rutte old simon martinez

2 oz Rutte Old Simon Genever
1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
2 dash Fee's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist. This is a modification of the recipe in their book; the drink prepared for me was closer to 3:2 and shaken.

This year, some swag appeared in my room on two different days perhaps by way of the cleaning staff as the agents. This swag included Q Soda, Red Bull energy drinks, small bottles of spirits, and drink tickets for the Carousel Bar downstairs at the Monteleone. I am not sure if this was due to my media credentials, for I was staying at the Monteleone due to the deal they offered me for being a presenter. With many of the seminars being dry or pretty close to it especially as compared to previous years, I decided to treat myself between the first two talks to a Martinez via the ticket Rutte had left for me. Their Martinez recipe utilized Genever which I have done with lighter examples such as Boomsma Oude and Jonge in the past, but it lacked the Maraschino that is often included in the modern day accepted Martinez. I have definitely seen liqueur-less Martinezes in the literature that were described as "Prepared like a Manhattan but with gin" (as well as ones that call for curaçao as the liqueur instead).
Once mixed, the orange oil filled up the drink's nose. Next, grape with a light malt note filled the sip, and the swallow let loose the rest of the Genever notes in a malty blast that was very low on the juniper. The combination sort of hit a midpoint between an Old Tom gin Martinez and a Manhattan, and the lack of extensive new charred barrel aging is probably what kept the drink in the middle ground.

tiki enough

2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Orgeat
6-8 leaf Mint

Shake with ice, add 1 oz soda water, strain into a Pilsner glass, and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a lemon twist and 2-3 dash Angostura Bitters, and add a straw.
After settling into my hotel and registering for Tales of the Cocktail, I set off into the French Quarter with the intention of ending up at Cure like I have done on the previous 5 years' Tuesday nights. Instead, I ran into the Backbar and friends crew and was invited to join in on their bar crawl. While many of those drinks did not have recipes to share such as the Erin Rose's frozen Irish Coffee or my Tiki drink at Latitude 29, we did end up at Cane & Table which I have had good luck with in the past. There, I requested the Tiki Enough which was billed as "a Tom Collins met a Royal Hawaiian." While the recipe provided to me by the bartender seemed a bit tart on paper, it does mirror the Royal Hawaiian printed in Bottoms Up. Once served, the Tiki Enough offered a clove and lemon aroma that led into a creamy pineapple sip. Next, the gin shined through on the swallow along with minty and nutty accents.

tippi boat

1 oz The 86 Co. Caña Brava Rum
1 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Darjeeling Tea Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass partially rimmed with paprika salt. Fill with cracked ice, add a straw, and garnish with a canoe swizzle stick.
For my second drink at the Cane & Table takeover of Brick & Mortar on Halloween, I asked bar owner Nick Detrich for the Tippi Boat on their Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds-themed menu. The menu had it listed as the "Tipi Boat," but since the actress in the movie's name is Tippi Hedren, I figured that it was a typo. Nick described how he fell in love with the idea of paprika from Charles H. Baker Jr.'s Genever drink the Holland Razor Blade, and the paprika worked just as well with Amontillado as it did with Genever. Once mixed, the Tippi Boat gave forth a spicy vegetal aroma from the garnish that led into a pineapple and lemon sip. Finally, the swallow offered rum and tea flavors with a pineapple finish.

resting mitch face

2 oz The 86 Co Fords Gin
1 oz Lustau Manzanilla Sherry
1/4 oz Combier Pamplemousse Liqueur
2 dash Orange Bitters

Build in a rocks glass, add ice, and stir to mix and chill. Garnish with a lemon twist, and place the glass on top of a photo of Mitch Brenner (actor Rod Taylor).
For a second drink at The Birds-themed Cane and Table Halloween pop-up at Brick and Mortar, Andrea asked for the Resting Mitch Face. This grapefruit-tinged riff on the sherry Tuxedo Cocktail was a pun on the "resting bitch face" appearance as well as a movie reference to the character Mitch Brenner played by actor Rod Taylor. Moreover, the face picture as garnish reminded me of the John Stamos swizzle stick in the Stamos Gin Fizz. In the glass, the Resting Mitch Face gave forth lemon, juniper, and hints of grapefruit to the nose. Next, the sherry's wine notes made up most of the flavors on the sip, and the swallow began with gin, crisp sherry, and grapefruit notes and ended with a celery finish from perhaps the gin interacting with the Manzanilla.

