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 nutmeg. 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.

luca brazi

1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Campari
1/3 oz Cynar
5 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Tuesdays prior, I sought out my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and landed on the Luca Brazi in the Negroni section as crafted by Lorenzo Antinori at Bar Leone in Hong Kong circa 2023. I could not find any confirmation of the bar's spelling of the drink, but Luca Brasi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and the 1972 film based on it. Overall, the combination looked like a less intense version of The Last Mechanical Art, so I was intrigued. In the glass, the Luca Brazi ushered forth grapefruit, floral, vegetal, and peachy-orange aromas. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip developed into vegetal, orange, and peach flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

the kipling cocktail

1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2 oz Orgeat
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (3 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixirs Walnut)

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe), and garnish with a lime leaf (omit). Two Mondays ago, I spotted my copy of Shawn Soole's Great Northern Cocktails book, and I honed in on The Kipling Cocktail by Aisha Fleming at Clive's Classic Lounge in Victoria, British Columbia. The structure reminded me of White Chapel's Genever Daisy with (besides a different spirit) lemon instead of lime and bitters. With rum and absinthe for gin and walnut bitters, the recipe also shares a similarity with the 1962 tropical classic, the Gold Cup. Here, The Kipling Cocktail gave forth a pine, nutty, and cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, a creamy lime sip with a hint of cherry opened up into juniper, almond, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

honky-tonk

3/4 oz Bourbon (1 oz Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wedge (lime wheel). Two Sundays prior, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion, and in the Daisy section, I uncovered the Honky-Tonk by Angus Payne at The Everleigh in Melbourne circa 2022. The closest recipe that I have sampled was the rum and lemon Devil's Bargain from Raines Law Room. The Devil's Bargain was my first time trying Montenegro and grenadine together, and I later utilized it in my stirred drink, the Street of Crocodiles. Once prepared, the Honky-Tonk offered up lime, floral, and caramel aromas to the nose. Next, lime, berry, and caramel notes on the sip two-stepped into Bourbon, berry, orange, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

king kopeika

1 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (6 drop St. George)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with freshly grated coffee bean and grated cinnamon. Two Saturdays ago, I became inspired by the Carajillo and the Carajillo Old Fashioned that I had two weeks prior. I soon thought about my mezcal Mr. Bali Hai (same as the classic but with the spirit change and some of the simple swapped for cinnamon syrup) and Smuggler's Cove's Expedition. Mezcal and OFTD rum paired well together in the Final Destination Zombie and my Lahaine Noon, so I went with my inclination to use them as the base. For a name, I dubbed this one King Kopeika after Hawaiian for espresso ("kope" for coffee and "ika" for strong). Once prepared, King Kopeika granted the nose a cinnamon and roasted coffee aroma. Next, roast, caramel, pineapple, and lemon notes on the sip decreed burly rum, smoky vegetal, coffee, vanilla, citrus, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

highside special

1 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1 oz Amaro Lucano
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass, add soda water (2 oz), fill with ice, and garnish with cracked pepper. Two Fridays ago, I returned to my file of online recipe flashcards drinks to see what I could make with soda water. There, I was lured in by the Highside Special by Rich Boccato at Dutch Kills circa 2018; although I have never had Scotch and Lucano together before, Lucano's similarities to Ciociaro made me think of the Ciociaro-Scotch drinks like the .38 Special and the Jolly Jane. Once prepared, the Highside Special cast forth a pineapple, black pepper, and caramel-orange bouquet to the nose. Next, a carbonated lemon, pineapple, and caramel sip moved towards Scotch, creamy orange, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

colonial grog

1/2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (1 oz Coruba)
1/2 oz Gold Virgin Island Rum (1 oz Privateer New England Reserve)
1/2 oz Lime Juice (1 oz)
1/2 oz Orange Juice (1 oz)
1/4 oz Maple Syrup (1/2 oz Deer Meadow Farm)
1/8 tsp Allspice Dram (1/4 tsp Hamilton's)
1 dash Angostura Bitters (2 dash)
1/2 oz Soda Water (1 oz)

