pineapple peat

1 1/2 oz Great King Street Glasgow Blend (Ardmore Traditional Cask)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Martelletti Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a bucket glass, and top with crushed ice. Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco that I last utilized in November with the Spice Oddity. Here, the Pineapple Peat called out to me and made me think of a Scotch Algonquin – a drink that I made a lot the summer of 2007 of rye, pineapple juice, and dry vermouth. The citrus aspect was something that I saw in the dry vermouthless Far East Algonquin by Ryan Fitzgerald of San Francisco's Beretta at a Tales of the Cocktail 2011 happy hour, but here, the pineapple aspect is amplified. As for a timeframe, Yelp has photos of the drink at the Liholiho Yacht Club as early as 2015, and a 2015 blog post has a photo and specifies the Scotch. It is unclear if it was named after a Pineapple Pete character: the two most famous ones, a Fortnight outfit and Six Flags mascot, came after 2015, but there are some instances like the restaurant in St. Marten that came before that. In the glass, the Pineapple Peat came forth with a peat and pineapple aroma true to its name. Next, lemon, malt, and pineapple notes on the sip switched into smoky Scotch, herbal, and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

mai fernet has a first name

1 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz White Rum (2/3 oz Hamilton White 'Stache + 1/3 oz Wray & Nephew)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet (chocolate mint). Two Mondays ago, an intriguing drink appeared on my Instagram feed called Mai Fernet Has a First Name. It was created by Jason Dolley as a Mai Tai riff that is part of his "Will it Fernet?" series where he replaces a key ingredient with Fernet Branca. The Fernet-orange liqueur aspect reminded me of the century's old Alcazer where I learned how well the two pair, and Fernet-orgeat have paired well together in a number of cocktails including the Smoke Break. For a white rum, my mind went to Wray & Nephew for this recipe reminded me of the Bikini Atoll, but since Jason utilized the more mild Planteray Three Star Rum blend, I split the base for I did not want the funky Jamaican rum to take too big of a role. Once prepared, my senses were greeted with a mint, caramel, orange, and menthol aroma. Next, a creamy lime, caramel, and orange sip was displaced by funky rum, minty menthol, earthy, and orange flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was surprised at how Fernet seemed to subdue the orgeat's presence in the mix, but I was generally pleased at how Fernet worked in this combination.

tell me more

1 oz Bertoux Brandy (Courvoisier VS Cognac)
1 oz Russell's Reserve Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 spray Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur (20 drop Russo Nocino)

Build in a Julep cup, add crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Top with crushed ice and garnish with mint and more Nux Alpina (10 drop Russo Nocino). Two Sundays ago, I ventured back to online recipe flashcards for Chicago's The Violet Hour and spotted a good use of mint in the Tell Me More from their Winter 2022 menu. With the sherry, ginger, and walnut aspect, I could see why it would be a more cold weather-styled Julep, but I figured that it could work in early July as well. On the bar's website advertising their Bartender's Manifesto book, there is a photo labeled Tell Me More of a drink served in a Julep cup garnished with a dried lime wheel (said recipe is not in that tome though). I know from Toby Maloney's second book, The Classic Cocktail Sessions, that he does not see the point to dried garnishes but it might have been for the photo shoot. Nutty oxidized sherries like Amontillado and Oloroso have been paired with walnut liqueur with great success in recipes like the Bamboozled and Towser the Mouser and I utilized it in my Folly Ruins, so I set off to crush some ice. Once prepared, the Tell Me More shared a mint and walnut aroma. Next, a grape-driven sip wandered towards brandy, Bourbon, ginger, nutty grape, walnut, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

shotgun wedding

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bitter Truth)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice (* see text), and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays prior, I fired up the The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and opted for the Shotgun Wedding by Chris Hughes at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2022. The combination seemed familiar for it appeared with Scotch and a much lower quotient of apricot liqueur in Held in Contempt also created at Attaboy. In the glass, the Shotgun Wedding prodded the nose with a lemon, apricot, and vegetal aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the Ciociaro blossomed into smoky vegetal and bitter orange-apricot flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish. As the ice melted, the drink began to fall apart as the flavors subsided, and perhaps this would be better served up in a coupe; this did not happen in the whisky-based Held in Contempt, so perhaps this was due to the lighter-style mezcal that I utilized.

