dessert l'italienne

1 oz Santa Maria al Monte
1 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Galliano
1/4 oz Espresso Syrup (*)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
(*) Espresso liqueur will sub in a pinch.
For a cocktail at Belly Wine Bar, I requested the Dessert L'Italienne from bartender Ryan Connelly. I assumed, especially from the ingredients list of digestifs, that it was his post-meal answer to the classic Appetizer L'Italienne from William Schmidt's 1891 book The Flowing Bowl. Ryan explained that the Galliano's star anise notes were taking the place of the absinthe's anise in the classic. Interestingly, Ryan's OnTheBar account has an early version of the recipe as:

Dessert L'Italienne (early version)
• 2 oz Santa Maria al Monte
• 1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
• 2 barspoon Galliano
Stir with ice and strain into a wine glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

When made with the newer, more complex recipe, the Dessert L'Italienne provided a pleasing menthol and camphor herbal aroma that shifted towards a more coffee-driven one over time. The amari's caramel flavors joined that of the espresso's roast notes on the sip, and the swallow was a complex herbal medley that ended with a coffee finish.

astra

1 1/2 oz Dolin Blanc
1/2 oz Laird's 7 1/2 Year Apple Brandy
1/2 oz CapRock Gin
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top.

After Kirkland Tap & Trotter on New Years Day, I met up with Andrea for dinner near Kendall Square. For a nightcap, we ventured over to Belly Wine Bar where Ryan Connelly was bartending. Ryan greeted us with a half portion each of his Astra, a recipe he created as a low proof option for New Years Eve. He mentioned that the proportions had a similarity to The Messenger that he created a few weeks before. I had heard about the Astra via Facebook or OnTheBar although the name then seemed to be "Per Aspera Ad Astra," a Latin phrase meaning "Through hardships to the stars."
The Astra's lemon oils greeted the nose and prepared the mouth for the apple and grape sip. The swallow showcased a herbal, tea-like flavor with an orange finish; indeed, Andrea likened that flavor to chamomile tea.

razor ramon

1 3/4 oz Siete Leguas Reposado Tequila
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Coffee Syrup
1/2 oz Campari
1 dash Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Flame an orange twist over the top.

After the Negroni variation, there was another Campari recipe that Ryan Connelly wanted to make for me at Belly. The drink was the Razor Ramon which he named after one of his favorite professional wrestlers. Ryan was inspired to create this drink after attending the coffee-cocktail seminar at Thirst Boston taught by Tyler Wang of Kirkland Tap & Trotter and Jake Robinson of Counter Culture; there, he learned how well French press espresso coffee pairs with Campari, and for this drink he utilized a coffee syrup instead. Back in June, I documented one of the coffee-cocktail events that was part class and part competition which was a precursor to the Thirst Boston talk.
The Razor Ramon began with agave aromas along with a dark herbal note. The coffee's roast paired with the Punt e Mes' grape on the sip. Finally, the tequila began the swallow that ended with the coffee and Campari combination that was complemented by the Punt e Mes' bitter notes and the chocolate bitters.

[little camillo]

1 1/4 oz Pimm's #1
1 oz La Garracha Fino Sherry
3/4 oz Campari

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a grapefruit twist, add a pinch of salt over the ice, and add straws.

After West Bridge, I headed across the 1 Kendall Square complex to Belly where Ryan Connelly was tending bar. Ryan mentioned that the cocktail part of the menu had not change much since the last time I was there, but he had a bunch of new ideas that he wanted to showcase. The one that sounded the best was a sherry-fied Negroni variation that utilized Pimm's. The inspiration for Pimm's was how well it matched Campari given its bitter orange notes; moreover, Pimm's #1 is a gin-based liqueur that would symbolize the regular gin in the Negroni. I dubbed the drink the Little Camillo (although I was thinking the Little Count) after Count Camillo Negroni with a nod to the Little Giuseppe given the salt over the ice aspect.
The grapefruit twist provided much of the drink's aroma. A fruit sip shared much of the sherry's white grape notes. The Pimm's berry flavors bled into the swallow where it balanced the Campari rather well. Indeed, as the salt slowly worked its way into the drink, Campari's bitterness level dropped.

old man winter

1 oz Old Fitzgerald Bourbon
1 oz Old Monk Rum
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry
1/2 oz S. Maria al Monte Amaro (*)
1 dash Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
(*) Originally was Averna which they no longer carry.

For a final drink at Belly Wine Bar, bartender Ryan Connelly offered up a drink he created last year called the Old Man Winter. In contrast to the two lighter styled drinks, this was a change up that would make for a great nightcap. With whiskey, Old Monk Rum, wine, herbal liqueur, and bitters, the Old Man Winter reminded me a little of Drink's 1919 Cocktail so I was quite excited to try it.
The Old Man Winter gave forth a dark caramel and grape aroma. The caramel notes from the amaro and aged rum continued on into the sip where it mingled with the Bourbon's malt. The sherry mostly appeared on the swallow as a raisiny flavor that paired well with the whiskey and rum, and the Old Man Winter finished with a fresh menthol-herbal finish.

