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. 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.