mojave punch

1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum such as Coruba (Coruba)
1 oz Silver Puerto Rican-style Rum (Hamilton White 'Stache)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice (3/4+ oz) (*)
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Juice
3/4 oz Hibiscus Syrup (**)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a pilsner (collins) glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a paper umbrella skewering a cherry.
(*) Even at a heavy 3/4 oz, the drink was still a bit sweet so perhaps 1 oz would be a good lime juice amount. Over perhaps 1/2 oz lime juice + 1/2 oz lemon juice to keep the acidity where I want it but with the remainder as a more neutral citrus juice.
(**) I did a hibiscus tea bag in 4 oz boiling water for 5 minutes. After removing the tea bag, I added an equal weight of sugar and stirred to dissolve. Two Fridays ago, I returned to the 2015 set of online recipe flashcards from the Tonga Hut in Los Angeles where I had found the Bermuda Dunes and selected the Mojave Punch. I was able to find photos of the drink at the Tonga Hut in blogs from 2017 and 2022 and multiple photos on Yelp. The recipe came across like a gussied up Hurricane with extra juices (the original Hurricane had fassionola syrup which some recipes include hibiscus); however, it also read a bit sweet so I upped the lime juice a bit (but perhaps not as much as I should have (see note above)). Once prepared, the Mojave Punch proffered a cherry, passion fruit, and floral bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel, lime, and orange notes on the sip shifted into funky rum, pineapple, passion fruit, and red berry-herbal flavors on the swallow. If you made a batch of hibiscus syrup, I recommend using some of the remainder on Aaron Butler's Koki'o Punch, Brick & Mortar's Velvet Rope, and my Red Skies at Night from Loyal Nine.

silk stockings

1 1/2 oz Aged Martinique Rhum (Rhum Clement VSOP)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup

Whip shake, pour into a Zombie glass, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel and mint sprig. Two Thurdays ago, I went out shopping for a bottle of aged rhum agricole to make a few recipes that I had stored up. The first one I set off with was Justin Wojslaw's Silk Stockings from his Coconuts & Carnage book which looked like an agricole Mai Tai crossed with a Gold Frond. Once prepared, the Silk Stockings gave forth a mint and lemon aroma over a nutty, orange, and rhum funk one. Next, a creamy lemon, pineapple, and orange sip slid into caramel, grassy rhum, almond, orange, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

mephisto's mai tai

1 oz Planteray OFTD Overproof Rum (perhaps sub a Demerara 151°)
1/2 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch (or other smoky Scotch)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato (or other Rabarbaro like Zucca)
1 oz Lime
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao (or other Orange Liqueur)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a double old fashioned glass or ceramic mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs and a spent lime shell. As I was writing up the blog post for the Mai Tai 3000 and realizing that I had never had a Mai Tai riff with smoky Scotch in it before, I became inspired to create a recipe to take the concept a step further. I took the smoky and burly OFTD-Laphroaig-Sfumato combination that worked well in my Brimstone Colada and kept everything else in line with a classic Mai Tai build. For a name, I dubbed the creation after the devil from the Faust tale, Mephistopheles, for a little alliteration and then shortened it to his nickname. Once prepared, the garnishes in Mephisto's Mai Tai offered up mint and lime aromas over the drink's peat smoke and smoky herbal ones. Next, lime, roast, and orange notes on the sip collected the swallow of funky rum, smoky Scotch, bitter herbal, and nutty flavors with a bright lime and smoke finish.