Blend with 3 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds and fine strain into a glass with a thin ice shell (shake all but the soda water, and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice and the soda water). When I made was the Samoan Grog from the Mai-Kai, I learned that it was perhaps inspired by Don the Beachcomber's Colonial Grog. The circa 1944 Colonial Grog details were uncovered by Jeff Beachbum Berry in the notebooks of Mariano Licudine who worked for Don between 1939 and 1956. Berry published the recipe in his Potions of the Caribbean book and described it as a Tiki-fied Planter's Punch. Don's bartenders were some of the few using maple in tropical drinks before the cocktail revival with the most famous recipe being the Volcano Bowl from 1970 that showcased how well maple works with grapefruit (which inspired my Vagalume Bowl). Although I skipped the ice shell built into the inner circumference of the glass and doubled up the volumes, I kept true to the recipe save for using a local amber rum instead of a Caribbean one. In the glass, the Colonial Grog displayed dark rum, maple, and lime aromas. Next, maple, orange, and lime notes with a hint of carbonation on the sip unwound into dark rum, allspice, and lime flavors on the swallow.

bait 'n' switch

1 1/2 oz Sombra Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Wednesdays ago, I searched my ingredients index of the Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book for Ancho Reyes recipes, and I landed on the Bait 'n' Switch by Jeremy Oertel in 2014. When I found the entry in my copy of the book, it read like their Gilda Cocktail with mezcal instead of tequila plus chile liqueur in the mix. Once assembled, the Bait 'n' Switch gave forth a pineapple, dried pepper, cinnamon, and wood smoke aroma. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip opened up into smoky, vegetal, pepper spice, dried fruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

spirited spectre

1 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with an orange twist and pineapple wedge (orange twist and freshly grated nutmeg). Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the collection of Tikiland Trading Co. recipes that they included with their ceramic mugs. The one that caught my eye was the Spirited Spectre by Kelly Merrell, head bartender at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland; the recipe was included with the company's Thor's Haunted Hatbox mug. Overall, it reminded me of a rum-based mashup of the Hawaiian (pineapple, lemon, Maraschino) and the Royal Hawaiian (pineapple, lemon, orgeat). Once prepared, the Spirited Spectre gave forth a pineapple, nutty cherry, and rum funk aroma. Next, a creamy lemon, pineapple, and honey sip transformed into funky rum, nutty cherry, almond, and anise flavors on the swallow.

the linguist

1 1/2 oz Brennivin Aquavit (Linie)
1/2 oz Wild Turkey Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I caught up on the December Campari Academy class video featuring Gregory Buda that I had missed when it aired live. Afterwards, I checked out his Instagram and spotted a drink called The Linguist that was the passed cocktail at his master class on menu development held at the Daisy Cocktail Bar in Reykjavík, Iceland, in November of 2025. I messaged Gregory for the recipe, and I made the drink that he created at Montreal's Bisou Bisou in 2024 later that night. The ingredients reminded me of the rye-forward Mergers & Acquisitions that I had a few years ago, so I knew it would be a good one. In the glass, The Linguist gave forth orange, caraway, and grape aromas. Next, the vermouth's grape led the sip that transformed into Bourbon, caraway, grape, herbal, and orange pith flavors on the swallow.

2019

3/4 oz El Dorado 12 Year Rum (Raising Glasses Moongazer 9 Year Guyana)
3/4 oz Santa Teresa Rum (Zaya)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Averna
1/8 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1 dash Chili Tincture (my Hellfire Bitters)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for the Blossom Bar in Brookline, Massachusetts, and I spotted the 2019 that reminded me of their Palm Viper that I had there in 2018 with its two rums, vermouth, amaro, and bitters combination. For a time frame, I found a Yelp drink photo from February 2020, and the name reminded me of John Mayer's 2011 at Loyal 149 that he served me in 2013 (although he first called this the Acquired Taste before changing the name in 2012). Once prepared, the 2019 gave forth a lemon and caramel bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip switched into dark rum, herbal, and chocolate flavors on the swallow with a pepper spice and grape finish. Overall, Cynar's funkiness in the Palm Viper added more to the mix than Averna with crème de cacao did here (despite the Punt e Mes donating some depth over regular sweet vermouth in the Palm Viper).

