presidential suite

1 oz Old Overholt Rye (86°)
1 oz Old Forester 100° Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz @cruzanrum Black Strap Rum
1/4 oz Honey Syrup (3/8 oz 1:1)
2 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with an ice sphere (big cube), and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for the Patterson House in Nashville and became intrigued by the 3-spirit Old Fashioned riff called the Presidential Suite. I was able to get an approximate date to its creation when I spotted it on a 2014 menu photo on Yelp. Once prepared, the Presidential Suite opened up with an orange and molasses aroma. Next, caramel and honey notes on the sip transformed into American whiskey, dark rum, and orange flavors on the swallow.

the manhatta

2 oz New York Distilling Ragtime Rye (Templeton)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
2 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry and orange oil from a twist.Two Fridays ago, I unearthed an online recipe flashcard set for Danny Meyer's restaurant in Manhattan's financial district called Manhatta that opened in 2018. The drink that I started with was The Manhatta as the seasonal Manhattan variation that was put on the menu in Spring of 2019. For the vermouth element, it was a combination of Punt e Mes with Lustau's East India Solera Sherry which I have enjoyed before in Blossom Bar's Tito Puente and Death & Co.'s Night Owl. Once stirred and strained, the Manhatta showcased an orange and raisiny grape bouquet. Next, grape with a hint of creaminess on the sip flowed into rye, bitter herbal, oxidized sherry, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.

mezcal me maybe

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pamplemousse (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cinnamon powder swirl.Two Thursdays ago, I uncovered an online recipe flashcard set for Yvonne's here in Boston, and I landed on the Carly Rae Jepsen-tribute drink named Mezcal Me Maybe. I was able to date the creation to around 2020 via spotting it on Yelp. Its combination of mezcal, grapefruit liqueur, and cinnamon syrup reminded me of the This Is Not Berlin but in a spirit, grapefruit liqueur, cinnamon, and lime combination found in Death & Co.'s Heart Throb although here with the addition of egg white. In the glass, the Mezcal Me Maybe shined through with a cinnamon, lime, and grapefruit aroma. Next, a creamy lime sip dialed into a mezcal, grapefruit, cinnamon, and smoky swallow.

front street

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

Stir with ice, strain into an up glass, and garnish with a cherry.Two Wednesdays ago, I was on the KindredCocktails database when I spotted the Front Street that was sourced from the StraightBourbon message board in 2007. This creation by user Crispy Critter was very different from No. 9 Park's Front Street and reminded me of the Brooklyn Bridge with a slightly different balance, so I was game to give this one a go. In the glass, the Front Street proffered a cherry and caramel aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip gave way to rye, root beer, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow.

susie q

1 1/2 oz Suze
1 oz Ten to One White Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Hamilton's Allspice Dram
1/4 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (1:1 passion fruit puree to simple syrup)

Build in a Collins glass, add crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and garnish with a float of 1/4 oz Green Chartreuse.Two Tuesdays ago, I was invited to attend an Suze liqueur educational event at Backbar, and for drink options, there were four choices that fell into theme with their current Mix Tape menu. The one I selected was the Suzie Q by Iruma Shibuya named after the Creedence Clearwater Revival song and only overlapped with Trina's Starlite Lounge's Suze-E-Q with the Suze and lemon juice. This Suzie Q reminded me of the Saturn with the lemon, orgeat, passion fruit components as well as the Sinnerman (and my Sinnerman Swizzle inspired by it) with the Suze and allspice dram ingredients. In the glass, this Swizzle showcased an herbaceous aroma from the Green Chartreuse float. Next, a lemon and slightly creamy sip gave way to rum, passion fruit, and earthy herbal swallow with an allspice finish.

funky pirate

3/4 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup (3/4 oz 1:1)
2-3 dash Celery Bitters (3 dash Bitter Truth)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lime peel spiral and a spritz of absinthe (rinse Copper & Kings).Two Mondays prior, I uncovered a set of online recipe flashcards from the Seventy7 Lounge in Culver City outside of Los Angeles, and the Funky Pirate from their 2017 menu called out to me. The combination of Wray & Nephew Rum, Green Chartreuse, and lime reminded me of the Nuclear Daiquiri but here with honey, absinthe, and celery bitters instead of falernum. Once shaken and strained, the Funky Pirate boarded the nose with a lime, rum funk, licorice, and floral aroma. Next, a lime and honey sip sailed into a funky rum and herbaceous swallow with a celery finish.

honest abe

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Cynar
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a single old fashioned glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.Two Sundays ago, I returned to an online recipe flashcard set from Providence's Cook & Brown Public House and decided on the Honest Abe from their Fall 2012 menu. This Black Manhattan of sorts made me think of Tonia Guffey's C.I.A. mashed up with my F.L.A.N.. Once mixed, the Honest Abe announced an orange, apple, and caramel-herbal bouquet. Next, the caramel continued on into the sip where it relinquished into rye, apple, and herbal flavors on the swallow with an orange finish.

nazgul negroni

1 1/2 oz Russell Reserve Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Averna
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur (Russo Nocino)
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (2 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixirs Walnut)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Saturdays ago, I was going through the screen captures on my phone, and I spotted the recipe for the Nazgûl Negroni from Backbar in Somerville that they posted on Instagram in December 2023 to support their Lord Of The Rings menu. While I have had American whiskey and walnut liqueur with Averna such as in the recent Left Hand of Darkness and with Cynar such as in the Bitter Branch, I have never tried the two amari with nocino in the same glass. Here, the Nazgûl Negroni opened up with Bourbon, caramel, herbal, and earthy aromas. Next, the Averna and Cynar's caramel filled the sip, and the swallow rounded things off with Bourbon, vegetal, herbal, and walnut flavors on the swallow.

bae of biscay

1 oz Arette Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Fino Sherry (Tio Pepe)
1/2 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/8 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/8 oz Sirop (Sirop JM)
2 dash Tonka Bitters (my Abbott's Bitters that include Tonka)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I uncovered a small set of online recipe flashcards for Billy Sunday in Chicago, and I opted for the Bae of Biscay that I found posted on their Instagram in July 2021. This tequila drink was named after popular culture and the bay between northern Spain and France and contains a pair of sherries and a gentian liqueur to perhaps mirror that. In the glass, the Bae of Biscay began with a lemon and vegetal aroma. Next, a slightly crisp sip showcased raisin and caramel notes and was chased by tequila, gentian, herbal, and root beer flavors on the swallow.