the decatur

1 1/2 oz Bonded Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/4 oz Peach Liqueur (Mathilde)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. I added a cherry garnish to the recipe. Two Tuesdays prior, Matt Pietrek posted a drink on his Cocktail Wonk Instagram while he was traveling in France called The Decatur that was subtitled "The Brooklyn of Georgia." His recipe read like a cross between a Bourbon Bell and a Buffalo, so it definitely caught my attention. Moreover, I thought keeping the Amer Picon (or similar bitter liqueur) and replacing the Maraschino with peach would have been an interesting riff as well, but two stone fruit liqueurs might have a curious synergy. Once mixed, The Decatur displayed rye, cherry, and peach aromas. Next, grape and red fruit notes on the sip delved into rye, nutty, vanilla, and peach flavors on the swallow.

ohana joe

1 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
1/3 oz St. George Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)
1/2 oz Rich Demerara Syrup (1:1)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Build in a Collins or Pilsner glass, fill with crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, top with crushed ice, and garnish with 3 coffee beans.

Two Mondays ago, I was scanning Kindred Cocktails and spotted the Ohana Joe by Jeff Cleveland then of the Tonga Hut in Palm Springs, California. I was able to trace it back to a 2016 post on Critiki (that I was able to read through the Wayback Machine). While at Jeff's home, blogger Humuhumu Trott mentioned that her favorite drink was the Mai Kai's Black Magic, and this is what he served her. Humuhumu explained, "It was so new, it didn't yet have a name. Jeff asked me to help name it, and together we came up with Ohana Joe: a nod to the coffee in the drink, and to the feeling of warm welcome Jeff's had from the tiki 'ohana, and to the historic Palm Springs tiki bar Aloha Jhoe's." Once assembled, the Ohana Joe ushered in coffee and pineapple aromas. Next, roast and lime notes on the sip transformed into burly rum, coffee, and pineapple flavors on the swallow. While I expected a Mr. Bali Hai, I ended up with something a bit more complex given the overproof and pineapple rums, the lower pineapple juice quotient, and the lime instead of lemon juice.

cupid deluxe

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Shake with ice, serve tall (old fashioned glass, ice, 1 oz soda water), and garnish with a piece of candied ginger. Two Sundays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcards from Dutch Kills in Long Island City and selected the Cupid Deluxe. The drink for their Spring 2019 menu was attributed elsewhere on the web to bartender Jose Cardenas, and it was perhaps named after the 2013 album by the group Blood Orange. Scotch and banana worked so well in the Holy Molé! that I utilized it in my Artists and Models at the Cocktail Lab at Earl's, and I was curious to try it here. Once prepared, the Cupid Deluxe offered up a pineapple and ginger aroma. Next, a carbonated caramel, lemon, and pineapple sip flowed into Scotch, pineapple, banana, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

lacrimosa

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Luxardo Bitter (Bianco)
3/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed). Two Saturdays prior, I decided to make the Lacrimosa by David Slape at Manhattan's P.D.T. in Fall 2008 via The P.D.T. Cocktail Book as a "dark, brooding Negroni variation." I spotted this a few days before on a friend's Instagram and realized that I skipped over the recipe in the book since I lacked Luxardo's Bitter until a year and a half ago. In the glass, the Lacrimosa cried forth fresh orange oil aromas over rye and caramel orange ones. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the Ciociaro opened up into rye, dark orange, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

no further questions

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/8 oz Peated Whisky (Laphroaig 10 Year)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a drink created by Tim Kirkland called No Further Questions that he named after his friend Brian Collins' frequent replies to requests of a sip of the drink that he posted on Instagram. Whisky, Punt e Mes, and Ciociaro is a combination that worked well in my Jolly Jane, Rafa Garcia Febles' Stenton, and other recipes, so I was curious to try it here. In the glass, the No Further Questions proffered orange, peat smoke, and grape aromas to the nose. Next, grape and caramel on the sip soon hid behind rye, caramel orange, bitter herbal, and peat smoke flavors on the swallow.