mai tai 3000

1 oz Empress 1908 Gin (Tree House Percy)
1/2 oz Rum Fire Overproof White Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
1/4 oz Demerara 151° Proof Rum (Diamond Reserve)
1/4 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
1 dash Kahuna Kevin Aromatic Bitters (DeGroff Pimento)
1 spritz Tahitian Vanilla (1 dash Savoy Society Orange Vanilla)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Mai Tai or double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs and a spent lime shell. Two Tuesdays prior, I opened up my collection of Kahuna Kevin's Tiki Cocktails books and spotted Kahuna Kevin's 2018 creation, the Mai Tai 3000, in the fourth volume. There, it had the subtitle of "Voted best non-traditional Mai Tai of the near dystopian future," and I was up to the challenge of combining 11 ingredients, 2 garnishes, and a few handfuls of freshly crushed ice to see this through. While I have tried gin in a Mai Tai riff before in the Catamaran and the Blanche DuBois, I have not tasted a Mai Tai riff with a smoky Scotch aspect to it. After an epic build session, the Mai Tai 3000 commanded a mint and lime aroma over caramel and smoke. Next, a creamy lime and orange sip was displaced by juniper, rum funk, pineapple, and maple flavors with an allspice and smoke finish.

hotel de ville

1 1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Amaro Nardini

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I opened up The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and selected the Hotel De Ville by Zack Gelnaw-Rubin at Manhattan's Lion Lion circa 2019. The name Hotel De Ville translates to "city hall," and the term often refers to the magnificent one in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. I was familiar with the combination of spirit modified by Nardini which has appeared with Bourbon in the Closing Argument (plus chocolate bitters) and with rye in the Defeat by Greater Things (plus orange bitters) and the Mayor's Lament (plus a trio of bitters). Moreover, there was also a somewhat similar recipe spirits-wise with the Dark Horse with a Jamaican rum-Calvados pairing (albeit a non-funky rum) accented by Nardini and orange liqueur. Once prepared, the Hotel De Ville proffered an orange, caramel, apple, and rum funk bouquet. Next, caramel notes on the sip led into apple, funky rum, gentian, licorice, and mint flavors on the swallow.

wry grin

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
4 wedge Lemon (1/2 Lemon in quarters)
6-8 leaf Mint

Muddle lemon wedges and mint. Add rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet. Two Sundays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and spied the Wry Grin by Sam Ross at Manhattan's Milk & Honey circa 2010 in the Smash section. Overall, it reminded me a little of the Job's Lament which did the rye-Fernet combination in Mint Julep form but with Amaro di Angostura instead of the simple and lemon here. In the glass, the Wry Grin greeted the senses with fresh mint over rye and menthol aromas. Next, lemon with a hint of caramel on the sip revealed rye whiskey, caramel, and minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.

malua

2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Peche (Mathilde)
1/2 oz Dry Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
8-10 leaf Mint

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass (ceramic mug), and garnish with a lime wheel and mint bouquet. Two Saturdays ago, I was in the mood for something tropical, so I looked to my notes from my online recipe flashcard research and selected the Mālua at the Skull & Crown Trading Co. in Honolulu. A 2022 Yelp review made reference to it in the text and included a drink photo as well. Overall, the combination of mint, peach, and lime took the drink into Missionary's Downfall territory but with a tequila (and no pineapple and honey) spin on it. Here, the Mālua opened up with lime and mint aromas from the garnishes over peach and tropical ones. Next, lime, orange, and passion fruit notes on the sip were washed away by agave, peach, orange, and mint flavors on the swallow.

race to the bottom

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/8 oz Grenadine

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Fridays ago, I got home from work and opened up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and selected the Race to the Bottom by Chris Hughes at Manhattan's Attaboy circa 2021-22. Grenadine historically has paired well with amari such as with Fernet in the Jim Rose, Cynar in the Giuseppe's Lady, and Amer Picon in the Jayco, but I have never previously had it paired with Braulio. In the glass, the Race to the Bottom started with an orange, grape, and dark berry aroma. Next, grape and berry notes continued on into the sip where they were chased by rye, apple, pine, herbal, and red berry flavors on the swallow.

