little darling

1 1/2 oz Appleton Rum (perhaps Select or Reserve)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Frangelico
1/4 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1 pinch Salt

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass, fill with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

As I nearing the end of one of my drinks at Green Street, Jordan Runion gifted me his Little Darling that he wanted me to try. In looking through the dusty bottles on the shelves, Jordan spied Frangelico and wanted to put it to use on the new menu. When I posted this drink on Instagram, someone asked what could be used in a pinch to replace Frangelico, and I suggested crème de noyeau, amaretto, or perhaps an artificially flavored orgeat like Giffard. Here, the flavor profile was rounded out by sherry, bitter vermouth, and aged rum.
The Little Darling presented an orange, rum, and nutty aroma to the nose. Next, grape and caramel mingled on the sip, and the swallow offered rum that was colored by banana and Frangelico's nutty flavors.

sherry cobbler

1 1/2 oz House Sherry Blend (*)
3/4 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Raspberry Syrup (**)

Build in a snifter glass, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Garnish with 5-6 dash Regan's Orange Bitters and an orange twist.
(*) 2 parts Oloroso, 2 parts Amontillado, 1 part Pedro Ximenez, and 1 part Manzanilla. To make the 1 1/2 oz à la minute: add 1/2 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/4 oz, respectively.
(**) Not a full 1:1. Made with one part raspberry, one part water, one part sugar.
For my second drink at Green Street, I tried Jordan Runion's take on the classic Sherry Cobbler where he subbed in orange juice for the muddled orange slices and raspberry syrup for the sugar in Jerry Thomas' recipe. In this preparation, the double dose of orange from the twist and bitters hit the nose right off the bat. Next, orange, grape, and berry notes on the sip gently slid into raisiny and nutty grape blending into raspberry flavors on the swallow.

the cameo

3/4 oz Plantation Original Dark Rum
3/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
3/4 oz Giffard Orgeat
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass, fill with ice, and garnish with a cherry-orange slice flag.
Around three weeks ago, bartender Jordan Runion messaged me that he had returned to Green Street in Cambridge to take over the cocktail program. After figuring out his schedule, I decided to visit him two Mondays ago. From the revamped small cocktail list, I selected the Cameo that Jordan attributed to his coworker Ann. Jordan's thought was that Green Street used to have a Caribbean food menu when Dylan Black took over the establishment, and Jordan wanted a Caribbean-themed Last Word-like drink on the list to represent that. The end result was the Cameo which reminded me of a less spirit-forward A Tale of Two Kitties; once prepared, it greeted the nose with a nutty almost marzipan aroma. Next, lime countered by the orgeat and allspice dram's richness on the sip led into rum, nutty, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

a few dollars more

1 oz Cabrito Blanco Tequila
3/4 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Agave Syrup (1:1)
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters
1 pinch Salt

Shake with ice, strain into a Highball glass with 8-9 oz of Ithaca Flower Power IPA.
Two Wednesdays ago, I stopped into Green Street and asked bartender Zoard Wells Tyeklar for the A Few Dollars More from the smaller cocktail menu. Since IPA-style beers work well with tequila such as in the End of Days and the Zimmermann Telegram, I was excited to give this one a try. Once prepared, the A Few Dollars More offered an orange aroma that preceded a citrus and malt sip. Next, tequila mingled with grapefruit, orange, and lime notes on the swallow with a bitter hops finish.

skipaway

1 1/2 oz Gordon's Gin
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Highball glass with 3 oz soda water, and top with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and add straws.
After Brick & Mortar, I took Pegu Doug across Mass Ave and one street over to Green Street to give him an idea of what Boston cocktail was like a decade or more ago via this Cambridge cocktail mecca. The other connection is that Green Street is where I met Misty Kalkofen back in 2007, and after her stint at Drink, she returned back to Cambridge to open Brick & Mortar where we had just been. For a drink, I opted for the Skipaway -- a drink that I not only have not had before but one that I have not spotted in any drink book or web search to date. This grapefruit and Peychaud's Bitters for lemon Tom Collins began with a lime aroma from the garnish. Next, a carbonated grapefruit sip led into gin's juniper and other botanicals on the swallow with an anise and grapefruit finish.

