[peloni]

2 oz Old Overholt Rye
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1 barspoon Maraschino Liqueur (*)
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top.
(*) I suggested upping this to a 1/4 oz.

For a second cocktail at the Blue Room, bartender Chris Danforth suggested a drink that he had been tinkering that sounded a little like a Toronto that used Amaro Braulio and Maraschino liqueur in place of the Fernet Branca. For a name, I dubbed this concoction the Peloni after Dr. Francesco Peloni who created the amaro in 1875 and named it after Braulio Hill in Bormio, Italy, where the various herbs are harvested.
The orange oil aroma joined floral notes that I assume were from the Braulio. A malt and caramel sip then led into the rest of the rye flavors on the swallow. The swallow also showcased a minty, menthol, and pine medley, and the Maraschino donated a smoothness to the finish especially as the drink warmed up. While Braulio is an alpine amaro like Fernet Branca, the Peloni came across as different from the Toronto.

honey & thistle

1 1/2 oz Cardamaro
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
1/4 oz Amaro Sibilla

Build in a Highball glass filled with ice. Top with 2 oz tonic water, garnish with an orange twist, and add a straw.

A few Wednesdays ago, I ventured over to the Blue Room where Chris Danforth was bartending. For a first drink, I asked Chris for the Honey & Thistle from the menu, and he believed that it was one of Matthew Schrage's creations. I surmise that the drink's name refers to the honey in the smokey and bitter Amaro Sibilla and the blessed thistle in the Cardamaro, respectively.
The orange twist contributed greatly to the Honey & Thistle's nose and prepared the mouth for the refreshingly light, carbonated, and citrussy sip. Next, the swallow was pleasantly herbal, and the quinine from the tonic worked rather well here with the Cocchi Americano and amaros. Chris accidentally made this drink the first time with Cocchi sweet vermouth instead of the Cocchi Americano, and he let me taste the error; while it was still a solid drink with richer grape notes on the sip and swallow, the Cocchi Americano version was indeed the winner.

catedratico

1 1/2 oz El Maestro Oloroso Sherry
1 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top.
For a second drink, I was tempted by the Catedrático which was based off of the classic Martinez and asked bartender Chris Danforth to make me one. Once mixed, the Catedrático shared an orange oil and sherry aroma at first that later became more Maraschino driven. Next, a sweet grape sip led into a swallow dominated by nutty notes from the sherry and Maraschino and herbal ones from the gin and bitters.

columbus exchange

1 1/2 oz Ron Pampero Rum
1/2 oz S. Maria al Monte Amaro
1/2 oz Carpano (or Cocchi) Sweet Vermouth (*)
1/4 oz Grand Marnier
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top.
(*) Usually made with Cocchi sweet vermouth, but they were out.

Two Wednesdays ago, I made my way over to the Blue Room where Chris Danforth was tending bar. For a first drink, I asked for the Columbus Exchange, a drink that Chris had created about a month or so ago. Chris thought about the New World rum and falernum as well as the Old World vermouth, amaro, and orange liqueur in the recipe, and he named the drink after the Grand Exchange, the widespread exchange of animals, plants, humans, and ideas between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia following Columbus' voyage in 1492.
The Columbus Exchange offered an orange oil aroma that brightened the aged, caramel and herbal notes. A caramel, grape, and orange sip gave way to a rum, clove, and minty swallow. Overall, I was impressed at how well the rum and vermouth seemed to tame the S. Maria al Monte and its strong menthol signature.

the old (barbara) west

1 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
3/4 oz Lustau Dry Amontillado Sherry
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Meletti Amaro
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 pinch Salt

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, we headed down to the Blue Room for the third installment of Wild West-themed Whiskey & Amari Night. The hosts that evening were Sam Treadway of Backbar and Noon Inthasuwan of Moksa. While Andrea went with Noon's green tea-laden 6 Shots in My Gun, I opted for Sam's variation on the Barbara West he called the Old (Barbara) West. Though the recipe varied by including some amaro and simple syrup, the real game changer was a pinch of salt which altered the roll of the gin in the classic.
The lemon twist aroma joined that of a sweet grape. A slightly tart lemon and grape sip transitioned into a lightly herbal swallow with a pleasantly lemony finish. Indeed, the salt squashed a lot of the flavor of the hearty Ransom Old Tom Gin as well as that of the Meletti Amaro; however, as the drink warmed up, the swallow became more flavorful. Perhaps doubling the Meletti and removing the simple syrup would help push the swallow into a more herbal realm. Moreover, perhaps the salt helped to increase the perception of sweetness in this recipe that would otherwise appear to be rather dry and tart.

breakfast

2 oz John L. Sullivan Irish Whiskey
1 oz Galliano Ristretto Coffee Liqueur
1 dash Chocolate Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass rinsed with Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch.