chasing ghosts

1 oz Ilegal Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Luxardo Mararschino
1/2 oz Avua Amburana Cachaça (Salinas Umburana)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the Bardtenders' folder on the Spec App and spotted the Chasing Ghosts listed without attribution. With a little searching, I found the recipe on the podcast's Instagram page in 2025 listing the creator Audrey Ludlam. Audrey was on the show in 2023 when she was at the Black Sheep in Bellingham, Washington, that served up tacos and agave drinks, which makes sense given the ingredients. Here, the split base with mezcal accented by Maraschino and a vermouth reminded me of the 1910 Cocktail. Moreover, the mezcal and aged cachaça have worked well together in drinks like the Veldt and the Adorable Bartender, so I was curious to give this one a go. In the glass, the Chasing Ghosts offered up orange, nutty cherry, amburana wood spice, and smoke aromas to the nose. Next, a semi-sweet sip with a hint of cherry blossomed into vegetal, grassy, cherry, and cinnamon-like spice flavors on the swallow.

slynx

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear Liqueur

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass pre-rinsed with mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte). Two Fridays ago, I spotted an adapted recipe on Difford's Guide called the Slynx by Phil Ward at Mayahuel in Manhattan. I tracked down a 2009 article for an unadapted one on Wine & Spirits Magazine. 2009 was also the year that we bought Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear and when Andrea used it in the Naughty Nanny, so perhaps it was the year that the liqueur reached the East Coast markets after the launch announcement in 2008. Tequila and pear liqueur have worked in stirred drinks like La Perla from 2005 and Out of Focus circa 2020, so I was curious to try Phil's take on it. Once mixed, the Slynx gave forth a wood smoke and vegetal aroma. Next, a semi-sweet apple and pear sip developed into vegetal and orchard fruit flavors on the swallow.

tequi la banane

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice (3/4 oz)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Giffard Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Liqueur (Passion Fruit Syrup)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Julep cup (Tiki mug), and garnish with shaved almonds. Two Thursdays prior, I selected my copy of the Easy Tiki book to match my mood, and the Tequi La Banane by Orlando Franklin McCray at Night Moves in Brooklyn called out to me. The adapted recipe utilized banana and passion fruit liqueurs to replace the infusions prepared at the bar. Banana with passion fruit flavors in cocktails dates back to the 1930s such as in the New Victoria from the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book, and of course in more recent recipes such as Commando Life and Freak C'est Chic. Once prepared, Tequi la Banane unpeeled a passion fruit, vegetal, and almond aroma. Next, lemon and passion fruit notes on the sip ripened into caramel, vegetal, passion fruit, and banana flavors on the swallow.

tide-breaker

1 oz Aged Dark Rum (3/4 oz Coruba + 1/4 oz Planteray OFTD)
1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Old Overholt (86°)
1 cube Raw Sugar (>1/2 oz Raw Sugar Syrup)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass rinsed with absinthe (Kübler), and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and landed on the Tide-Breaker by Eric Alperin at Los Angeles' The Varnish in the Sazerac section of the book. I later realized that Eric called the Jamaican rum, single rye, and brown sugar version of this combination Colonial Ties in his Unvarnished book. In the glass, the Tide-Breaker sent forth a lemon and anise bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel notes on the sip from the dark rums ripened into rye whiskey, funky rum, orange, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was surprised at how much the orange bitters sang through in the mix.

samoan grog (tribute to the mai-kai)