dreadlock holiday

1 1/2 oz Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Clement Creole Shrubb Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Top with ice and garnish with an orange slice.
Two Mondays ago before the Espolón Cocktail Wars began, Andrea and I stopped into Green Street where bartenders Anne Warnock and Tommy Schlesinger-Guidelli were at the stick. For a drink, I asked Anne for the Dreadlock Holiday on the small menu that appeared as a counter to the Cuban Anole's variation on the Mai Tai by swapping the other sweetener for cinnamon syrup (besides the citrus change here). Once built, it offered orange and rum aromas that led into a citrussy sip. Finally, the swallow shared rum, orange, and cinnamon spice flavors.

double entendre

1 1/2 oz Gordon's Gin
1/2 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rock glass, and garnish with a cherry.

Two Wednesdays ago, Andrea and I stopped into Green Street for a round after dinner. For a first cocktail, I asked bartender Jordan Runion for the Double Entendre; Jordan later commented that the drink was better with a drier sherry like fino but they opted for oloroso on the menu. I was lured into the drink for it appeared like the Yeomen Warder or Grand Street with a nutty sherry instead of the vermouth (or Punt e Mes).
The Double Entendre shared a Maraschino aroma that led into a rich and lightly grape-flavored sip. The swallow was the most complex though with gin, nutty, and funky bitter notes.

florodora

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Raspberry Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Build in a Highball glass filled with ice. Stir to mix and top with ginger ale. Garnish with a lime wedge and add a straw.
(*) Green Street's raspberry syrup is only lightly sweetened and less sugary than a 1:1 simple syrup. Perhaps with a sweeter raspberry syrup, a 1/2 oz would be better here.
After Brick and Mortar, we crossed Mass Ave and paid a visit to Green Street Grill. There, bartenders Derric Crothers and Philip MacLeod were presiding over yet another Stout Sunday. Instead of beer, I asked Derric for the Florodora. The name makes reference to the Florodora Girls who were six singing and dancing ladies who started in London in 1899 before moving to Broadway in 1900. Over seventy girls who fit the specification of being 5 foot 4 inches tall and 130 pounds filled the spots over the years; since these pretty and petite girls were the object of much adoration, much of the attrition was due to male admirers, often rather wealthy, who persuaded them to leave the show. In fact, each of the original sextet snared a millionaire. As David Wondrich relates in Imbibe!, the drink was created one night after a performance. One of the sextet refused anything except for lemonade, unless it was something brand new created for her. Jimmy O'Brien was cited by the New York Evening World as the barman who created this Highball for her in 1901.
The Florodora's bright hue did not contradict its gin and fruit aroma. The carbonated lime sip was followed by gin and ginger flavors on the swallow. Moreover, the raspberry appeared as a lingering tangy note on the finish. Even with the color, it was still not the most femme looking drink I have had at Green Street; those honors go to the frothy, pink, and delicious Clover Club also made with their raspberry syrup. After the Florodora, I returned to an old favorite, the New York Flip, and updated the writeup with a photograph.

frisco sour

2 oz Old Overholt Rye
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

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

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I ventured over to Green Street for drinks. For a start, I asked bartender Philip MacLeod for the Frisco (Sour), one of my old favorites from the early Eastern Standard menu. The original Frisco was a whiskey drink sweetened and spiced with Benedictine akin to a Rusty Nail, and later lemon juice was added to balance the drink out. It also seemed appropriate to return to this drink at Green Street, for it was there that I was introduced to the Junior -- a Frisco Sour with the lemon juice swapped out for lime juice and Angostura Bitters.
The Frisco Sour proffered a rye and lemon oil aroma with a hint of herbalness. The tart lemon and malt sip gave way to a rye then herbal swallow; moreover, a cleansing lemon flavor lingered on the aftertaste. Looking back, the Frisco Sour recipe has also worked well with Armagnac (and a dash of Cointreau) and rum in place of the whiskey.