heartbreaker

1 1/2 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Thursdays ago, I fired up The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and got curious about the Heartbreaker by Jon Nutter at Manhattan's Attaboy circa 2023. The gin, Green Chartreuse, and Montenegro trio reminded me of Sother Teague's Oh My Word, so I figured that it would be a more alpine and less nutty-fruity version here. The duo of Braulio-Montenegro has appeared twice on the blog in the Bar Room Brauler and the Spaghetti Western; however, I have previously only tried one other Green Chartreuse-Braulio drink, the Devil's Whisper, as Braulio is more often paired with the Yellow variety. Once prepared, the Heartbreaker descended with a grapefruit, herbaceous, and pine aroma. Next, a lightly caramel and clementine sip was kicked aside for gin, bitter herbal, pine, orange, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow.

where it all begins

1 1/2 oz Chattanooga High Malt Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/4 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

No instructions were provided, so I stirred with ice, strained into a cocktail coupe, and garnished with a cherry. Two Wednesdays ago, I uncovered an online recipe flashcard set for Nashville's Pinewood Social and selected the Where It All Begins from a 2021 collection, and I was able to confirm the drink's ingredients in a GoogleMaps menu photo. This Manhattan variation launched off with a cherry and dark grape aroma. Next, grape and sweet citrus notes on the sip slipped into Bourbon, bitter, bright orange-lemon, vanilla, and peppery flavors on the swallow. If I were to make this again, I would decrease the Licor 43 amount or even swap the volumes with Amaro Abano, for the balance came across a bit sweet and bright for me; often a quarter ounce of Licor 43 in a stirred drink is plenty such as in the Signals, Calls, & Marches.

drops of life

2 oz Hendrick's Gin (Tanqueray Malacca)
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth (Servito)
1/2 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
2 slice Cucumber

Muddle cucumber slices, add rest of ingredients, stir with ice, double strain into a coupe, and garnish with a skewered cucumber (cucumber wheel). Two Tuesdays prior, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Sundry & Vice in Ohio and opted for the Drops of Life from a 2022 set. The drink was much older than that, for I found a reference as early as 2015 in a Yelp review and as late as 2024 in a Yelp menu photo. Overall, the idea reminded me of the Day for Night that I had at Bar Lunette but without the gentian liqueur and with muddled cucumber instead of cucumber bitters, and perhaps the St. Germain for simple syrup riff on the East Side that I made on occasion at Drink. In the coupe, the Drops of Life offered up a cucumber, grapefruit, and floral bouquet to the nose. Next, sweet grape and orchard fruit notes on the sip cascaded into gin, cucumber, vegetal, floral, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

don draper's bitter end

1 oz Rye (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Averna
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Orange Liqueur (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao) (*)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fasioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.
(*) An adaptation added to the original recipe. Two Mondays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across Don Draper's Bitter End created at Hank's Oyster Bar in Alexandria, Virginia, circa 2014. The recipe posted there was an adaptation of the original that included the addition of orange liqueur for sweetness. I found the rye, Fernet, and orange liqueur combination reminscent of the Alcazer from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933, so I went with it. Once stirred and strained, the Don Draper's Bitter End gave forth orange, Cognac, caramel, and menthol aromas. Next, a caramel-driven sip soon advertised rye, Cognac, orange, bitter gentian, and minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.

top rope

1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Campari
3/4 oz Fino Sherry (Lustau Manzanilla)
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (3 dash Strongwater Walnut)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fasioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Sundays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and picked the Top Rope by Sean O'Connor-Combee at J & Tony's Discount Cured Meats and Negroni Warehouse in San Diego circa 2022. The name made me think of the Turnbuckle, but that one was more bitter tropical. This drink instead reads like a sherry for sweet vermouth Boulevardier akin to Hungry Mother's No. 72, but here with a cross of dry Fino and sweet Pedro Ximenez sherries as I tried in the Bae of Biscay (I am much more used to Oloroso or Amontillado with Pedro Ximenez such as in the Black Adonis and the In the Middle of a Foggy Sea). In the glass, the Top Rope lept off with an orange, raisin, and Bourbon aroma. Next, a dark grape sip landed on Bourbon, raisin, date, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

