dutch totem

2 oz Bols Genever
1 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/2 oz Chestnut Honey Syrup
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe

Shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, garnish with a pineapple slice and freshly grated nutmeg, and add a straw.
Two Wednesdays ago, I ventured down to Bar Mezzana for a cocktail, and I was lured into one of their amaro-forward tropical drinks called the Dutch Totem. Once prepared, it offered a nutmeg aroma that led into lime, caramel, and honey notes on the sip. Next, the swallow began with Genever, pineapple, cola-herbal, and wormwood flavors and ended with a pineapple and honey finish.

black monk julep

1 1/2 oz Evan Williams Bonded Bourbon
1 oz Averna
3/4 oz Blackberry Syrup (2:1) (* see comments)
6-8 leaves Mint

Lightly muddle mint leaves in a Double Old Fashioned glass, add rest of ingredients, and stir. Top with crushed ice and garnish with mint sprigs.
The drink that Andrea requested was the Black Monk Julep created by bartenders Ryan Lotz and Jenna Rycroft. The darker ingredients and the blackberries reminded me of Eastern Standard's Cobbler, The Bon-Vivant, but this recipe was a Julep with a boozier punch. In the glass, the Julep presented a mint bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and berry notes were balanced by the bonded whiskey's strength on the sip, and the swallow proffered Bourbon, blackberry, and minty flavors.

1491

1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco
1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal
1/2 oz Blanco Vermouth
1/2 oz Elderflower Liqueur
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with 5 drops of Angostura Bitters.
Two Tuesdays ago, we celebrated my belated birthday at Myers & Chang, and afterwards we were in a cocktail mood. Therefore, we headed over to the Ink Block to visit Bar Mezzana. For a drink, I asked bartender Jenna Rycroft for the 1491; she later explained that she created this along with bar manager Ryan Lotz for the opening menu with a pre-Columbus theme of New World spirits. I had previously had a 3:1 mix of pisco to mezcal in the Firecracker Cocktail, and I was up for revisiting the flavor combination. In the glass, the 1491 presented floral aromas to the nose. Next, a creamy lemon and fruity sip gave way to pisco, smoky mezcal, and floral notes on the swallow.