full sail swizzle

1 1/2 oz Appleton Rum
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Build in a Pilsner glass, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Garnish with 3 dash Angostura Bitters and a plastic swizzle stick, and add a straw.
A few Wednesdays ago, I ventured down with Andrea to Highball Lounge where Matt Schrage and Babisa Adumbire were bartending. For a drink, I asked for the semi-secret Tiki secondary menu and requested the Full Sail Swizzle from Matt. Matt described how this was bartender Stephen Bookman's recipe and he did not know what was in the prebatched mix other than what was in the menu description. Since Stephen had already departed for Portland, Oregon, I sent him a message on Facebook and received the above recipe. In the glass, the Swizzle shared a clove and allspice aroma from the bitters garnish. Lime and the rum's caramel dominated the sip, and the swallow gave forth rum and a medley of spice notes including ginger, clove, and cinnamon.

gorillas on deck

1 oz Clement Premiere Canne Rhum Agricole
1 oz Plantation Overproof Dark Rum
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Coconut Cream
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with a few ice cubes and pour into a tall glass. Fill with crushed ice, add a straw, and garnish with mint sprigs and 5 dash Angostura Bitters.

After No. 9 Park, I headed down the street to the Highball Lounge. There, I asked bartender Babs Adumbire for the Gorillas on Deck, their spiced Piña Colada riff. Babs warned me that while the drink does not taste all that boozy, the overproof rum will sneak up on you over time.
The Gorillas on Deck offered up a spiced aroma with mint, allspice, and clove notes. The creamy sip contrasted the tart lime with the sweeter caramel flavors, and the swallow began with grassy and funky rum notes and ended with pineapple and ginger. As the bitters garnish began to enter the flavor profile, the finish picked up a clove-driven dryness.

all seeing eye

1 oz Leblon Cachaça
1 oz Plantation 5 Year Barbados Rum
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Pilsner glass. Top with crushed ice, garnish with a trio of pineapple fruit leaves and a lime wheel-cherry flag, top with a splash of soda water, and add a straw.
When I was last at Highball Lounge at the end of September, bartender Shaher Misif showed me their secret Tiki menu (I put a photo of it on Twitter). So when I returned two Wednesdays ago, I asked bartender Matt Schrage about the list. Matt brought over bartender Steve Bookman who created many of the libations on that second menu, and I requested the All Seeing Eye. Steve described that the drink was his riff on a classic Mary Pickford. Once in the glass, it offered a lime aroma that preceded a pineapple-driven sip. Finally, the swallow showcased the funky rum medley pairing with nutty Maraschino notes.

copper swizzle

1 1/2 oz Pelotón de la Muerte Mezcal
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry
1/2 oz Lavender Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Falernum
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz San Pellegrino Pompelmo (Grapefruit) Soda

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and add 3-4 dash Angostura Bitters to the top. Swizzle to mix and chill while not completely mixing in the bitters. Garnish with a cucumber slice and add a straw.
For my second drink at the Highball Lounge, I asked bartender Matt Schrage for the Copper Swizzle. In the glass, the Swizzle offered a cucumber and clove aroma. Next, a carbonated grapefruit sip led into a mezcal, tropical, and clove swallow.

barnyard punch

2 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon
1/2 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
1/2 oz Falernum
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Celery Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass full of ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and mint sprigs, and add straws.
After Backbar, I made my way over to the Central Square T stop to take things inbound to downtown. My agenda was to support Matt Schrage at his first official shift at the Highball Lounge. For a first drink, I asked Matt for the Barnyard Punch. Later bartender Shaher Misif came by and explained that he originally created this recipe as a large format punch, but he later adapted it as a single serving cocktail for the menu. In the glass, the Barnyard Punch was anything but barnyardy for it offered mint and lemon aromas. The lemon countered the richness on the sip, and the swallow proffered Bourbon, gentian and other herbal notes, and clove spice. Even as a single serving, it was definitely easy drinking like a punch but still was packed with interesting flavors.

rubberband man

1 oz Spiced Caña Brava Rum
1 oz Pierre Ferrand Cognac
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1 dash Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with 2 cherries and flame an orange twist over the top.
Two Thursdays ago, I ventured down to Downtown Crossing after work to visit the Highball Lounge. There, I found a seat in front of bartender Shaher Misif and requested his tribute to The Spinners, the Rubberband Man. Once mixed, the cocktail provided an orange and herbal aroma that led into a dry grape sip. The swallow contained mostly Cognac flavors at first with a spice finish; later, the swallow had more rum notes with the ice melt dilution. Overall, it came across a bit more like an Old Fashioned given the spirits' heat than a Manhattan or a Vieux Carré variation that I first envisioned given the recipe.