christmas grouse

2 oz Famous Grouse Blended Scotch
1/2 oz Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur
1/2 oz Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
For our second drink at Green Street, bartender Derric Crothers wanted to showcase one of his creations, the Christmas Grouse, that he developed for this past holiday season. The drink began with lemon oil and honey aromas, and the honey continued on into the swallow where it mingled with the Scotch's malt notes. The Scotch including its smoke notes appeared more in the swallow along with the Zirbenz's pine, and the honey reappeared as a pleasing aftertaste. Strangely, the Christmas Grouse had an intriguing pear flavor at first that we partially attributed to the Bärenjäger; later, the balance shifted to a more piney one as the drink warmed up. Overall, I was quite impressed at how well the Scotch and Zirbenz paired up; perhaps this is very similar to Craigie on Main's Northern Lights which paired Scotch with Clear Creek's Douglas Fir Eau de Vie.

edisonian

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Note: for the Combustible Edison, shake the Campari and lemon juice with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Heat the brandy in a chafing dish and ignite; pour the flaming spirit into the cocktail glass.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I decided to visit Green Street for drinks and dessert. For my first cocktail, I asked bartender Derric Crothers for the Edisonian. I had first tried the Edisonian in early 2008 after DrinkBoston's Lauren Clark wrote about it in the LUPEC Boston column. While her post did not attribute the drink recipe to any source, she did give credit to Brother Cleve and the Combustible Edison band for teaching her the recipe. Both the Edisonian and the Blue Blazer take on it, the Combustible Edison, appear in Paul Harrington's Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century. Harrington glosses over the Edisonian but seems to attribute the Edisonian to Brother Cleve's band as well. At first, Harrington offers up the Edisonian in case one was not brave enough to do the flaming version; however, in the side bar, he suggests the Edisonian for the cocktail hour and the Combustible Edison for the "late evening."
The Edisonian greeted the senses with a Campari and lemon oil aroma. The tart lemon on the sip was joined by the non-bitter fruity flavors of the Campari. The more bitter aspect of the Campari then appeared on the swallow along with the Cognac. Indeed, the brandy really took the edge off of the Campari which did not seem as intense or bitter as it normally can.

floridita

>1 1/2 oz Matusalem Platino Rum
1/2 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Marie Brizard Crème de Cacao (White)
1/4 oz Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
For my second drink at Green Street, I asked bartender Philip MacLeod for the Floridita. The drink was named after the bar in Havana, Cuba, that Ernest Hemingway helped to make famous. While Ernest declared, "My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita," this was probably not the drink he was ordering. However, as an abstraction of the Daiquiri, this drink seemed worth a try. The Floridita's lime wedge garnish contributed greatly to the aroma and helped prepare the mouth for the sip's fruity flavor from the lime, vermouth's grape, and grenadine. The rum appeared in the swallow that finished with chocolaty notes.

skipper's flip

1 1/2 oz Myer's Dark Rum
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Brown Sugar Syrup
1 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters
1 Whole Egg

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a wine glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I ventured down to Green Street where Derric Crothers and Philip MacLeod were tending bar. For our first cocktail, Derric wanted to show us his new creation that has quickly become his seasonal drink this year. Derric took the hot Skipper's Punch from the menu, modified it, and converted it into a tasty Flip. In tracing back the source, the Punch was bar owner Dylan Black's riff on the Skipper's Particular from the Esquire's Handbook for Hosts. Here, the nutmeg garnish contributed greatly to the Flip's aroma. The sip was a rich dark rum and brown sugar flavor that led into the lime and spice notes from the Benedictine and Tiki Bitter on the swallow.