The drink that Andrea selected from John Henderson's half of the menu at the Blue Room's first Whiskey & Amari night was called Breakfast. With coffee and smoke notes, probably all it needed was a bacon-infused whiskey or an egg shaken with the ingredients to seal the deal. Instead of a complete meal, it was an elegant dessert-y drink that was quite popular that night. John mentioned that the drink works rather well with Michael Collins Single Malt Irish Whiskey for it has a lightly peated barley aspect to it, but the Blue Room lacked a bottle in its inventory.
The drink's Laphroaig rinse contributed a smoke note to the dark and malty bouquet. While the sip was filled with the Ristretto's roast flavors, the swallow showcased the Irish whiskey and the rest of the coffee notes. Interestingly, the first swallow was rather chocolatey from the bitters, and the later swallows were more coffee-driven in nature. Overall, Breakfast was a coffee Manhattan similar to the Averna-laden Black Manhattan.

streets of san miguel

1 oz Old Overholt Rye
1 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quinquina
1 oz Campari

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The drink I ordered from John Henderson's half of the menu at the first Whiskey & Amari Night at the Blue Room was the Streets of San Miguel. While the name made me think of Misty Kalkofen's Streets of Gettysburg, it was a reference to the location where that night's movie, "A Fistful of Dollars," was set. In terms of what was in the glass, the drink reminded me of a 1794 with different proportions, no bitters, and Bonal instead of sweet vermouth.
The Streets of San Miguel's orange twist joined the aroma of the Bonal. A grape sip led into a rye swallow with bitter herbal notes from the Bonal and Campari. Overall, the Bonal seemed to take the edge off of the Campari for it was not as sharply Campari-driven as I expected it to be.

the quick & the bitter

3/4 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
3/4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
3/4 oz S. Maria al Monte Amaro
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The first of the Blue Room's Whiskey & Amari nights featured the bartending duo of Tyler Wang of No. 9 Park and John Henderson of Scholars and soon of Fort Point's Tavern Road. Andrea and I chose a pair of drinks from Tyler's half of the menu for our first round and a pair of drinks from John for the second. While Andrea selected one of Tyler's drinks, the Triumph of Pompei, that I had tried at No. 9 Park a few months ago, I opted for one of his new ones called The Quick & The Bitter. At first I figured that the drink was a riff on the movie that was playing that night, but "The Quick & The Dead" is a more modern movie and was not the one on the television screen. Instead, that movie was "A Fistful of Dollars."
The S. Maria al Monte's menthol joined the syrup's cinnamon notes on the nose. A lemon, grape, and caramel sip was followed by a swallow that began with rye. Next, the swallow offered an herbal flavor that was smoothed out by the sweet lemon and ended with a minty finish.

fannie porter

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
3/4 oz Nardini Bassano Amaro
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

Another of the drinks that Katie Emmerson created for the Whiskey & Amari Night at the Blue Room was the Fannie Porter. The formula was one that she had tinkered with in the past, and I had a gin version at the Hawthorne that she called the Young Blood. This time, the recipe used rye whiskey and chocolate bitters, and the combination perhaps worked even better than the gin. For a glimpse of Fannie's life, I'll repost what I wrote on the Facebook event page:

Another of the amazing women that Katie and I will be honoring on Monday is Texas madam Fannie Porter. Wait, did I say madam -- er, the U.S. census listed her establishment as a "boarding house" and not a brothel. So perhaps she was a famous landlady instead? Besides the five ladies that lived there, they also sheltered quite a few outlaws on the run; famous and often frequent visitors included Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curry, and other members of the Wild Bunch gang. She not only protected her girls but her outlaws as well.

Fannie was born in England but traveled with her parents to the U.S. at an early age. By age 15, she was already working as a prostitute in San Antonio, Texas. Her business acumen brought her to owning her own brothel by age 19 or 20 that was always filled with attractive girls with excellent hygiene and immaculate appearances. There was some turnover through the years since there was a good bit of matchmaking going on as outlaws would fall in love with the women.

