rugg road

1 1/2 oz Privateer Amber Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Falernum
1/4 oz Saffron-infused Honey Syrup
2 dash Herbsaint

Build in a tulip glass, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Garnish with a mint sprig and add a straw.

Two Tuesdays ago, I made my way over to Tavern Road for their inaugural Tiki Tuesday which was sponsored by Privateer Rum. For a libation, I asked bartender Jace Sheehan for the Rugg Road. Jace described how he first created the predecessor of this recipe for the Boston Historical Society; he had called the drink New Needham in regards to how hilly parts of Needham were used as landfill to reclaim parts of the Charles River including where his old bar, A Wink & A Nod, resides. Now that he is at Tavern Road, he renamed the drink the Rugg Road after the location of his preferred motorcycle shop, Madhouse Motors in Allston.
The Rugg Road presented a mint nose that led into a honey and lime-filled sip. Next, the rum joined the falernum's clove and the herbsaint's anise on the swallow.

madeira old fashioned

1 1/2 oz Don Pancho 8 Year Rum
1/2 oz Blandy's 10 Year Malmsey Madeira
1 barspoon 2:1 Demerara Syrup
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist.
A few Mondays ago, I attended a Boston USBG-sponsored product showcase at Tavern Road. One of the cocktails that bar manager Ryan McGrale was making with some of the products was what he dubbed a Madeira Old Fashioned. In actuality, it was a madeira-tinged Rum Old Fashioned that featured Don Pancho 8 Year Rum. This rum is made by Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez who also makes Ron de Jeremy and 86 Co.'s Caña Brava, but this product line with his name on it were much more sipping rums especially the older expressions. Once prepared, the Old Fashioned offered bright lemon oil aromas. A rich orange and caramel sip gave way to more caramel on the swallow along with dried orange peel and coffee notes. Overall, the rich complexity of both the rum and the aged madeira were an excellent complement to the other.

oaxacan standoff

1 1/2 oz El Bujo Mezcal
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/4 oz Agave Syrup (1:1)
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
For my next drink at Tavern Road, I requested the Oaxacan Standoff from bartender Will Tomlinson; Will mentioned that this was bar manager Ryan McGrale's drink. Once mixed, it offered a grapefruit oil nose that led into a citrussy grape sip. The swallow then offered a smoky mezcal swallow with a nutty, orange-rhubarb finish.

blade of destiny

1 oz Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Cynar
1 oz Nardini Amaro

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

After Shojo, I made my way across the Channel to Tavern Road in Fort Point where I found a seat in front of bartender Will Thomlinson. For a first drink, I asked Will for the Blade of Destiny. The menu cites Christopher "Blade" Kotelly as the recipe creator; however, Will explained how it was a collaboration between Tavern Road bartender Bruno Prado and Blade, his guest. Blade was not feeling well that night, and he wanted something herbal to sooth his malaise. The combination of amontillado sherry and Nardini Amaro was one that worked well in Bruno's De La Vega, but that recipe lacked the garnish of the "double high five!" that I received when my Blade of Destiny was served.
The orange oils greeted the nose and provided some brightness for the caramel and hint of grape sip. The swallow was rather complex with chocolate from the Nardini Amaro, nutty grape from the sherry, and herbal vegetal notes from the Cynar.

rue morgue

2 oz Old Pulteney 12 Year Scotch
3/4 oz Ruby Port
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

For my second cocktail at Tavern Road, I requested from John Henderson the Rue Morgue. John explained that it was his creation, and how he had wanted to name a drink after an Iron Maiden song for so long but the rest of the staff would not let him until then. I had associated the drink name with the Edgar Allen Poe story (which is perhaps how John had snuck it on the menu), and that would have been solidified if the Poe-esque amontillado was the fortified wine in the mix. However, it was port which often pairs rather well with Scotch, such as in the Chancellor.
The Rue Morgue proffered a chocolate, herbal, and smoke bouquet. A rich grape and malt sip led into a smoky swallow which gained a chocolate and herbal finish as it warmed up.

de la vega

1 1/2 oz Bacardi 8 Year Rum
1/2 oz Amaro Nardini
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash Fee's Old Fashioned Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a cherry.

A few Tuesdays ago during the snow storm, I ventured down the Red Line after work to Tavern Road. At the bar were Will Tomlinson and John Henderson, and I had a drink made by each of them that night. I had picked out two drinks off the menu and asked Will which one I should start with first. Will recommended the De La Vega as a first step which he attributed to bartender Bruno Prado.
The rum aroma was accented by cherry-like fruit notes from a combination of the Maraschino and the sherry. A dry caramel sip shared vague fruit notes, and the swallow began with the rum and ended with the Maraschino and sherry's nuttiness, chocolate, cinnamon, and other spice flavors.

cruella

1 1/2 oz Leblon Cachaça
1/2 oz Galliano
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 barspoon Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 Lemon Peel (twist and include)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Twist another lemon peel over the top.