upturn flip

1 1/2 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 Whole Egg

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with freshly grated orange zest.
For Andrea's first drink at Belly Wine Bar, she asked bartender Ryan Connelly for the Upturn Flip. The recipe was Ryan's creation and the name reflects the inverse proportions to this aromatized wine-driven libation. Once mixed, the microplaned orange zest donated a bright citrus aroma over the rum notes; even at a quarter of an ounce, Smith & Cross is still a beast. The caramel and grape creaminess of the sip transitioned to rum funk that blended into orange and herbal notes on the swallow. Finally, I would like to thank Andrea for her patience as I continually returned to her drink "to take better notes." Yes, it was that good.

the messenger

1 1/2 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina
1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Calvados
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Two Thursdays ago, Andrea and I had dinner and beer at Cambridge Brewing Company in Kendall Square. Afterwards, we rounded the corner and paid a visit to bartender Ryan Connelly at Belly Wine Bar. For a first drink, I selected Ryan's The Messenger off of the "Let's Get Fortified: A Study in Vermouth-based Concoctions" section of the cocktail menu. Once mixed, the Messenger offered an orange peel aroma over a grape sip that shared a vague fruitiness perhaps from the apple brandy and orange liqueur. The apple and orange peel notes shined through on the swallow though, and the swallow gained more bitter gentian complexity over time as the drink warmed up.

hampshire

1/2 oz Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry
3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Build in a Highball glass, fill with crushed ice, and top with soda. Garnish with an orange twist and add a straw.

After previewing a drink from Belly Wine Bar's upcoming vermouth cocktail section of the menu, I returned to the current sherry cocktail section to have one that I had skipped the last time I was there. That drink was the Hampshire most likely named for the bar being near Hampshire Street in Cambridge. Bartender Ryan Connelly commented that it was created by bar manager Fanny Katz and the libation has an iced tea aspect to it; the last time I heard that description from a bartender it was for Bobby McCoy's Dartmouth Highball.
The Hampshire presented an orange oil aroma that led into lemon, orange, and grape flavors on the sip. Next, the swallow showcased how well Pedro Ximénez sherry and Pierre Ferrand's Dry Curaçao go together for it offered an elegant raisin-orange peel combination.

infanta

1 1/2 oz La Cigarrera Amontillado
3/4 oz Braulio Amaro (*)
1/2 oz Carpano Antica
1/4 oz Punt e Mes

Stir with ice and strain into a wine glass. Garnish with grapefruit oil.
(*) In a pinch, perhaps another alpine amaro like Fernet or S. Maria al Monte would do.

Perhaps it was all this talk of sherry the night before that made me consider going to Belly Wine Bar the following night. That and I spotted Ryan Connelly checked in on the OnTheBar app before I left the house. Once there, Ryan mentioned that he had some new drinks which he had developed for the upcoming vermouth cocktails section of the menu. Of that batch, I selected the Infanta.
The Infanta's grapefruit twist provided a brightness to counter the darker, nutty, and herbal aromatic undertones. A medley of grape flavors on the sip led into a nutty and complex herbal swallow. Elegant, herbal, and light, the Infanta straddles the line between aperitif and digestif quite well.

four vices

3/4 oz Dry Amontillado Sherry
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (here Carpano, normally Cocchi)
3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Cognac
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist an orange peel over the top. Note: the two bitters were left off of the recipe I was provided, but they are on his OnTheBar recipe.

As we were talking to bartender Ryan Connelly at Belly, he suggested that we come back another time to see more of the off-list offerings. I agreed and replied that I had been eying the Four Vices drink that he had listed in his OnTheBar profile. Instead of having us wait until the next time, Ryan made us small portions of the Four Vices. While Ryan crafted the recipe, the drink was named by restaurant owner Nick Zappia.
The twist's orange oil brightened the grape and chocolate aromas; later, the Amaro Montenegro's tangerine notes appeared on the nose. Next, the sip offered grape and caramel flavors, and the swallow showcased the Cognac, nutty, herbal, and tangerine notes.

daley fix

1 1/2 oz Dry Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
3/4 oz oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and 1-2 dash Angostura Bitters, and add a straw.

For my next drink, I asked Ryan Connelly for the Daley Fix for I am a big fan of Fixes in general. I was amused when I heard the recipe as it is the same basic proportions that we used next door with the Kitty Leroy when Katie Emmerson and I bartended at Belly's sister establishment, the Blue Room. I guess that recipe was such a success that the Kitty Leroy made it on to the Blue Room's regular menu! This Fix was not named after a Woman of the Wild West, but for Stacey Daley, the chef at Central Bottle Wine + Provision.
The garnishes contributed greatly to the Daley Fix's aroma by providing mint and Angostura spice notes. A lemon and grape sip segued into a pineapple swallow that offered a great combination from the nutty sherry and the apricot liqueur. Towards the end of the drink, the Angostura Bitters entered into the flavor profile and added allspice notes and a degree of dryness to the mix.

the matic

1 oz Fino Sherry
1 oz Fords Gin
3/4 oz Meletti Amaro
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass rinsed with Green Chartreuse.
Two Wednesdays ago, Andrea and I made our way over to Belly Wine Bar after having dinner at Cambridge Brewing Company. For a first drink, I requested The Matic from bartender Ryan Connelly. Ryan described how this libation was created by bar manager Fanny Katz for the new sherry section of the cocktail menu. Once mixed, the Matic presented a gin aroma with hints of sherry and herbal notes. A lemon and caramel-tinged sip led into a gin swallow that shared a pleasant sharpness from a combination of dry sherry, crisp lemon juice, and herbal Chartreuse.