1 oz Gold Rum (Planteray Isle of Fiji)
3/4 oz Dark Rum (Coruba)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup 2:1 (3/4 oz 1:1)
1/2 tsp Don's Spices No. 2 (1/4 tsp each Vanilla Syrup and (Hamilton's) Allspice Dram)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice and pour into a glass. I used a Tiki mug and garnished with an orange twist. Two Mondays, I was feeling the need for a tropical drink, so I returned to the The Atomic Grog site. There, I spotted Jim Haywood's 2014 interpretation of the Mai-Kai's Samoan Grog. The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale seemed to have riffed on Don Beach's Colonial Grog from the 1940s that Beachbum Berry later wrote about in Potions of the Caribbean. Overall, the recipe reminded me of an orange for grapefruit juice Navy Grog plus bitters that included the honey from Don Beach's version and the allspice dram of the Trader Vic recipe (with vanilla syrup to tag along via Don's Spices #2). Once mixed and poured into the last unused mug from the my most recent purchases, this take on the Samoan Grog generated an orange, caramel, and allspice aroma. Next, orange, lime, caramel, and honey notes on the sip unfurled into funky rum, vanilla, allspice, and honey flavors on the swallow.

moving through kashmir

1 oz Famous Grouse Scotch
1 oz Cruzan Light Rum (Don Q Añejo)
1/8 oz Honey Syrup 3:1 (1/4 oz 1:1)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Mondays ago, I was scanning online recipe flashcards when I honed in on the Moving Through Kashmir from the Summer 2015 menu at The Rose in Jackson, Wyoming. Scotch-rum stirred drinks have dated back a century with the earliest that I have made being the dry Rob Roy riff, the Burlington, from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933, and the next oldest being the Quarter Deck #2 from Trader Vic's 1947 Bartender's Guide. The closest to this recipe though is Death & Co.'s I Againt I with somewhat more robust spirits and a different bitters in place of the Angostura here. For a name, this drink is most likely a reference to a line from the 1975 Led Zeppelin Song "Kashmir" about singer Robert Plant's 1973 drive through a desolate part of Southern Morocco. Once prepared, the Moving Throught Kashmir offered up lemon, honey, Scotch, and anise aromas. Next, honey and malt on the sip opened up into Scotch, rum, allspice, and anise flavors on the swallow.

bad date

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
2 dash Absinthe (20 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail or coupe glass, and garnish with a lime twist. Two Sundays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and spotted the Bad Date by Alastair Walker at Caretaker in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2021. The Suze-Yellow Chartreuse duo reminded me of the gin-lemon Yellow Cocktail that I have been meaning to make; however, I have had that combination with citrus in other drinks like the Revenge. Checking my recipes, I have tried a gin-Genever version of the Bad Date in the A Bouquet of Parentheses and a gin one sans absinthe in the You Is or You Ain't. Moreover, the name pleasantly reminded me of the Last Date at the Citizen Public House. In the glass, the Bad Date conjured up lime, agave, floral, and gentian herbal aromas for the nose. Next, a semi-sweet honey and white wine sip escaped and left behind agave, herbal, mint, pine, and anise flavors on the swallow.

bastard's sour

2 oz Planteray Xaymaca Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, and garnish with a mint sprig, orchid, and snow-like powdered sugar (orange slice and cherry). Two Saturdays ago, I was in the mood for something tropical, so I searched my list of interesting recipes from the Geeki Tiki site. The one that called out to me was the Bastard's Sour crafted by Jason Alexander, a/k/a Tiki Commando, at the Devil's Reef in Tacoma, Washington. The recipe was included in the company's Jon Snow mug and was subtitled "Cheers to the king in the north!" Given the name, I thought about the Suffering Bastard, but on paper, it was closer to an Eastern Sour and a Scorpion Bowl. Instead of that recipe, the first part of the name derives from Jon Snow being the bastard son of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North in The Game of Thrones. Once prepared, the Bastard's Sour welcomed the senses with an orange, nutty, and dark rum aroma. Next, a creamy lemon and orange sip developed into funky rum, orange peel, floral, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

carajillo old fashioned

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/4 oz Coffee Liqueur (Mr. Black)
1/4 oz Licor 43

