 oz Goslings Black Seal Rum
3/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I selected my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion from the shelf and spotted the Transmigration by Tom Lasher-Walker at Brooklyn's Fresh Kills circa 2017 via the book's Manhattan section. Transmigration is related to reincarnation as it is "the movement of a soul into another body after death," but the only thing that I could tie to mortuary themes here were all the dark hues in the ingredients.  Instead, the drink is probably named after the Milk & Honey drink called Migration that is equal parts of all the ingredients above save for no coffee liqueur. Overall, the recipe reminded me of a coffee-driven Palm Viper especially given the two rums, and the rum, coffee, sweet vermouth, and Cynar stylings appeared before in the Belafonte. Once mixed, the Transmigration gave forth orange, coffee, and molasses aromas to the nose. Next, grape, caramel, and roast notes on the sip shifted into dark rum, molasses, herbal, and coffee flavors on the swallow.

oh, barnacles!

1 1/2 oz Brugal 1888 Rum (Don Q Añejo)
1/2 oz Chairman's Reserve Spiced Rum (Don Q Spiced)
1/2 oz Lost Spirits Navy Rum (Planteray Mr. Fogg No. 1)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Clement Creole Shrubb (Bauchant)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Crude Attawanhood #37 Bitters (King Floyd's Cherry-Cacao)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a sea-themed mug, top with crushed ice, and garnish with freshly grated cinnamon (freshly grated cinnamon and a cinnamon stick). The Crude Bitters are aromatic bitters featuring cherry, clove, and cinnamon. Two Sundays ago, I was in a tropical drinks mood and decided to make a recipe that I had spotted a few weeks prior on Instagram called Oh, Barnacles! by Todd Yard on his Concoctails account. Todd named this after a swear on the SpongeBob SquarePants television series that he heard his daughter say. The Cynar and falernum duo here caught my eye for they have paired well in drinks like The Brooks and Commercial Free, and I utilized them in the Home Drum, a stirred drink inspired by The Brooks and the Corn'n'Oil. In the oceanic mug, the Oh, Barnacles! gave forth a cinnamon and caramel aroma. Next, caramel, lemon, and orange notes on the sip submerged into rum, herbal, orange, clove, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

shinola

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/4 oz Amaro Nardini
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1 tsp Rich Cane Syrup (1/4 oz 1:1)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and landed on the Shinola by Greg Keesee at Nashville's Attaboy in 2021 via the book's Old Fashioned section. I was drawn in for I recalled how well Nardini and Chartreuse pair such as in the Green Hornet and Key Party which had motivated me to create the Metal Urbain soon after. In the glass, the Shinola donated a lemon and green herbal bouquet to the nose. Next, a semi-sweet sip with a hint of caramel unfurled into rye, bitter herbal, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow. Indeed, the Nardini played well with the Chartreuse as it had before, and it gave depth to the Chartreuse's brighter notes.

fox river cocktail

1 glass Bourbon (2 oz Evan Williams Bonded)
1 lump Sugar (1/4 oz Simple Syrup)
Peach Bitters to saturate the Sugar (3 dash Fee's)
1 tsp Creme de Cacao (1/4 oz Bols)

Build in a glass, stir with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.

When I made the River Styx, I read how bartender David Kinsey was influenced by the Fox River that I made in 2008 before I started writing for the blog. So I decided to remake it two days later, but not off the Fee's bitter bottle label's recipe like last time but from Harry of Ciro's ABC of Mixing Cocktails from 1923. The recipe off of the Fee's Peach Bitters bottle with notes from my LiveJournal entry reads as such:

Fox River
• 2 oz Whiskey (I used Knob Creek Bourbon)
• 1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (I most likely used Marie Brizard)
• 1 tsp Peach Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon peel.

My research led me to a 2024 Punch article that pointed out that Harry McElhone had adapted the Fox River Toddy that appeared in Charles Mahoney's Hoffman House Bartender's Guide from 1905. From the book scan on the EUVS library:

Fox River Toddy
• 1 wineglass Whiskey
• 3 dash Crème de Cacao
• 2 dash German Bitters
• 1 piece Lemon
• 1 loaf Sugar
• 1 lump Ice
Stir will and serve in a Toddy glass.

