bitter nail

1 1/2 oz Great King Street Scotch
1/2 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Campari

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Two Tuesdays ago, we ventured over to Ames Street for a drink. I requested the Bitter Nail that was described on the menu as a "riff on the classic Rusty," and bartender Sam Cronin described how it was created by Iruma Shibuya before he left to bartend in Japan. In the glass, the Bitter Nail presented a smoky Scotch aroma with a hint of Campari. Honey on the sip was joined by Cynar's caramel and the whisky's malt, and the swallow offered smoky Scotch with a lingering bitter finish. Overall, I was impressed at how well the Cynar bridged the gap between the Scotch and the Campari perhaps by smoothing over the Campari as it did in the Negroni Tredici. This combination was also very similar to Maksym Pazuniak's Barefoot in the Dark with Swedish punsch in place of the Bitter Nail's Drambuie.
Little did I know that the Ames Street would close a mere week after having this drink; last Tuesday, a friend posted on her Instagram a photo of a sign on Ames Street's door that it was closed until further notice, and the following day Boston Magazine announced the closure. So may we all raise a glass -- in one aspect, it is a bitter nail to chew on, but on the other side of things, let us toast all of the interesting ways Ames Street approached menu layout and design (see the cocktail matrix above) as well as drink creation. Cheers!

santiago squall

2 oz House Aged Rum Blend (*)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup
6 leaf Mint

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass, and add 1 oz Gosling's Ginger Beer. Top with crushed ice, add a straw, and garnish with 2 dash Angostura Bitters and a mint sprig.
(*) A solera mix that was mostly El Dorado 5 Year, Clement Rhum 3 Year, and Bacardi 8 Year.
The drink that Andrea asked bartender Sam Cronin for at Ames Street Deli was the Santiago Squall. Sam described how it was the house cross of an Old Cuban with a Dark & Stormy. Once prepared, it shared a mint aroma accented by Angostura Bitters' spice that gave way to a lightly carbonated caramel and lime sip. Next, rum, mint, and ginger pleasantly filled the swallow.

charles roy

1 1/2 oz Great King Street Scotch
1/2 oz Laphroaig Scotch
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a spritz of Laphroaig.

Two Wednesdays ago, Andrea and I ventured over to Ames Street Deli after dinner for a nightcap. For a drink, I asked bartender Sam Cronin for his Charles Roy that two of my out-of-town guests had mentioned that had enjoyed several weeks ago. Sam replied that it had just left the menu, but he could definitely make it. He also described that the concept came by way of a request for a smoky Manhattan, and he took a Rob Roy base and merged it with a Red Hook and a Green Point. While bandying about name ideas, one of the other bartenders, Neil Quigley, suggested the Charles Roy to capture the bar's proximity to the Charles River.
The Charles Roy shared a peat-filled aroma that led into a malt and grape sip. The swallow though showed most of the complexity with smoky Scotch flavors mingling with light herbal and nutty notes.

gin cobbler

1 1/2 oz Fords Gin
1 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/4 oz Grade B Maple Syrup
1/4 oz Allspice Dram

Build in a Highball glass (or Julep-like cup), fill with crushed ice, and add a straw. Float 1/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (*), garnish with a dried apricot, and spritz clove essence over the top (most likely something akin to the clove-infused rum used in the Model T at their sister establishment Backbar).
(*) This float sank, so perhaps mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients would work better.

For a second drink at Ames Street Deli, I asked bartender Rob Hoover for their Gin Cobbler as the combination of nutty sherry and apricot liqueur work rather well together. Moreover, sherry and maple syrup partner splendidly too such as in the Midtown and French Toast Flip.
Once built, the Gin Cobbler offered a clove-driven aroma. The grape and maple filled the sip, while the first few swallows were all about the apricot. One of the problems here was that the apricot float sank due to its high density, and it did not help that the liqueur was more flavored than say Rothman & Winter; see my note in the instructions about incorporating this flavor better. Midway through the drink, the swallow began to present juniper and allspice notes and darker flavors from the maple and sherry; finally, the clove spice reared itself as a flavor at the very end in a way that worked well in conjunction with the allspice dram.

zig zag wanderer

1 3/4 oz Fidencio Clasico Mezcal
3/4 oz Averna
1/2 oz Aveze Gentiane Liqueur
1/8 oz Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

A few Tuesdays ago, I paid another visit to the Ames Street Deli after one of my day shifts. Working that night were Rob Hoover and Schuyler Hunton, and for a first drink, I asked Rob for the Zig Zag Wanderer. I inquired if the drink was created by a bartender from Seattle who spent time at the Zig Zag where Murray Stenson used to work. Rob informed me that this was Nate's recipe and that he was not in fact from Seattle; however, the drink was named after a Captain Beefheart Song. Nate felt that the recipe was all over the place with the ingredients and it happened to be the anniversary of Captain Beefheart's death, so he dubbed this wandering drink in tribute. The Captain Beefheart aspect reminded me of Ashtray Heart, Erik Ellestad's own tribute that appears in Beta Cocktails.
The Zig Zag Wanderer began with a smoky mezcal nose with dark notes from a mix of caramel, herbal, and chocolate elements. A light caramel sip gave way to agave flavors and earthy bitterness on the swallow. Finally, the swallow finished with gentle chocolate, smoke, and vanilla flavors.

pineapple project

1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Absinthe

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

A few Tuesdays ago, I made my way to Ames Street Deli where I asked for the Pineapple Project from the menu. Bar manager Joe Cammarata attributed the recipe to Kyle Powell at Russell House Tavern which was his spin on the neo-classic Laphroaig Project from Bourbon & Branch. Kyle and Joe later worked together at Backbar where this drink appeared as a drink of the day. The drink was originally made with Russell House Tavern's peach bitters; since they lacked those, they honed in on the anise notes in the bitters and opted for absinthe as a substitute.
The Pineapple Project began with a smoky, pineapple, and herbal aroma. The sip was rather fruity from the lemon and pineapple juices, and the swallow shared smoky, fruity, and herbal flavors.