Fannie was pretty well connected and ran her establishment without too much interference from the law. She was arrested once for "vagrancy" which is a police-speak for prostitution. It is surmised that it might have been linked to the time she chased a policeman from her establishment and threatened to beat him senseless with a broom.

So if you decide to partake of the libation bearing her name, we will use the utmost discretion for any and all occurrences that night. And hopefully, we do not have to chase you out with a broom.

The last drink that Katie crafted for the event was a tall drink, and it was the perfect option for anyone looking for something either refreshing or without bitter liqueurs. The special touch was a Rangpur lime marmalade that she had made that week. From the Facebook event page:

"I ain't afraid to love a man, I ain't afraid to shoot him either."

One of the most famous women we're honoring tomorrow at the Blue Room is Annie Oakley. Born Phoebe Ann Oakley Moses, she was shooting like a pro by the age of 12. Her time in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show included such acts like shooting a playing card the thin way and shooting ash off of a cigarette while it was being smoked. Through her career, Annie worked to empower women by teaching over 15,000 of them to shoot guns, not only for the exercise but as a way to defend themselves.

If you're looking for scandal, there was the 1904 story published about her getting arrested to support her cocaine habit. Unfortunately, it was a burlesque performer who told the police that her name was Annie Oakley, and the newspapers took off with the story. The real Annie spent years winning libel lawsuits but only breaking even with legal fees.

Instead of posting a besmirching quote and fearing Annie's vengeance, here's an uplifting one: “Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success.”

Just don't do too much shooting after the first or second of the drink named after her...

The recipe for the Annie Oakley was:

Annie Oakley
• 1 1/2 oz Blended Scotch
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
• 3/4 oz Simple Syrup
• 1 heaping barspoon Rangpur Lime Marmalade
Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass filled with ice. Top with soda water and add a straw.

calamity jane

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Amaro Abano
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with 2 orange slices and ice. Double strain into a cocktail glass.

One of the drinks that my partner-in-crime, Katie Emmerson from the Hawthorne, created was a tribute to Calamity Jane. That night in service, I used the mnemonic of Calamity Gin to remember which recipe the name referred to. For an amaro, she opted for Luxardo's Abano, but the ingredient that got the most praise was the ginger syrup which was freshly juiced ginger with sugar. People figured that the "ginger" in the ingredient list was a more subtle ginger liqueur, although that would work in a pinch here. My favorite part of the recipe was the inclusion of two orange slices in the shake that reminded me of Sam Ross' Too Soon?. While I only got to straw taste the drink and thus have no written tasting notes, people seemed to enjoy this libation tremendously that night. Instead, I can offer my notes from the Facebook event page:

Another of the drinks on Monday the 11th is named after Martha Jane Canary, or more specifically after her nickname Calamity Jane. Back in the day, women were not allowed to do certain jobs; therefore, Martha began to dress in men's clothing and built up a reputation as a hard drinker (see the event photo of her) who could out swear, out spit, and out shoot any man. She became a solider to explore the Black Hills and during an Indian ambush, she gained the name Calamity Jane when she rescued her injured captain and brought him to safety.

Her colorful life included nursing the victims of a smallpox outbreak in Deadwood, but it was joked that those that she cured would end up with other diseases as a crack about Calamity working a brothel or two amongst her many other professions. After her time saving stage coaches, swimming across rivers to deliver communications, and the like, she became a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show -- at first as a sharp shooter and horse rider, but later as a storyteller. This lasted for a bit with the stories getting bigger each time until she was fired for her frequent drunkenness and the antics that followed.

She led a good life and for that we should toast her! And she got her dying wish -- to be buried next to Wild Bill Hickok, a man she was infatuated with but would not return her affection. The drink named after her is spicy, rich, and complex and Calamity Jane wouldn't want it any other way.