bitter bird

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1 dash Saline (3 drop 20%)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist. Two Saturdays ago, I turned to online recipe flashcards for Eastern Standard in Boston, and I selected the Bitter Bird from the Spring 2026 menu. The restaurant's menu from March has it in the "Old Fashioned: Everything New is Old Again" section, and their Instagram reel has bartender Julian Bernal describing it as his creation from 2013 before he was working at there and how his drink lands somewhere between a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned. Overall, the combination comes across like the Papa Was a Rodeo with rye and no bitters or the Water Line without aquavit. Once built, the Bitter Bird flew to the nose with orange, rye, and herbal aromas. Next, caramel with hints of orange on the sip swooped before alighting on rye and herbal-orange flavors on the swallow.

torreador del diablo

1 1/4 oz Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/8 oz Honey Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Fridays prior, I began perusing The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and happened upon the Torreador del Diablo by José Manuel Alvarez Gonzalez at London's Milk & Honey in 2013. The Campari, apricot liqueur, and lemon juice trio has worked well in the Juniper #3 and in my St. Botolph's Club, so I was curious to taste it with the ginger-honey-lemon of a Penicillin Cocktail. Once mixed, the Torreador del Diablo showcased a vegetal tequila, apricot, and ginger aroma. Next, lemon with a hint of honey on the sip stepped aside for tequila, bitter orchard fruit, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

jack & bone

1 1/2 oz Jamaican Dark Rum (1 oz Coruba + 1/2 oz Smith & Cross)
1/2 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wedge (lime wheel). Two Thursdays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and spotted the Jack & Bone by Oska Whitehart at Melbourne's The Everleigh circa 2016 in the book's Daiquiri section. It reminded me of the Artichoke Hold minus the elderflower liqueur and the Navy Dock Daiquiri with orgeat instead of nutty Maraschino liqueur, so I was game to give it a whirl. In the glass, the Jack & Bone welcomed the nose with a lime, caramel, and pineapple-tinged rum funk aroma. Next, a creamy lime and caramel sip developed into funky rum, herbal, and almond flavors on the swallow.

maybe later

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Amaro Braulio
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2-3 slice Cucumber

Muddle cucumber in syrup, add rest of ingredients, shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a floated cucumber slice. Two Wednesdays ago, I fired up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and spotted the Maybe Later by Chloe Martin in 2024 with no mention of where the drink was created. Given the name and structure, it was perhaps a riff on Sam Ross' Too Soon? and very reminscent of the Amaro Montenegro-laden Old News that I made around two weeks prior. In the glass, the Maybe Later showcased a lemon, pine, and cucumber bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip delayed pine, herbal, cucumber, and minty flavors on the swallow.

fay wray

3/4 oz Rhum Barbancourt 4 Star (8 Year) (*)
3/4 oz Dudognon Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Giffard Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Rhum Clement Rhum Agricole (Rhum JM 100° Blanc)
1/4 oz Rich Demerara Syrup 2:1 (1:1)
1 small Lime Wedge

Squeeze lime wedge and drop into the shaker tin. Add the rest of the ingredients, whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet and a dried banana (plantain) slice.
(*) Yes, there is no 4 Star, only 3 and 5 Star, but my guess is that they meant 4 Year/3 Star. Two Tuesdays ago, I spotted a reference to the Fay Wray on Reddit, and I tracked the recipe back to Punch. My only gripe with this drink created by Matthew Belanger at Donna in Brooklyn is that, given the name, there was no Wray & Nephew Rum in the mix, and it could very well stand in for the funk accent here generated by the rhum agricole. Fay Wray is best known for portraying Ann Darrow in the original King Kong movie, and the recipe joins the other banana-laden movie-themed King Kong on the blog (the King Kong closer to the movie's 1933 release date features Benedictine and noyaux though). Once assembled, the Fay Wray gave forth a mint aroma over rum and caramel ones. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip fell into Cognac, funky rum, and banana flavors on the swallow.

thang down flip

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Zucca Rabarbaro (Sfumato)
3/4 oz Amargo de Chile (Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur)
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup
1 Whole Egg