dove in paradise

1 1/2 oz The 86 Co. Caña Brava Rum
1 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
1/2 oz Herbsaint
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass. Fill with crushed ice, add straws, and garnish with a mint sprig.
For my first drink at the Cane & Table pop-up at Brick & Mortar on Halloween, I opted for the Dove in Paradise. I was not able to decipher how the name fit into the plot of The Birds movie theme, but I was game to try this Herbsaint-tinged Coconaut of sorts. Once prepared by Cane & Table's Sam Parrie, the Dove in Paradise shared a mint and coconut bouquet to the nose. Next, the sip shared a creamy lemon flavor that gave way to rum, nutty, and anise notes on the swallow. Overall, the combination was delightfully dry, and the Herbsaint was in good balance with the other ingredients.

love birds

1 1/2 oz The 86 Co. Cabeza Tequila
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
7 drop Grapefruit Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass with 2 oz sparkling wine. Fill with crushed ice, add straws, and garnish with a grapefruit twist with a cut out of a bird.

For Halloween, I was rather excited to hear that New Orlean's Cane and Table bartenders were coming up to Boston to do a pop-up night at Brick and Mortar. The event was sponsored by the 86 Co. line of spirits and the chosen holiday theme was Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. To coincide with the film idea, the three Cane and Table bartenders concocted a 5 drink menu, and between Andrea and myself, we were able to sample all but one of them. For a start, Andrea asked bartender Sam Parrie for the Love Birds that reminded me on paper of a sparkling version of Hopping Throught the Frothy Waves. Sam actually remembered me from July when I sat at her bar last during Tales of the Cocktail.
The Love Birds was a reference to the type of birds that the main characters bought in the movie, and the drink began with grapefruit and passion fruit aromas. Next, lemon paired well with the carbonated wine on the sip, and the swallow balanced the tequila and wine flavors with a dry passion fruit and grapefruit swallow.

[black ravens]

1 1/2 oz Plantation Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Amaro CioCiaro
1/2 oz Cocchi Vermouth Amaro
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice, strain into a Single Old Fashioned glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Like the past two Tales of the Cocktail, I ended my week with an evening at Bar Tonique. There, bar manager Mark Schettler was at the stick; I had met Mark last year at the bar and discovered that the two of us would be attending the same Camp Runamok session last September. When I asked Mark this time for a menu, he apologized that all of them had been stolen and most people used the drinks on the chalk board for reference. Since most of those were classics, I offered him the opportunity to do dealer's choice and make me one of his drinks.
Mark's direction was spirits forward, and its lemon twist greeted the senses with a bright aroma. Next, the sip was rather caramel driven from the amaro and rum, and the swallow was an intriguing combination of rye, bitter orange, and pineapple. Indeed, the balance reminded me of a Brooklyn especially with the rye and Picon-like CioCiaro. In addition, it was a touch on the rich side to the point that the drink was just as good warm as it was cold. For a name, I played on Bar Tonique being on Rampart Street, found the first reference to King Arthur with "He glutted black ravens on the rampart of the stronghold, though he was no Arthur," and dubbed this one Black Ravens.

death & sundries

1 1/2 oz Fino Sherry
3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup
1 barspoon Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
10 drop Bittermens Tiki Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Double Old Fashioned glass, fill with ice cubes, and garnish with mint.

For a second drink at Cane & Table, I selected the Death & Sundries which turned out to be Sam Parrie's drink. It was described on the menu as "bright and refreshing with a chocolate finish and a touch of funk." Sam was unaware of the Floridita Daiquiri #3 when she created this, but I was definitely drawn to the similarity and looking forward to the combination with the fino sherry instead of sweet vermouth.
Once prepared, the Death & Sundries gave forth mint and Jamaican funk to the nose. Next, lime and sherry's crispness were countered by the rich demerara syrup on the sip, and the swallow was an elegant combination of funky rum, fino sherry, and a hint of chocolate. Overall, the drink was much cleaner in feel than the Floridita Daiquiri #3 given the sherry and more dynamic with the interesting rum.

color of doubt

1/2 oz Gourry de Chadeville Overproof Cognac
1/2 oz Plantation Overproof Dark Rum
1 oz Spanish Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Cynar

Build in a Double Old Fashioned glass, add ice, and stir. Garnish with a mint sprig.