Besides the ginger syrup, Katie also prepared a pineapple syrup for pineapple as many darker amari pair quite well with it. She was running low on time, and I recommended a choose-your-own (or bartender's choice) amaro Fix. For a recipe, she based it off of the Fernet Fix and figured out that Averna was one of her favorites in this combination. The biggest fan perhaps was Deep Ellum's Max Toste who ordered this drink a few times with a different amaro each drink. For a name, she wanted something trampy -- someone from the Wild West who got around (given the open nature of the recipe). For a name, Katie opted for Kitty Leroy who was performing in dance halls and saloons by age 14. By age 15, she was married for a brief time; the marriage failed for she was promiscuous and too wild. Later, she became a card dealer and often dressed in men's clothes. After becoming a skilled gambler and then a saloon owner, she was on to her third husband. The two of them got into an argument and she attacked him; when he would not fight back and strike a lady, she returned dressed in men's clothing and attacked again. This time with a gun, and she shot him dead. Actually, he was not her husband then and not quite dead yet, but they got married in the few days left in his life after the incident. A little bit of prostitution, gambling, and another two husbands before one of them shot her dead. To make this promiscuous drink:

Kitty Leroy
• 2 oz Amaro
• 3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Fill with crushed ice, add a straw, and garnish with berries in season.

diddlin' dora

1 oz Dry Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Pimm's No. 1
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur

Build in a Highball glass, fill with crushed ice, add a straw, and garnish with an orange twist and freshly grated nutmeg.

The fourth drink I created for the Women of the Wild West night was one to fulfill the tall drink category. Instead of a Highball, I decided to do a Cobbler; the sherry, vermouth, and Pimm's all seemed to take to Fernet Branca rather well which aided in fitting in with the Whiskey and Amari theme. To bolster the Pimm's that was losing out slightly to the grape products, I added a little Maraschino to bring out more of the Pimm's fruit notes. For a name, I decided to honor Dora DuFran, or more specifically one of her four brothels. I think that night during service, people enjoyed ordering the drink for the name alone -- Diddlin' Dora, and the tasty Cobbler that came with it was just a bonus. Here is what I wrote on the Facebook event page as a teaser:

One of the drinks on the 11th is a tribute to Dora DuFran, one of the most successful madams in the Wild West. She started her life in the West as a dancehall girl, and once the Gold Rush hit, she became a madam and moved her way up to owning four establishments in different cities. My favorite of the bunch was called Diddlin' Dora's and the sign on the right is a reproduction of an advertisement for that establishment. Diddlin' Dora's advertised itself as "Three D's -- Dining, Drinking and Dancing -- a place where you can bring your mother" although one cowboy commented that, "I wouldn't want my mother to know I had ever been there." Luckily, this tribute will be something you might not mind telling your mother about...

The nutmeg and orange twist notes filled the Diddlin' Dora's aroma. The grape sip contained some berry notes, and the swallow offered a nuttiness from the sherry and Maraschino and a light menthol and herbal finish. Refreshingly light yet flavorful.

stagecoach mary

1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Jumping over to the last drink I created for the Blue Room's Women of the Wild West-themed Whiskey and Amari Night is the Stagecoach Mary. I will do the fourth drink tomorrow, but I figured that this pink and chocolaty drink is the closest I will come to a Valentine's Day recipe, so I might as well print it early. One of the amari that had not received any love in the night's recipe collection was Campari, and the pairing that I eventually focused on was Campari and crème de cacao which worked so well in the Carletti. I wanted to tone down the Campari a touch, so I added a pinch of salt to the recipe. After trying a few base spirits, Pisco seemed the best match for the funky salt-smoothed Campari-cacao combination, and the drink was perhaps influenced by Love Makes You Feel 10 Feet Tall. I think I picked Stagecoach Mary because I figured that I needed to take a break from women engaged in the more sinful professions for one in a more honorable one. For some history on Mary, here is what I wrote up for the event:

No, not all of the women we were honoring on the 11th earned their money through illegal trades, but some like Mary Fields a/k/a Stagecoach Mary had honorable jobs. Mary was the first African-American employed as a mail carrier in the United States, and the second woman to work for the United States Postal Service! Born as a slave, she was freed after the Civil War and made her way West to Montana to work which led her to an Ursuline nunnery as a laborer. Part of Mary's job was to haul goods and materials to the nunnery by horse-drawn wagon. While she lost the job getting into a shootout with a co-worker that gave her grief, it led to her carrier as a mail carrier at age 60 for she was the fastest candidate to hitch 6 horses. She gained a reputation for delivering the mail no matter how bad the conditions were, and protecting it with her guns and accurate aim.