3, 2, 1

1 1/2 oz Old Overholt Rye
1 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
For my second drink at Green Street, I asked bartender Philip MacLeod for the 3-2-1. The 3-2-1 is a drink I was revisiting, for I recall ordering one the first few times we went to Green Street back in 2007. Since then, I do not recall spotting this recipe anywhere other than in the bar's drink book, so I am unsure of its origins other than the name reflecting the proportions (*). A quick glance makes me think that it is a Yellow Chartreuse variation of sorts of the Green Chartreuse-laden Hague or St. Moritz. The 3-2-1 greeted my nose with a Yellow Chartreuse aroma of herbal and minty notes along with a touch of the rye whiskey. The sweet sip provided malt and a mild herbal flavor, while the bulk of the Chartreuse and vermouth flavors appeared later as a minty and intensely herbal swallow. The rye's barrel notes at the end functioned to dry out the drink a little. Moreover, after finishing the drink, it did seem in a way like a less bitter and more sweet Green Point.

(*) Post note 2/22/23: apparently this was indeed created at Green Street. Writer Robert O. Simonson inquired if Misty made its successor, the 4-5-6, at Brick & Mortar.

jack rose

1 1/2 oz Applejack
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

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

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I went to Green Street for drinks. For my first cocktail, I asked bartender Derric Crothers for the Jack Rose. While the drink is not much more than an Applejack Daisy (here with bitters) created in the early part of the 20th century, the recipe is rather symbolic for the Boston drink scene. In spring of 2005, the Jack Rose Society was formed with the task of sifting through the mass of drink books to find which recipe was the best of all. The scholarly crew consisted of drink historian Brother Cleve, then B-Side bartender Misty Kalkofen, Eastern Standard's Jackson Cannon, then Chez Henri's Scott Holliday, and then No. 9's John Gertsen. Their goal was to help Jackson put the very best recipe on the Eastern Standard's debut menu. After working through nearly two dozen recipes, they concluded that applejack, lemon juice, housemade grenadine, and Peychaud's bitters was best. The recipe on the Green Street menu, perhaps brought directly by Misty who worked there soon after from 2006 to 2008, is identical to their conclusion save for the applejack being decreased from two ounces to an ounce and a half.
The Jack Rose began with a lemon aroma that was joined by a fruity note from either the applejack or the grenadine. The tart lemon sip presented apple and pomegranate flavors, and the bitter lemon swallow led into lingering Peychaud's spices. Andrea commented that the lemon and grenadine worked rather well here for the former enhanced the tartness of the apple distillate and the latter restored the apple's sweetness.

slope

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. This drink was served without garnish, but certain recipes include a cocktail cherry.

After the Cornwall Negroni, I asked bartender Derric Crother's for the Slope. The Slope was a Manhattan variation that we had at home as the recipe circulated across the blogosphere in 2008 (a few months before I started writing here). Julie Reiner created this drink while at Brooklyn's Clover Club in honor of the nearby Park Slope neighborhood. While I did not have a chance to visit Clover Club in my last visit to New York despite it being only a few blocks from where my brother lives, I did get to visit one of Julie's other bars, Lani Kai.
The Slope presented a rye aroma with hints of the apricot brandy underneath. The sip contained the rye's malt and the Punt e Mes' grape, while the swallow contained the rye's heat and the Punt e Mes' bitter notes. Similar to the Manhattan Bell-Ringer, the drink finished with a pleasing apricot flavor. Overall, the Slope had a similar balance to a Red Hook but perhaps a hair more subtle than its Maraschino liqueur-laden brethren.

cornwall negroni

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin (*)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
2 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange wheel.
(*) Generally made at Green Street with Plymouth, but I was given the option of a more robust gin to stand up to the Campari and Punt e Mes.