After the talks on Thursday, I ventured across the French Quarter to visit Cane & Table and found a seat in front of Samantha Parrie who made me the Modern Lover last year. For a first drink this year, I asked Sam for the Color of Doubt which was "inspired by the Negroni, this dark and brooding cocktail uses two overproof spirits with Spanish vermouth and Cynar and elevated by incorporating fresh mint."
The Color of Doubt presented mint, grape, and dark notes from the Cynar and rum to the nose. The bouquet transitioned well into the grape and caramel sip, and the swallow shared rum, brandy, and funky herbal and almost minty flavors.

goodbye horses

1 1/2 oz Quebranta Pisco
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/4 oz Gran Classico
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Suze Bitters (*)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
(*) Perhaps substitute 1/4 oz of Suze or other gentian liqueur

While exiting Cure, I bumped into Simon Difford who was waiting for his Uber to show up, and he invited me to go back to the Quarter to visit the new pisco-themed bar at the Catahoula Hotel. I had heard of that bar as it was being developed when I met Bazil Zerinsky who was on my trip to Mexico in February. And that night, both she and bartender Jonathan Shock were at the stick. For a drink, I asked Bazil for the Goodbye Horses which turned out to be Jonathan's creation.
The Goodbye Horses shared an orange and gentian aroma that led into a honey, orange, and white grape sip. Next, the swallow presented pisco flavors along with herbal notes mostly from the Gran Classico including its bubble gum aspect.

blanche dubois

2 oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
1/2 oz Senior Curaçao
1/2 oz Housemade Orgeat
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 Strawberry
6-8 Mint Leaves

Muddle the strawberry, add rest of the ingredients, and shake with ice. Double strain into a rocks glass, fill with ice, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Like 2011, I ended my Sunday night of Tales of the Cocktail on Rampart Street having a low key night at Bar Tonique. After indulging in their Sunday $5 Mai Tai drink special (something that could never happen in Massachusetts), I decided to follow it up with a house original that looked like a gin and lemon riff on a Mai Tai with strawberry and mint also in attendance. The drink was created circa 2012 by bar owner Ed Diaz and pays tribute to Tennessee William's character in A Streetcar Named Desire that was set in New Orleans.
Bartender Tony Lamperti confirmed that it was the same general specs as the house Mai Tai that I just had, and the Blanche DuBois that he made for me offered strawberry aromas in addition to the mint. Lemon and berry on the sip transferred to juniper, strawberry, and almond on the swallow and mint on the finish. While retaining the delightful balance of a Mai Tai, this recipe took the structure in a entirely different flavor direction.

meyer's cobbler

1 1/2 oz El Dorado 5 Year Rum
3/4 oz Hidalgo Amontillado Sherry
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Rich 2:1 Demerara Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 bsp Strawberry Preserves
1 slice Lemon
1 slice Orange

Whip shake with two ice cubes and double strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a berries (here, blackberry and raspberry), orange slice, and mint. Add straws, and finish the drink by sifting powdered sugar over the garnishes.
Probably the most stunning visual cocktail of my New Orleans adventure -- with, of course, Beachbum Berry's Tiki libations in a separate class of their own -- was this Cobbler at Compère Lapin. The taste also lived up to the appearance as well. For dinner on Sunday, I stopped into Compère Lapin and asked bartender Ricky Gomez for this drink. Since the drink description said "rum," I asked which one expecting it to be Myer's (yes, mentally overlooking the spelling difference). Ricky declared that it was El Dorado 5 Year Rum, and when I inquired further about the name, he explained that the Cobbler drink shares a linguistic relationship to the Cobbler shoemaker, and that got him thinking about old-timey professions. Therefore, he paid tribute to Meyer the Hatter on St. Charles Street, a shop founded in 1894 that I passed by every day on my way to the Monteleone Hotel. Moreover, it is one of Boston legend John Gertsen's favorite New Orleans stops; when I bumped into him at the Bartender's Breakfast during his brief Tales sojourn, not only was he sporting a new hat, but he was carrying a Meyer's bag with more goodies (see photo below). Once prepared, the Meyer's Cobbler shared an orange and mint aroma that led into an orange and grape sip with a hint of caramel from the rum. The rich rum continued on into the swallow where it blended in with the nutty sherry, and finally the drink ended with a light strawberry note.