When Mary wasn't working, she was a hell of a woman and hellraiser. At 6 foot 200 pounds, she fit right in with the tough frontier life. Sporting a 6 shooter and a flask of whiskey in her apron, a cigar in her teeth, and a large bore shotgun, she took no shit. With her short temper, she was known to let fists fly, and the Great Falls Examiner claimed that she broke more noses than any other person in central Montana. In fact, she had a standing bet until her death at 82 that she could knock out any man at the bar with a single punch for some money and whiskey.

"She was one of the freest souls to ever draw a breath or a .38."
- Gary Cooper

And for that, we should raise a glass! And hope that we don't give the ghost of Stagecoach Mary the wrong kind of look.

Once mixed, the Stagecoach Mary's twist contributed bright lemon oils that mingled well with a fruitiness from the pisco. A richness from the cacao paired with the vermouth's grape notes. Next, the funky pisco was followed by the less bitter Campari-chocolate combination on the swallow.

madame mustache

1 1/2 oz Aged Rhum Agricole (*)
1 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Cynar
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Build in a rocks glass, give a quick stir (no ice), and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
(*) The drink was developed originally with aged cachaça, so feel free to substitute for a funkier drink.

The third drink I created for the Women of the Wild West event was by request. Matthew Schrage, who organized the whole Whiskey & Amari series, mentioned that it was his birthday that night, and he would like nothing more than a birthday Scaffa crafted for the event. Scaffas are a 19th century style of cocktail that are stirred, un-iced cocktails often as simple as a spirit, a liqueur, and a dash of bitters; some utilize water for dilution to make them more potable, while others utilize syrup or liqueur's sugar to balance the spirit's heat. As I thought about possible base liquors, I was drawn to sugar cane spirits which had been neglected in the first batch of recipes that Katie Emmerson and I had created for the menu. Looking back at the Scaffas I have had, Scott Holliday's Rum Scaffa and its use of Cynar caught my fancy. Instead of rum proper, I first grabbed an aged cachaça and began to tinker with flavor combinations. Since cachaça is a bit thinner than Plantation Barbados Rum Scott used, I wanted to bolster the body, and eventually I happened up on Drambuie to fulfill this roll -- especially when I recalled how well Scotch and Cynar pair. After remembering Matt's love of rhum agricole, I switched to an aged one for a base spirit, and the change worked albeit it drove the profile to be a little less funky and perhaps more approachable.

With such a quirky drink, it definitely needed a quirky name, and Madame Mustache answered the call. Here is what I wrote on the Facebook event page:

The most curious drink of the night tonight is named after the most curious lady of the bunch, Eleanore Dumont, better known as Madame Mustache. To honor her, there is a Scaffa -- a room temperature, non-dilute cocktail, and feel free to raise a glass with Blue Room's Matthew Schrage for it is his birthday tonight and he requested a Scaffa and he loves rhum agricole (the base spirit here).

When Eleanore arrived in San Francisco in 1850, she claimed to have been the daughter of a French viscount amongst other sordid tales, although it is believed that she was born in New Orleans. At this time, the mustache had not made the trip over to the Wild West yet and she was quite beautiful. She found a job as a card dealer; her game was Vingt-et-un a/k/a "21", a pre-cursor to Blackjack, and by 1854, she had earned enough money to open her own luxurious gambling house. Miners came to be around her witty and charming persona and found losing money was balanced by the privilege of being around her. Amusingly, she was known to buy the men who lost heavily at her table a glass of milk when they’d run out of funds; although other stories say champagne.

She moved her establishment from one boom town to the next. When she was in Montana, she earned the name Moustache Madame from a miner who lost his temper along with a lot of money, and the sobriquet stuck. Soon after, she got out of the business, bought a ranch, and settled down with a handsome man, but sadly he disappeared with all the money, sold the ranch, and left her with debt. Legend has it that she hunted him down and shot him dead from a double shotgun blast. She denied it at first and the sheriff did not bother to investigate, but years later she admitted to it.

At this point, she was penniless, the mustache was in full effect, and her body was not as shapely as before, so men were not seeking her out for her beauty. She chose not to shave off the mustache; it was surmised that she was a shrewd business woman and used it as a gimmick akin to the bearded lady at a sideshow carnival. She still drew customers but she became less of a lady and more of a character. Her establishments were more second rate than lavish at this point, and she added the bordello aspect to her business. Her gambling abilities also went south; one night she had to borrow $300 which she then lost. She then wandered out into the desert with a wine bottle laced with a lethal dose of morphine and with a written suicide note and will.