rest in pieces of eight

1 1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
>1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/4 oz Licor 43
>1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice. Strain into a Collins glass with ice (double old fashioned with a large ice cube) pre-rinsed with Cruzan Black Strap Rum. After making a fresh batch of ginger syrup, I perused Kindred Cocktails and spotted the Rest in Pieces of Eight by Doug Monroe at Nashville's The Patterson House that he entered into the database in 2012. The name seems to be a play on the pirate phrases "rest in peace" and "pieces of eight." Given that aspect, I expected some overlap with the tropical classic Pieces of Eight, but there was only rum and lemon in common. Once mixed, the Rest in Pieces of Eight put forth a molasses aroma from the black strap rum rinse. Next, a creamy caramel and lemon sip subsided into funky rum, funky herbal, ginger, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

sea air on sunday

1 1/2 oz Johnnie Walker Black Scotch (1 1/4 oz Famous Grouse + 1/4 oz Laphroaig 10 Year)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/4 oz Domaine de Canton (Barrow's Intense Ginger Liqueur)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with candied ginger on a pick. Since I had half a lime left over from the night before, I looked through my collection sourced from online recipe flashcards and landed on the Sea Air on Sunday from The Butcher Chef in Toronto via a 2021 set. I was able to find a menu photo on GoogleMaps from around that time period, but most of the photos from that restaurant were of the food not drink. The recipe came across like a Penicillin with Amaro Montenegro and ginger liqueur for the honey and ginger syrups, respectively. Moreover, the concept made sense as a Penicillin riff for sea air has been romanticized historically as a cure-all during the 18th and 19th centuries. Indeed, Jane Austen wrote in Sanditon that sea air and bathing could cure "every disorder of the stomach, the lungs, or the blood." Once prepared, the Sea Air on Sunday misted the nose with a spray of ginger, peat smoke, and caramel orange aromas. Next, lime and a hint of caramel on the sip receded into smoky Scotch, clementine, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

no. 39

1 1/2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Serving it in an old fashioned glass on crushed ice was recommended to provide a drier experience (here, served up). Two Tuesdays prior, I looked through the recipes from the Kindred Cocktails database that I had bookmarked and landed on the No. 39. The recipe was crafted by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2013, and the name reminded me of the menu convention at the old Hungry Mother in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with drinks like No. 64 and No. 43. The recipe itself made me think of a lime and pineapple syrup riff on the lemon, simple syrup, and Angostura Bitters Champs Élysées though. Once prepared, the No. 39 donated a pineapple and herbaceous bouquet to the nose. Next, a lime-driven sip set up Cognac, herbaceous, and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

high plains julep

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Amaretto (Luxardo)
6-8 leaf Mint

Muddle mint with the liqueurs in a Julep cup, add the rest of the ingredients, top with ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet. Two Mondays ago, I got home late from a series of industry events and felt like enjoying a Julep to round out the evening. Therefore, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and became intrigued by the High Plains Julep by Travis Hernandez at Half Step in Austin circa 2017. There was something about amaretto juxtaposed with Braulio that I needed to experience to understand, and I also have a lot of Luxardo Amaretto since shortly after buying a bottle, I was tasked with developing a recipe with Luxardo and Hotaling products and was sent another bottle for R&D. Checking back, "shortly" was two years ago (replacing my 15+ year old bottle of Disaronno that I finished a month before), but that does sum up my general use of that liqueur. There are a few instances on the blog of bitter liquids pairing with amaretto with the most extreme being a hefty slug of Angostura Bitters in the Sock Drawer Sexuality, but most are with softer amaro such as two that I created – the Bar Boss with Cynar and the Am-Am Sour with Averna. While the closest thing to amaretto meeting mint was in the garnish to the Caribbean Punch, Braulio has been paired before with mint including two other Juleps – the Ducati and the Thieves in the Night. So I set to work (and got one step closer to not dying with two bottles of amaretto bottles in the house), and the High Plains Julep offered up mint aromas over almond and stone fruit pit ones. Next, caramel on the sip expanded into rye, almond, minty, bitter herbal, and pine flavors on the swallow.

starward swizzle

2 oz Hamilton's Lost Voyage Rum (1 oz Hamilton's 86° Demerara River + 1/2 oz Monymusk Gold + 1/2 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Pernod (12 drop Pernod Absinthe)