Figure 1: Portrait of a hat fiend.

astoria, oregon

1 1/2 oz Monkey 47 Gin
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Banks White Rum

Stir with ice and strain in a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
After the talks on Friday, I attended a Monkey 47 Gin event at Bellocq that featured bartenders Sean Hoard, Jim Meehan, and Kirik Estopinal. For a drink, I asked Kirk for the Astoria, Oregon, and later got the recipe and some further details from Jim. The Astoria that appeared in the Savoy Cocktail Book was essentially a Martini with 2/3 gin, 1/3 dry vermouth, and 1 dash orange bitters served in a cocktail glass with a stuffed olive garnish. Jim confirmed that there was no orange bitters in this variation, and I assumed that the change to Cocchi Americano from dry vermouth added this extra citrus note. With rum in the mix, the combination reminded me of the B.V.D. which in the Savoy Cocktail Book was equal parts Bacardi Rum, dry vermouth, and dry gin.
Astoria, Oregon, is located on the mouth of the Columbia River and was where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter in 1805-6 hoping that a ship would rescue them and take them home, but instead, they ended up enduring the winter and returning east the same way they came. Indeed, I never found out why Sean named his drink after the sleepy port city save for the similarity in name to the section of Queens that the classic is named after. Once prepared, it offered an orange aroma that prepared the mouth for a light citrus wine sip. On the swallow, juniper and other gin botanicals with a hint of rum funk blended into an orange finish. Overall, there was bit more intrigue and less starkness than a classic Martini which made it a bit more approachable to me.

penang afrididi #1

1 oz Flor de Caña White Rum
1 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1 dash Herbsaint

Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with an orange twist, pineapple, pineapple fruit leaves, and other assorted Tiki mayhem; add a straw.

After dinner at Angeline, I headed over to Cane & Table where there was a Flor de Caña Rum pop-up event at Cane and Table. There in the back courtyard for this official Tales of the Cocktail event, Nick Detrich, Martin Cate, and Paul McGee were making Tiki libations for the crowd. For a start, I asked Paul McGee for the Penang Afriditi #1 which was created by Don the Beachcomber circa 1937. Here, the ratios were shifted around slightly and the orange juice was swapped for dry curaçao from the 1958 recipe that appears in Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari. Paul mentioned that the recipe he used is pretty close to the house recipe at Lost Lake except that they use 2 oz Appleton V/X as the sole rum and Letherbee as the absinthe. For comparison's sake, feel free to see the one at Hale Pele that I had a few years ago while at Portland Cocktail Week.
The garnishes on the Penang Afrididi offered pineapple and orange aromas. The fruit notes continued on into the sip with lime and orange flavors, and the swallow gave way into rum, pineapple, and anise spice elements.

the last aviator

3/4 oz New York Distilling Perry Tot's Navy Strength Gin
3/4 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Violette
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Honey Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

After the seminars on Thursday, I decided to get dinner at Angeline. The night before, I spoke to Christine Nielsen at the Pernod Ricard Welcome Party where she was a shaker girl in the Ramos Gin Fizz room. She mentioned that she was now tending bar at Angeline and working with Boston ex-pat Jeff Grndrich, and that seemed like reason enough to fit a visit into my schedule. For a drink the following night at the restaurant, I asked about the Last Aviator since it looked intriguing yet I was skeptical. Christine replied that she doubted it at first too, but it soon became her favorite on the list. I then recalled the equal parts and crème de violette-laden Blooey Blues from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and decided to give it a shot. While the drink started as Jeff's idea, the recipe was a group effort through a few rounds of tasting. I never did ask how close to an Aviation this started with before it took a more Last Word structure.
The Last Aviator proffered a floral and herbal aroma. Next, honey and lime balanced each other on the sip, and juniper, floral, and bitter orange flew through on the swallow. Over time, the balance became a tad sharper when warmer due to the violet, but it was never soapy or off in any other way.

dolin blanc cobbler

2 1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Raspberry Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a Cobbler cup filled with crushed ice. Garnish with raspberries and lemon wheel quarters, and add a straw.