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a snifter glass (single old fashioned), and garnish with freshly microplaned chocolate. Two Mondays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcards for Chicago's The Violet Hour and happened upon the Thang Down Flip from their Winter 2022 menu; the slightly cooler weather made a whole egg drink not feel out of place. Overall, it reminded me of the Colleen Bawn with the rye, egg, two liqueurs, and grated garnish. Having tasted Amargo de Chile earlier this year, I felt that Ancho Reyes would work well in its place. The drink was probably named after the Missy Elliott's song "Work It" with the lyric "I put my thang down, flip it and reverse it." Once prepared, the Thang Down Flip offered up chocolate, herbal, and roast aromas to the nose. Next, a creamy and caramel sip was chased by rye, chili pepper, smoky herbal, and hint of spice flavors on the swallow.

the caretaker

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Maraschino (Maraska)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1 leaf Mint

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe (cocktail glass), and garnish with a mint leaf. Two Sundays prior, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and landed on the Caretaker by Lisa Kempen at Caretaker in Auckland, New Zealand, circa 2021. Overall, the recipe came across like a Brooklyn riff akin to the Williamsburg with Cocchi Americano and the Brooklyn Bridge with sweet vermouth instead of the dry vermouth here. The stirred with mint Manhattan aspect is actually an old concept such as in the Sirloin from the 1933 edition of Jack's Manual (and rather common with vintage Martini riffs like the Fascinator and Cooperstown). In the glass, the Caretaker offered up assistance with a Bourbon, mint, and cherry aroma. Next, caramel and a slight cherry note on the sip blossomed into Bourbon, root beer, nutty cherry, and minty flavors on the swallow.

fort de france

1 oz Agricole Rhum (Rhum JM 100° Blanc)
1 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
Absinthe Rinse (20 drop St. George in mix)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet and freshly grated nutmeg. Two Saturdays ago, I looked to The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and landed upon the Fort de France by Michael McCollum at Nashville's Attaboy in 2024. Two combinations of interest stood out with the first being the Suze-rhum agricole duo that I have enjoyed in drinks like the Tour le Carbet, Pennington Daiquiri, and Is that All there Is?. The other is the Suze-orgeat pairing that worked well in the Little Oaxacan, Inna di Yard, and Frightened Tiger. Once prepared, the Fort de France began with a wood spice and mint bouquet. Next, a creamy lemon sip expanded into grassy rum, herbal, almond, anise, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

wayward mariner

1 1/2 oz Islay Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1/2 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Don's Spices #2 (1/4 oz each Vanilla Syrup + Hamilton's Allspice Dram)
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice (large cube), and garnish with a mint sprig and a pineapple wedge (mint only). Two Fridays ago, I returned to the Kindred Cocktails database to make the Wayward Mariner by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2015. The serving style was vague, and since it was late and I was more in the mood for something a bit more somber, I went with a big ice cube serving instead of crushed or cubed ice. Overall, the combination reminded me of the Crooked Kilt that the Accomplice Bar served me at a pop-up last Fall where they split the Scotch with sherry in NoMad's creation to work better with the pineapple and lime. Moreover, the combination of pineapple syrup with Don's Spices #2 was one that I utilized in a Jet Pilot riff, the Nuku Hiva. Here, the Wayward Mariner set off with a mint, peat smoke, lime, and allspice aroma. Next, lime and grape notes on the sip sailed into smoky Scotch, nutty sherry, pineapple, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

dahlia

3/4 oz Gin (Tree House Hildegard von Bingen)
3/4 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Absinthe (20 drop St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist (included the twist). Two Thursdays ago, I opened up The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and selected the Dahlia by Michael McCollum at Nashville's Attaboy. The recipe appeared like a Corpse Reviver riff that was a step closer to Sam Ross' Sunflower. Elderflower and gentian have paired well in drinks like the Terrible Love and Tulip Thief, so I figured that this could work. Once mixed, the Dahlia offered up lemon, gentian, and some floral aromas. Next, a lemon-driven sip blossomed into pine, floral, gentian-herbal, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow. I did find that the Suze dominated my choice of elderflower liqueur, and I would perhaps adjust the quantities accordingly if I made it again.