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with 3 coffee beans. On Instagram, I noticed a few friends posting about two similar drinks called the Carajillo Old Fashioned. The Carajillo is a drink created in Spain that moved to Latin America, and it consists of espresso or coffee mixed with Licor 43 (or sometimes a coffee liqueur or spirit). The one I selected led to The Educated Barfly where host Leandro DiMonriva found it in The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book that attributed it to Sean O'Connor-Combes at J & Tony's Discount Cured Meats and Negroni Warehouse in San Diego in 2022. The other recipe floating around is one that Jordan Hughes, the High Proof Preacher, came up with in 2025 that uses reposado tequila, a little more Licor 43, and bitters, but I opted for the older recipe. While I have tried a Carajillo and a stirred espresso-laden variation before, the closest recipe to this on the blog is the Raining on 110th St. that is a rye Manhattan with accents of Licor 43 and coffee. In the glass, the 2022-era Carajillo Old Fashioned launched off with a coffee and vanilla bouquet. Next, a roast-driven sip landed on rye, brandy, vanilla, citrus, and bitter coffee flavors on the swallow.

hi-tide boogie

1 1/2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1/4 oz Don's Spices #2 (1/8 oz Vanilla Syrup + 1/8 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's))
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
3/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Lime Juice

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a TIki mug, and garnish with a mint sprig (swizzle stick). Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a reference to the Hi-Tide Boogie by Justin Wojslaw at the Diller Room in Seattle that I traced back to Andy Boimila's Mixing Up Tiki channel on YouTube. Justin named this after the rockabilly and surf music studio Hi-Tide Recordings. The cinnamon and Don's Spices #2 combination reminded me of the classic Nui Nui and Colonel Tiki's (And) Knobs is Thirteen, and cinnamon and passion fruit are a natural duo that I last tried in the Pagan Punch a few short weeks ago. In the mug, the Hi-Tide Boogie swept in with dark rum, vanilla, and cinnamon aromas. Next, grapefruit, lime, and caramel notes on the sip receded into burly rum, vanilla, passion fruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

bar room brauler

1 1/2 oz Brandy (Courvoisier VS Cognac)
3/4 oz Amaro Braulio
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed). Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted on my Instagram feed, a drink called the Bar Room Brauler. I was able to track down the recipe to Coach Vino's YouTube where he posted it in a video of three Braulio drinks that included my As I Lay Dying; Coach Vino attributed this amari-laden drink to Brandon Lockman at Red Star Tavern in Portland, Oregon. Braulio and Montenegro have appeared together in the Bourbon cocktail Spaghetti Western from Urban Grub in Nashville, so I was curious to try this brandy version. When the Bar Room Brauler geared up to fight, it hit the nose with an orange aroma rounded out by Cognac's richness. Next, caramel and orange notes on the sip sidestepped the Cognac, pine, clementine, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

perfectionist

2 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
2 dash Woodford Sassafras Sorgham Bitters (The Bitter Queens Sarsparilla)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe or rocks glass (coupe), and garnish with a lemon twist and a cherry. Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for Cork & Cow in Franklin, Tennessee, and was lured in by the Perfectionist as a curious Manhattan riff. An article in Visit Franklin has the drink mentioned in 2017. The combination reminded me at first of the Hoots Mon from the Savoy Cocktail Book but that was sweet vermouth instead of sweet sherry not to mention Scotch instead of Bourbon. I later made the connection with the Manhattan Harbor Co. that Carlo Caroscio crafted for me at Backbar that utilized a semi-sweet cream sherry along with the Bourbon and Cocchi Americano (instead of Lillet). Once stirred and strained, the Perfectionist came forth to the nose with a lemon and raisin bouquet. Next, sweet raisin on the sip gave way to Bourbon, raisin, grapefruit, and root beer flavors on the swallow.