After dinner at Cane and Table, I made the trek back to the Modern Hotel to drop off my stuff and prepare for the night's activities. Before going up to the room, I stopped into the hotel bar which happens to be Bellocq from Cure and Cane and Table folk. One of Bellocq's specialty is Cobblers and I have made a few of their recipes at home; indeed, the fact that Bellocq was in the Modern played a role in my hotel decision making process.
For a drink, I asked bartender Mike for the Dolin Vermouth Blanc Cobbler since I was on a roll with the other Dolin Blanc drink, the Modern Lover, an hour or so before at Cane and Table. Once prepared, it offered a raspberry with fresh lemon bouquet. Next, lemon and light wine notes on the sip showed off wisps of berry flavors, but most of the raspberry came through on the swallow.

modern lover

1 1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
6 Mint Leaves

Swizzle or stir with ice to mix and chill in a pilsner glass. Top with 1 oz soda water, garnish with a mint sprig, and add straws.
After the talks on Wednesday, I decided to get dinner at Cane and Table which is one of the establishments along with Bellocq opened by the people who run Cure since I was last in town. Given the hot weather, I was in the mood for something more refreshing so I opted for the Modern Lover; being a Jonathan Richman fan did not hurt in the decision making process either. Once prepared by bartender Natasha Tattaglia, this low ABV libation greeted me with a great mint aroma. Pomegranate, white wine, and lemon on the sip soon gave way to herbal and mint flavors on the swallow.

beyond the infinite

1 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quinquina
1/2 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice; both of these were not full length intentionally. Strain into a Fizz glass topped with 1/2 oz soda water. Garnish with a spritz of Angostura Bitters.
For a second drink at Cure, I opted for the Beyond the Infinite by bartender Turk Dietrich that was described as "A light herbal riff on a classic Whiskey Fizz." Perhaps I was drawn in by the fact that Turk had created this one or perhaps by the name which was reminiscent of others such as their Drink of Laughter and Forgetting. Interesting, the largest spirituous component was Bonal with whiskey only playing a supporting backbone role here. On the nose, the Angostura Bitters garnish contributed clove and cinnamon notes. While the sip was creamy lemon and orange with a hint of fizz, the swallow presented grape with a hint of whiskey along with a bitter and citrus finish.

like cockatoos

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Bigallet China-China Amer Liqueur
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1/2 Lemon (cubed)
1/2 Strawberry

Muddle the lemon pieces and strawberry, shake with ice, and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Add straws, garnish with an orange twist, and mist with 7 spritzes of Angostura Bitters.

Like my three previous Tales of the Cocktails, I spent Tuesday night making the pilgrimage to Freret Street to get drinks at Cure. Given the name, it was bound to happen -- a drink at Cure named after a song by The Cure. This one was dubbed after one of my favorites from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and was created by bartender Braden LaGrone. The Like Cockatoos was very Cobbler-esque save for the stronger spirits and perhaps the lack of crushed ice.
The orange twist on the Like Cockatoos was reminiscent of the parrot's head plumage and it contributed to the drink's aroma along with the Angostura Bitters' clove and other spice notes. On the palate, caramel and orange on the sip gave way to funk rum and Pimm's-like flavors on the swallow.

angel version

1 oz Boulard Calvados
1 oz Broker's Gin
1/2 oz Marie Brizard Apry
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
>1/4 oz Lemon Juice
14 drop Angostura Bitters
6 leaf Mint

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Express the oils out of a piece of orange peel and garnish with it.

For my last drink that night at Cure, I requested Turk Dietrich's Angel Version from the man himself. Turk explained that he took the Angel Face from the Savoy Cocktail Book, an equal parts drink of Calvados, dry gin, and apricot brandy, and made his own variation of it. Turk kept the dual base spirits but split the apricot brandy into apricot, Punt e Mes, and lemon juice and added some mint and Angostura Bitters to the mix.
Here, the orange twist paid great dividends to the drink's aroma and worked well with the apricot flavors that came out later in the drink. The sip was rather fruity with lemon, grape, and apple notes, and the swallow was a contrast of apricot and bitter notes from the Punt e Mes and Angostura Bitters. Indeed, the counter balance of the apricot flavor and the dark herbal ones made for a very stunning effect.