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Top with crushed ice and garnish with a mint bouquet, dehydrated lime wheel (omit), and freshly grated nutmeg. Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a drink called the Starward Swizzle from Strongwater in Anaheim that I spotted in a set of online recipe flashcards. In researching the drink, I found a web-based set of recipes put out by the rum that included the spec verbatim. Since Lost Voyage Rum is described as a blend of rum from Guyana and Jamaica's Worthy Park, I tried my best to replicate the flavor profile with a trio of rums. Here, the rum, cinnamon, falernum, lime, bitters, and absinthe made me think of the Jet Pilot but with pineapple and Peychaud's instead of the classic's grapefruit and Angostura. In the glass, the Starward Swizzle emitted a woody spice, mint, and rum funk aroma. Next, pineapple and lime notes on the sip opened up into funky rums, pineapple, cinnamon, and anise flavors on the swallow.

old timber

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Amaro Averna
1/8 oz Orgeat
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and a drizzle of pot still Jamaican rum (1/8 oz Smith & Cross). Two Saturdays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and spotted the Old Timber by Ryan Kutnz at San Diego's Noble Experiment from 2016. The Averna and orgeat pairing reminded me of Meaghan Dorman's Across the Pacific although it also appeared in the Last Date and two other recipes on the blog. In the glass, the Old Timber gave forth mint and rum funk aroma. Next, a touch of creaminess and caramel on the sip opened up into Bourbon, a hint of almond and herbal, and clove flavors on the swallow.

song of the siren

1 1/2 oz Aged Rum (Privateer New England Reserve) (*)
1/2 oz Smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Grenadine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a ceramic mug or Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs.
(*) Perhaps a rum blend (or second rum) with a little funky or grassy profile might elevate this drink. I became inspired by how the Kingston Campfire took the Hotel Nacional in a smoky Scotch and falernum direction, and I wondered if the Mary Pickford could make a similar style of riff. To that classic, I added those two ingredients plus lime and bitters to bring the drink into balance, and I turned it into a more tropical serving style instead of prepared up in a cocktail glass. For a name, since Mary Pickford was referred to as "Canada's Silent Siren," I dubbed this one the Song of the Siren as a modern tribute. Once mixed, the Song of the Siren greeted the nose with a mint, nutty cherry, pineapple, and peat smoke aroma. Next, pineapple, red berry, and lime notes on the sip advanced into rum, smoke, nutty cherry, ginger, and clove flavors on the swallow. Perhaps a rum or rum blend with a little grassiness or funk might add some delightful complexity to the profile.

pigeon park

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Pimm's No. 1
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass rinsed with Ardbeg Scotch (Ardbeg 10 Year), and garnish with orange oil from a flamed twist (unflamed, twist included). My rediscovery of Pimm's No. 1 led me to search the Kindred Cocktails database where I landed on the Pigeon Park by Martin Corriveau at La Pentola in Vancouver circa 2013. Martin created this as a variation on the the Vancouver which is a recipe that I made around 5 years ago from William Boothby's 1934 World Drinks & How to Mix Them with gin, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, and orange bitters. Martin explained, "I wanted something slightly herbaceous to highlight the subtle herbal aroma of the mezcal, and Pimm's No.1 felt like the perfect choice because it wasn't very sweet, and being made from gin, it echoed the original Vancouver Cocktail, which was essentially a Martinez with Benedictine instead of Maraschino. Pigeon Park is a little square in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside where the homeless and junkies hang out or just take a nap. Still Vancouver, even though it doesn't look anything like a postcard photo, yet not without charm either." Once assembled, the Pigeon Park gave forth an orange, peat smoke, and red fruit aroma. Next, grape and berry notes on the sip slid into vegetal, smoke, bitter herbal, berry, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

towards the unknown

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Pimm's No. 1
1/2 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Absinthe (12 drop St. George) (*)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

I became inspired to tinker by the reposado tequila-Pimm's aspect of the Primavera that I had just made, and I utilized the Pimm's-banana element in the Luxury from the 1953 UKBG Guide for Drinks as a direction. For a name, I dubbed this one Towards the Unknown after a 1950 painting by Mexican surrealist Gunther Gerzso. Once prepared, the Towards the Unknown wandered to the senses with a vegetal, caramel, banana, and anise aroma. Next, lime, red berry, and caramel notes on the sip uncovered roasted vegetal, fruity, banana, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, the absinthe did give this drink a lift and brought it out of the darker fruit direction that the Pimm's and banana liqueur took it in (Giffard's Crème de Banane should be a bit brighter than Tempus Fugit's).