Two Sundays ago, we decided to stop into Green Street for drinks and make another dent in their large recipe library. For my first cocktail, I asked bartender Derric Crothers for the Cornwall Negroni, a drink created by Phil Ward then of Manhattan's Pegu Club. Why is it called the Cornwall Negroni? Phil created the cocktail in fall of 2005 while or after attending Gary Regan's Cocktails in the Country workshop held in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, although "country" there is only 50 miles north of New York City.
In this variation, the gin proportion is upped (I believe the original recipe actually contains 2 oz of gin), and the Campari and vermouth components are bridged by Punt e Mes, a bitter vermouth-amaro. The Cornwall Negroni began with an orange aroma from the garnish that mingled well with the drink's Campari nose, and the sip possessed fruit notes from the orange bitters and the wine-based ingredients. Next, the Campari melded with the Punt e Mes on the swallow that was punctuated by a nice, strong gin signature. Thinking back, I have had a rye-based Negroni variant that also included vermouth, Punt e Mes, and Campari (as well as Aperol) called the 1795 that was just as delicious and complex as this one.

brandy scaffa

1 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Stir without ice in a coupe glass.

After the Biter at Green Street, I spotted the Brandy Scaffa and decided I needed to have this again. I explained to bartender Derric Crothers that the previous times I had this menu item made for me, it had been stirred with ice and strained; however, Scaffas are generally served room temperature. With the Sir Francis Drake Special still fresh in my head, I wanted to give the Brandy Scaffa another go. Derric could not argue with my logic or my request that he do less work in preparing the drink.
The Maraschino and Green Chartreuse combined in the nose to create an aroma that was different from either ingredient alone. The sip presented mostly the Cognac notes, and the swallow proffered the Chartreuse's sharp herbal flavors followed by a Maraschino finish. With the waterized version, I recalled the drink a lot sweeter. Here, the liqueurs' sweetness was countered by the undiluted alcohol content of all of the spirits involved, such that neither the proof nor the sugar content were jarring.

biter cocktail

1 1/2 oz Hendrick's Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Ricard Pastis

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

Two Sundays ago, we stopped into Green Street where bartender Derric Crothers was presiding. For a first drink, I decided to revisit the Biter Cocktail which I had tried there before I started writing for this blog. The Biter Cocktail does appear in the Savoy Cocktail Book; however, there it is a Green Chartreuse instead of the Yellow one served at the bar. CocktailDB does support the proportions of the Green Street recipe as well as the presence of this sweeter and less intense sister liqueur. Strangely, the database has the Green Chartreuse version listed as the "Bitter Cocktail."
The Biter Cocktail possessed a lemon aroma over faint anise and herbal notes. The sip was tart with lemon juice's crispness, and the swallow presented the Yellow Chartreuse first followed by the Ricard and gin flavors at the end. Overall, the lemon was rather dominant here and the rest of the flavors were more accents to the citrus. With the pastis and the tartness, the Biter would probably make a rather good pre-prandial cocktail.

white lady

2 oz Beefeater Gin
1/2 oz Combier Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Dry shake, add ice, and shake again. Strain into a wine glass.

When I was going through the Anvil's 100 Drink list, I pondered the White Lady which they listed as gin, Cointreau, and lemon. While I had definitely had that Gin Sidecar version which first appears in the Savoy Cocktail Book, I always think about the egg white-laden recipe I avoided back in the day. David Wondrich on the Chanticleer Society forum provided a bit of history about this variation, "The earliest use of egg white in the drink I've been able to find is in New York-based bon vivant Crosby Gaige's 1944 Standard Cocktail Guide; it also turns up in the Stork Club book, from 1946." True, I had other egg white Ladies, including the Pink and Perfect, I figured it was time to enjoy the White Lady this way. And since I was at Green Street where the recipe sits in their house cocktail recipe book, I asked bartender Derric Crothers to shake one up for me.

The lemon and gin contributed to the aroma's citrus and juniper notes. The juice and liqueur helped shape the soft citrussy sip, and the lemon reappeared in the swallow along with gin to round out the drink. The egg white, beside contributing a little foam to the drink, helped to make this cocktail rather smooth, soft, and ladylike and thus more true to its name. When we first had the White Lady years ago, our home bar was rather sparse and finding a classic recipe that we could make was a blessing. It was not only very do-able then at our bar and at our friends' home bars, but it turned out to be rather delightful. Indeed, the egg white version has reminded me that some of the most basic drinks with primordial bar ingredients can still be rather satisfying.