So raise a glass tonight in honor of the good times in life, but be careful -- Madame Mustache has been known to carry a derringer pistol under her skirt. And after a few, the mustache will not matter as much.

What I thought would be a fringe drink that very few people would order turned out to be a very wrong assumption. Perhaps it was the name, the description, or word of mouth, but it was one of the top 2 or 3 best sellers of the 9 drinks that evening. In fact, we came a jigger away from finishing a freshly opened bottle of Drambuie that night. Luckily, given its popularity, the drink was so easy to make; however, the best part was seeing people ordering the drink by gesturing their finger across their lip!
When made with aged Seleta Cachaça, the drink's nose contained grapefruit oils that complemented the funky grassy notes from the sugar cane spirit. A honey and caramel sip led into a grassy and herbal swallow and spice finish. Once remade with aged rhum agricole, the grassy notes remained but the funkier notes diminished; I cannot tell which way I prefer the drink, but the tribute to the birthday boy aspect won out.

pearl de vere

1 oz Reposado Tequila
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The second drink I worked on for the Women of the Wild West-themed Whiskey & Amari night at the Blue Room was the Pearl de Vere. I decided to use the Scofflaw as a formula and tequila as the spirit. While I tried a variety of amari including Nardini and Ramazzotti, it seemed that Benedictine worked well. I was reassured that there was no rule that the drinks needed to contain either whiskey or Italian bitter liqueurs, so a French liqueur found its way in. I did not do a write up on Pearl de Vere for the Facebook event page since the only photos I could find of Pearl were of her tombstone and her brothel. Pearl found her way to Cripple Creek, Colorado, during the gold rush there. Since men greatly outnumbered the women in town, she took up the profession and soon had opened up her own brothel. Pearl's brothel catered to the more prosperous men, and her ladies wore fine clothing to match their beauty and received good pay and medical exams. At one gala event at her second brothel, she overdid the morphine she occasionally used to sleep and sadly never awoke. Her lavish funeral procession played such tunes as "There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" in tribute.
The orange oils from the twist complemented the aged tequila aroma. The lime and citrus-wine complemented the light caramel notes in the sip, and the tequila mingled with the herbal Benedictine and Angostura spice on the swallow.

belle starr

3/4 oz Bully Boy Aged Whiskey
3/4 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's 7.5 or Calvados)
1 oz Bonal Gentian Quina
1/2 oz Strega
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

One of the first drinks that I came up with for the Women of the Wild West-themed Whiskey and Amari night was the Belle Starr. For a direction, I based the drink off of the Marconi Wireless-like Star Cocktail for obvious reasons. I split the apple brandy into apple and whiskey, swapped the sweet vermouth for Bonal, and added Strega to take it in a Green Point or Nonantum Cocktail direction. The first pass used rye and Yellow Chartreuse and these would make a fine substitution. For a history of Belle Starr, I will turn to what I wrote in the Facebook event page:

Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen, is another Woman of the Wild West to be honored next Monday in drink. Born Myra Belle Shirley, she spent much of her childhood as a spoiled rich kid, until the Kansas-Missouri Border War broke out which took her brother and destroyed her family business. A few years later, after the James-Younger Gang robbed a bank, Myra was smitten by one of the robbers, James Reed whom she later married, gave them shelter, and became a member of the gang. Her parents had no objection to the marriage since James was not yet a wanted man and they lived a good, upstanding life in Texas. Until they moved back to Missouri where Reed was indeed a wanted man for allegedly murdering a man. So they fled to California, where outlaw life caught up and led to Reed's demise via gunfire. Myra then married Sam Starr, formed a gang, and entered upon a life of rustling, horse stealing and bootlegging whiskey to Indians. The lifestyle was lucrative and they used the extra money to bail out gang members; when that wouldn't work, Belle Starr would use her womanly charms. Her arrests and being written up in the Police Gazette had turned her into a western folk hero, "a female Robin Hood and a Jesse James." Her career ended during an ambush at age 41. A lot of her infamy came after her death including some from stories told by her daughter, Pearl, who enhanced her mom's outlaw image by running brothels in the West from the late 19th century until World War I.

"I regard myself as a woman who has seen much of life."
- Belle Starr stated to the The Fort Smith Elevator about one year prior to her death.

