cure for immortality

3/4 - 1 oz Fernet Branca from a Mini Bottle(*)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup

Mix and pour into a double old fashioned glass. Fill with pellet ice, garnish with a mint sprig, add a straw, and insert the rest of the Fernet Branca mini (1/2 - 3/4 oz) into the ice opening down.
(*) If lacking a mini-bottle of Fernet, perhaps add the full 1 1/2 oz of Fernet Branca into the mix.Two Tuesdays ago, I made my way over to Offsuit right as they opened up at 5pm and took one of the two bar seats. For a drink, I requested the Cure of Immortality that was found in the "Crushed: Small ice, big dreams" section with the subtitle "buyer beware." I assumed that I had nothing to fear since I love Fernet Branca, and the combination came across like a Fernet Fix crossed with a Fernet Buck. Once prepared, the Cure for Immortality proffered mint over caramel and menthol aromas. Next, pineapple, caramel, and lime notes on the sip flowed into ginger and menthol flavors on the swallow.

hard bargain

1 1/2 oz Sazerac Rye
1/3 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/3 oz Passion Fruit Liqueur
1/3 oz Falernum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz 2:1 Demerara Syrup
3 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Thursdays ago after my final day bar shift at the Smoke Shop BBQ, I took the subway to meet some out of town friends at Offsuit. For a drink, I selected the Hard Bargain off the menu that reminded me of a Last Rites or a Sexpert by its ingredients and balance. When I received the recipe, I was not all that wrong to fit it to the Test Pilot build in my head. Once served, the Hard Bargain proffered rum funk and passion fruit aromas to the nose. Next, lemon, melon, and tangerine notes on the sip led into rye, rum, and spice flavors on the swallow.

banana toronto

2 1/2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Banane
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
2 dash Coffee-infused Angostura Bitters (*)
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry.
(*) The coffee note was not very detectable in the mix, so regular Angostura Bitters will probably work in a pinch.

Two Thursdays ago, I began my account visits for work by stopping in at Offsuit. For a first cocktail, I requested a bitter and stirred Bourbon drink as a bartender's whim. Bartender Ryan crafted this riff on a Toronto with inspiration from a Daiquiri-like number that he had at Blythe & Burrows in Portland, Maine. I was able to locate the drink called "Old Dog, New Tricks" on their Instagram that listed the ingredients as Fernet, banana liqueur, brown sugar, and lime juice with a mint crown garnish. The background that they provided was, "This cocktail came about from late night experiments after work. After finding a nice harmony between Fernet and banana, we decided to play on the classic recipe of an Industry Sour. With light bright citrus and bitter notes, it balances out the dark rich sweetness of the banana and brown sugar. Suspiciously tropical and easy to crush." Ryan extracted the Fernet-banana combination and placed it into an Old Fashioned/Torono format here.The Banana Toronto greeted the senses with a banana bouquet. Next, caramel and fruity notes on the sip ventured into Bourbon, banana, and minty flavors on the swallow.

the professional

1 1/2 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
1/2 oz Zacapa 23 Rum
1 oz Campari

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Two Thursdays ago, my brand work with Angel's Envy led me to visit Offsuit located in the back space of Troquet on South in Boston's Leather District. The theme is modern Speakeasy with an entrance in the parking alley behind and a phone number to call in. I played it smart by coming at open for the small space filled up quickly. For a first drink, I ordered Angel's Envy Bourbon neat, but for my second, I asked my server for the bartender's whim using said spirit. Instead of one of his own creations, he opted for the Professional created by Benjamin Schwartz at Little Branch in 2010. The original was made with Old Grand-Dad 114° and overproof Jamaican rum, but here it was with an 86.6° Bourbon finished in port casks and a dark rum; the Campari and grapefruit twist though were kept intact.The Professional aimed at the nose with grapefruit and caramel aromas. Next, the caramel from the dark rum mingled with citrussy notes from the Campari on the sip, and the swallow closed the show with Bourbon, rum, and bitter orange flavors. With the caramel and sweet balance of Zacapa, it functioned like a sweet vermouth pushing the combination closer to a Boulevardier. I have to imagine that the Little Branch version would be a stiffer, more aggressive, and funkier beast.