For Andrea's last drink at Tavern Road, she asked Will for the Cruella which turned out to be another one of his creations. While I neglected to ask him if the drink name was a Disney reference, I did discuss the use of the lemon twist in the ingredients. Will explained that he included it in the mix to elongate the citrus flavor on the finish of this decadent and smooth drink. With cachaça, Galliano, chocolate, and anise notes, the ingredients list somewhat reminded me of Jacob Grier's Midnight Shift.
The lemon oils on the surface of the drink joined the aroma of the cachaça and Peychaud's anise. Next, a lemon and grassy sip led into a swallow containing vanilla and chocolate notes with a hint of Maraschino. For some reason it was the cacao-Maraschino combination that seemed most pleasing on the swallow.

down & brown

2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Maraschino

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

For my last drink at Tavern Road, I asked bartender Will for the Down & Brown, another drink created by bar manager Ryan McGrale. It was pretty amusing that I had selected two drinks invented by Ryan and Andrea doubled up on drinks created by Will. I believe that I opted for the Down & Brown since it had been a few weeks since I last had drank a stirred rye drink. Will commented that he had to make the drink that night with Rittenhouse for the bar was out of Riverboat Rye, and this perhaps suggests the success of this menu item.
The orange twist worked well with the Maraschino aroma that let through a hint of Fernet Branca. The malty sip led into the rest of the rye flavors on the swallow. The rye was then followed by a Fernet-Benedictine combination that ended with a lingering menthol and Maraschino finish.

Update 7/18/26: There is a circa 2010 Flat Iron Lounge drink called Archibald's Last Memory that has the same recipe on Difford's Guide that is unattributed to a bartender. Ryan left Boston in 2008 when his fellow No. 9 bartenders John Gersten and Ben Sandrof transferred over to open up Drink, and he landed at Flat Iron Lounge in Manhattan which makes the timing of the storyline perfect. Unfortunately, Ryan passed away in late 2015, so I never had a chance to ask him. The drink was popular enough across town that the bar at La Brasa in Somerville when I was there in 2019-2020 served the Down & Brown from a chilled bottle for the adjoining Fat Hen restaurant where it was on the menu.

tartini sling

3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Dry Gin
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Benedictine

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass with ice. Top with ~1 1/2 oz High & Mighty Beer Of The Gods blonde ale and add a straw.

The drink that Andrea started with at Tavern Road was the Tartini Sling, and bartender Will was rather pleased by that choice since it was his creation. Will described how he riffed off of the classic Singapore Sling and swapped the orange liqueur for Cynar and the soda for beer. Sadly, I never got around to asking what the Highball was named after, but the possibility that it was named after Giuseppe Tartini, an 18th century Italian baroque composer and violinist, exists. Will's punk rock tattoo might suggest otherwise though.
The Sling's Cynar joined the citrus notes on the nose. On the sip, the lime and beer's malt were most apparent with a pleasing sort of apple-like flavor that neither Andrea or I could explain. Next, the cherry, bitter, and herbal notes came through on the swallow along with a lime finish.

fishnets & fangs

3/4 oz Peychaud's Bitters
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Raspberry Syrup
1/2 oz El Bujo Mezcal

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

Two Sundays ago, we decided to pay a visit to Tavern Road which just opened up a few days prior. Tavern Road and Blue Dragon both recently joined the Fort Point neighborhood to keep Drink company, and soon Trillium Brew Pub will be added to that list. For a first drink, I asked bartender Will for the Fishnets & Fangs which was created by bar manager Ryan McGrale. The Fishnets & Fangs like Ryan's Bittah Walshie is bitters heavy, but this time instead of Angostura he reached for Peychaud's. While the large amount of Peychaud's made me think of the Gunshop Fizz and its descendents like the Ran Duan's Antoine's Demise, the bitters, citrus, and raspberry combination reminded me of Ezra Star's Little Red Lion. I do regret not asking Ryan if the vampy name was somehow a tribute to the rebirth of the ManRay night club in Central Square.
The lemon twist added to the berry-citrus aroma. The raspberry and lime continued on into the sip, and this was followed by the mezcal and the Peychaud's bitter flavors. Overall, I was impressed at how well the raspberry and Peychaud's worked together flavorwise besides the color coordination aspect; moreover, I enjoyed how the large amount of Peychaud's did not come off as extreme to the palate.