The Belle Starr's lemon twist oils joined the aroma of the apple brandy. An apple and grape sip led into a whiskey swallow with an herbal and bitter finish. Indeed, the end result was somewhere between the two drinks I based it off of and perhaps close to the Woxum from the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book as well.

[blue point]

1 1/2 oz Elijah Craig 12 Year Bourbon
1/2 oz El Maestro Oloroso Sherry
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

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

For my second drink at the Blue Room, bartender Matthew Schrage suggested a Bourbon drink that sounded much like a Green Point with oloroso sherry in it. For a temporary name, I have dubbed it the Blue Point as a combination of the Blue Room and Green Point. Although there is no Blue Point in Manhattan or any of the other boroughs, there is a Blue Point in New York on the south side of Long Island.
The cocktail began with grapefruit oil over a grape and herbal aroma that gave way to a dry malt and grape sip. The swallow then offered the Bourbon flavors, Punt e Mes bitter notes, and the sherry's nuttiness which coupled well with the bitters' clove and the Yellow Chartreuse's herbal notes.

nebbia di garda

1 1/2 oz Meletti Amaro
3/4 oz S. Maria Al Monte Amaro
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Build in a Highball glass and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint and freshly grated nutmeg, and add a straw.

Two weeks ago on a Wednesday, I paid a visit to bartender Matthew Schrage at the Blue Room. For a first cocktail, Matthew suggested an amaro-forward drink he called Nebbia di Garda. When I inquired about the name, he explained that it meant the "fog of Lake Garda," and that alpine lake in northern Italy is near where S. Maria al Monte Amaro is made.
The mint and nutmeg garnishes contributed greatly to the Nebbia di Garda's nose. A caramel and lemon sip containing a mint-like note was followed by a violet flower and herbal menthol swallow. For a cold Winter's eve, the drink did have a lot of welcomed Springtime elements to it.

smokin' fanny

1 1/2 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a wine glass. Garnish with a few drops of Angostura Bitters.

For a final drink at the Blue Room, bartender Matthew Schrage offered us one of his creations, a Scotch egg white drink. He had originally created the recipe with Caol Ila Scotch while at Saloon in Davis Square; however, when he switched the whisky to Laphroaig at the Blue Room, the proportions of the other ingredients needed a little adjustment. For a name, he dubbed it the Smokin' Fanny after the smoky Scotch as well as Franny Katz, the bar manager of Belly Wine Bar adjacent to the Blue Room. Technically, Belly and the Blue Room have separate entrances but share the same liquor license thanks to a sliding door adjoining the two spaces (and probably sharing a kitchen).
The Smokin' Fanny's aroma offered smoke, Angostura spice, and honey; Andrea also acquired a candied orange note perhaps from the Amaro Montenegro. Indeed, I was surprised at how well Laphroaig's peat and Angostura Bitters complemented each other on the nose. Next, lemon, orange, and honey filled the sip; the swallow started with the smoky Scotch and ended with herbal notes colored by lemon.

mercado

2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1/2 oz Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1 dash Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist a grapefruit peel over the top.
The drink that Andrea asked bartender Matthew Schrage to make at the Blue Room was the Mercado. The Mercado was crafted by California Gold, and I never got a chance to inquire about how the recipe got named for the Spanish word for "market." The Mercado presented a smoke and grapefruit oil nose that covered a caramel and grape sip. The smoke and agave of the mezcal and the richness of the sherry began the swallow which ended with the amaro's herbal elements and the bitters' chocolate ones.

bicycle thief

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
1/2 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quinquina
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth

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

Two Sundays ago, we decided to travel down to Kendall Square for dinner at the Friendly Toast. Afterwards, we visited the bar at the Blue Room where Matthew Schrage was busy revamping the cocktail program. For a first drink, I asked for the Bicycle Thief. The recipe was created by ex-Drink's California Gold who began the bar program effort before Schrage took over. Actually, I inquired if she had created this one for the format reminded me of her Forty Virtues recipe.
The Bicycle Thief presented an orange oil and dark grape aroma. A grape and caramel sip led into rye swallow along with  bitter herbal notes from the Cynar and Bonal. Finally, the grape from the Bonal and sweet vermouth lingered on the finish.  Overall, the Bicycle Thief was a more complex Little Italy from the addition of the quinquina.