It is unclear what those bitters were since there were several German Bitters around that time including Humboldt's, Dr. Hoofland's, Selner's, Lippman's, Kryder's, Knecht's, and Petzold's German Bitters. During my bitters making days, I made a batch of German Bitters in 2008 from a historic database, and that recipe included chamomile, calamus, orris root, coriander seed, centaury, and orange peel. Perhaps 18 years later when Harry updated the recipe on the other side of the Atlantic, those sort of medicinal bitters were less available, and he opted for peach instead. Peach and chocolate are an interesting combination that I have enjoyed in the reverse combination in the King's Peach that utilized crème de peche and mole bitters. Enough of the history and on to the drink that began with a lemon, chocolate, and hint of peach aroma. Next, a semi-sweet sip revealed Bourbon, chocolate, and peach flavors on the swallow.

what the dickens?

3/4 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. The recipe card from 2021 had no garnish, but their Facebook post form 2024 had a pineapple wedge as garnish. Two Thursdays ago, I was perusing online recipe flashcard sets when I spotted a drink called What the Dickens? from Flask & Cannon in Jacksonville. I was able to find a reference to the drink as early as 2018 on their Yelp, and I found a description and photo of the drink on their Facebook from 2024. The Cognac-pineapple rum is a combination that I have used in my Why Don't You Do Right (renamed Sunken City for a competition) and enjoyed in the Tropical Sazzy. Here, the What the Dickens? offered up Cognac, caramel, pineapple, and allspice aromas to the nose. Next, lime and passion fruit notes on the sip evolved into brandy, rum, pineapple, passion fruit, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.

river styx

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/4 oz Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1 dash St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (20 drop Hamilton's)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I uncovered an intriguing drink in an online recipe flashcard set and was able to trace it back to a 2018 article in Imbibe Magazine. That drink was the River Styx created by David Kinsey in 2015 for the opening of Kindred in San Diego. It read very much like a coffee liqueur for Scotch Base Camp (which was created after this one), although the first recipe to pop in my head was The Sherpa given the Bourbon with allspice dram base (but orange liqueur instead of coffee and cacao). On David's Instagram, he explained, "The first proper Old Fashioned I had at a cocktail bar as the American Trilogy, the second: a Kentucky River [a combination of Bourbon, crème de cacao, and peach bitters that I mixed up pre-blog in March 2008 and that I ended up remaking two days after this]. The American Trilogy was what I pictured an old fashioned riff being: boozy, direct, showcasing the spirits with just a hint of citrus zest to perk up the taste buds. The Kentucky River caught me by surprise afterwards. It was heavy, but broke into sweet velvety ribbons that never tipped into the dreaded 'too sweet'." Once mixed, the River Styx flowed to the nose with a lemon, coffee, and allspice aroma. Next, a roast-drived sip cascaded into Bourbon, coffee, chocolate, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

teaching bad apples

1 oz Campari
1 oz Amaro Zucca (Sfumato)
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake, pour into a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a lime wheel. Two Tuesdays prior, I reached for my copy of The Bartenders Manifesto book by Toby Maloney and became entranced by the Teaching Bad Apples by Jim Troutman at The Violet Hour circa 2018. Jim described this as "A training wheels cocktail for people interested in bitter spirits," and the concept was not too out of line with the Amaro Daiquiri save for the pineapple juice, honey, and bitters. In addition, I have tried Campari and a rabarbaro (such as Zucca and Sfumato) paired together in equal parts before in the Gully Brood and Preceptor, but not without a base spirit like here. Once mixed, the Teaching Bad Apples shared a bright lime oil, fruity, roast, and smoky char bouquet to the nose. Next, roast, lime, pineapple, and honey notes in the sip flowed into bitter orange, earthy bitter, and smoky flavors on the swallow with a honey-tinged finish.

the whole spectrum

1 oz Cynar
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Islay Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1/4 oz Lemon Juice

4 dash Fee's Peach Bitters
1 pinch Salt (4 drop 20% Saline)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. One of the drinks that I spotted in Shawn Soole's Great Northern Cocktails book when I made The Kipling Cocktail instead was The Whole Spectrum by Kyle Guilfoyle at the Nimble Bar Company in Victoria, British Columbia. The Cynar, big cube, touch of lemon juice, and pinch of salt made me think of the Little Giuseppe, except the pinch of salt was incorporated in the stir and not placed on top of the ice cube to integrate over time to modulate the bitterness quotient. In addition, the equal parts Campari and Cynar with something smoky was seen in the Devotion & Desire, so I was curious to see it here with Scotch instead of mezcal. Once mixed, The Whole Spectrum offered up a lemon and peat smoke aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the Cynar opened into smoky whisky, herbal, bitter orange, savory, and peach flavors on the swallow.

cavendish corpse reviver

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Absinthe (12 drop St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist (include twist). Two Sundays prior, I grabbed my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book, and after having burned through my stash of limes, I sought out a lemon juice drink in the book's Daisy and Sidecar chapter. There, I was lured in by the Cavendish Corpse Reviver by the book's author, Michael Madrusan, at The Everleigh in 2023. The concept of a Bourbon-based Corpse Reviver #2 reminded me of how a bartender at Drink made me one in 2008 (I later heard it called the Kentucky Corpse Reviver), and how that drink did not seem out of place at the time knowing that Brian Miller had crafted the Bourbon-for-gin 20th Century Cocktail that he dubbed the 19th Century. Here, instead of orange liqueur or crème de cacao, the liqueur was banana, and Cavendish is the current banana varietal in markets after the Gros Michel banana got wiped out by a fungal disease that began in the 1950s. In the glass, the Cavendish Corpse Reviver unpealed a lemon, caramelized banana, and anise aroma. Next, lemon, melon, and caramel notes on the sip stepped aside for Bourbon, lemon pith, cooked banana, and anise flavors on the swallow.

set sail

1 1/2 oz Rhum Barbancourt 8 Year
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with candied ginger. Two Saturdays ago, I found the Set Sail in a set of online recipe flashcards for Dear Irving in Manhattan from their Spring 2019 menu. I was able to find Yelp menu photos in May, September, and October 2019 which confirmed the time frame. Indeed, I was surprised to discover that there were only five recipes on the blog that have an orgeat-ginger syrup pairing, and the two that rock it out without other syrups in the mix were the Rough Seas and Pressgang Swizzle. Once shaken and strained, the Set Sail wafted to the nose with funky rum, pineapple, ginger, and almond aromas. Next, a creamy lime sip drifted into funky rum, pineapple, nutty, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

hank scorpio

1 1/2 oz Zacapa Rum (Coruba)
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain (into a Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a pineapple leaf (pineapple swizzle stick). Two Fridays ago, I searched the Kindred Cocktails database and spotted the Hank Scorpio created by New York city bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2014. Given the curious name, my search uncovered that Rafa named the drink after a character who made a one time appearance in season 8 of The Simpsons. Once prepared, the Hank Scorpio donated a caramel, pineapple, vanilla, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, lime, caramel, and pineapple notes on the sip retreated towards dark rum, vanilla, ginger, and clementine flavors on the swallow.

tico tico

2 oz Silver Cachaça (Novo Fogo Bar Strength)
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1 oz Ginger Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a pineapple leaf and orange slice (orange twist only). Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Nicole Schaefer's Portland Cocktails book, and I turned to the Hale Pele section in search for something tropical. There, I found the Tico Tico by Tara McCarron, and the book described how "tico" is a term for the natives of Costa Rica. However, Tara corrected that on my Instagram, "I actually got the inspiration for the name from the Brazilian song 'Tico-Tico no Fubá (sparrow in the cornmeal)'. It was featured in an old Donald Duck cartoon where he visits Brazil and meets a parrot named José Carioca who teaches him how to dance the samba and drink cachaça!" The parrot who first appeared in 1942 has its own Wikipedia page that elaborates how he was created by the Brazilian cartoonist José Carlos de Brito and shown to Walt Disney on Walt's trip to Rio de Janeiro in 1941; José Carioca has been used on and off by Disney for the last 80 years in cartoons, video games, and theme parks. Once prepared, the Tico Tico danced to the nose with orange, ginger, and cachaça's grassy funk. Next, lime, pineapple, and orange notes on the sip transitioned into funky cachaça blending into ginger and orange peel flavors on the swallow.

society street

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
>1/4 oz Peach Liqueur (1 tsp Mathilde)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Wednesdays ago, Imbibe Magazine sent out an email of a recipe from their January 2026 issue called Society Street. The drink is a Southern take on a Manhattan by Jeremy Buck at Coterie in Charleston, and it reminded me of the Bourbon Belle at Boston's Citizen Public House minus the Cognac aspect. In the glass, the Society Street chauffeured a lemon and peach aroma to the nose. Next, a grape-driven sip opened up into whiskey, dark fruit, peach, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.