jaded sensibilities

2 1/4 oz Barrel-aged Gin (1 1/2 oz Barr Hill Tom Cat)
3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (1/2 oz)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano (1/2 oz)
3/4 oz Luxardo Bitter Bianco (1/2 oz)
3 dash Orange Bitters (2 dash Angostura Orange)
1 1/4 oz Water (4/5 oz)

Combine in a flask (build in an old fashioned glass and briefly stir to mix). Note: this is a room temperature cocktail.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to Sarah Baird's Flask book to find the recipe that called for Luxardo Bitter Bianco that I could now make. That one was the Jaded Sensibilities by Matt Jernigan at Henrietta Red in Nashville, and I was game to give this White Negroni riff a whirl. I scaled down the flask-sized version to a regular three ounce build before waterization, and it welcomed the nose with pine, rosemary, and orange aromas. Next, pear and orange notes on the sip developed into pine, rosemary, bitter orange, grapefruit, and wormwood flavors on the swallow.

the brave

1 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1 oz Blanco Tequila (Arette)
1/2 oz Averna
1/4 oz Royal Combier (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)

Build in a wine glass, give a quick stir without ice, and garnish with 3 spritzes Angostura Bitters (6 drops along the inside edge of the glass) and a flamed orange twist. Note: this is a room temperature drink.Two Thursdays ago, I decided to remake Bobby Heugel's The Brave from the Anvil in Houston the right way. The first time I tried to make this 2009 era agave-based room temperature drink, I sourced it from a mezcal brand's website back in April 2015 that incorrectly included pineapple juice in the mix. Bobby wrote me on Instagram and pointed out the error, and I alerted the brand to fix their page. I ended up dubbing the pineapple-laden blunder the Soldadera, and I wrote it up on the blog since the mistake was rather tasty for pineapple played well with many of the ingredients. Using the proper recipe that I sourced from Punch, the Brave launched off with a caramel, cinnamon, and orange aroma. Next, caramel and orange notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow proffered smoky agave, herbal, and orange flavors. The duo of Averna and orange liqueur pleasantly reminded me of the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.'s Crooklyn that inspired me to create the Devil's Staircase.

#treatyoself

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/4 oz Lustau Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/4 oz Amaro Meletti
1/8 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Water

Build and give a quick stir. I built in a rocks glass instead of funneling into a flask.Two Wednesdays ago, I reached for Sarah Baird's Flask book and spotted the #Treatyoself by Cari Hai at Big Bar in Los Angeles in the wedding-themed section of the book. This room temperature cocktail came across with a smoke, orchard fruit, caramel, and floral aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip ended with smoky Scotch, Cognac, apricot, raisin, and floral flavors on the swallow.

open & shut

1 1/2 oz Amaro Lucano
1/2 oz Cognac (Monnet VSOP)

Build in a rocks glass without ice and give a quick stir. Optional to garnish with a lemon or orange twist (lemon twist).Two Sundays ago, I spied Kara Newman's Nightcap book on the shelf, and I began flipping through the pages. There, I was lured in by Julia Momose's Open & Shut whuch was a Scaffa (room temperature "cocktail" without dilution) that she described as, "Simply build in the glass, retire to bed, sip, and ease yourself into slumber." Once assembled, the Open & Shut provided a lemon, caramel, and orange bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and roast notes on the sip led into bitter herbal, Cognac, and dark orange peel flavors on the swallow.

speaking in tongues

2 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (1 1/4 oz Olmeca Altos)
1 oz Mezcal (1/2 oz Peloton de la Muerte)
1 oz Amaro Meletti (1/2 oz)
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (1/4 oz Galliano Ristretto)
2 dash Coffee Bitters (Bitter Cube Corazon)

Stir in a mixing glass and funnel into a flask (build in an old fashioned glass and give a quick stir). Note: this a room temperature drink.When I delved into Sarah Baird's Flask book the second time, I selected Speaking in Tongues by Chris Hannah at Jewel of the South in New Orleans that was different from the mezcal-strawberry Sour of the same name. Chris has shared a few of his flask recipes before like the Rebennack and Night Tripper, so I was game to give this one a go especially since it reminded me of Aces & Eights on paper. Here, things kicked off with smoke, caramel, floral, and roast aromas. Next, the caramel and roast notes continued on into the sip, and the swallow followed with smoky agave, floral, coffee, and herbal flavors.

moon over pontchartrain

1 3/4 oz Plantation OFTD Rum (1 1/4 oz)
1 3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (1 1/4 oz)
1 3/4 oz Cynar (1 1/4 oz)
1/2 tsp Angostura Bitters (3 dash)

Stir in a mixing glass and pour via funnel into a flask (build in an old fashioned glass and give a quick stir). Note: this is a room temperature drink.Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up my copy of Sarah Baird's Flask Book which was part of my final purchases at the Boston Shaker Store. The recipe that I kicked things off with was the Moon Over Pontchartrain by Sierra Kirk at Hale Pele in Portland, Oregon. It was named after the lake that separates New Orleans from the continental United States; Sierra apparently lived in New Orleans before creating the drink (or perhaps submitting the recipe to the author) in Portland. In the glass, the Moon Over Pontchartrain wafted to the nose with molasses, date, dark cherry, and herbal aromas. Next, caramel, fig, and grape on the nose flowed into rum, caramel, and herbal flavors on the swallow with raisin and allspice elements on the finish. One of my Instagram friends commented "A dressed up bartender handshake" in reference to how a lot of industry shots are 50:50 Cynar with a spirit served room temperature such as the original C.I.A..

c.i.a. (sother teague)

1 1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Water
2 dash Apple Bitters (Strongwater)

Build in a single old fashioned glass, stir briefly, and garnish with an orange twist. This is a room temperature cocktail without the need for ice or chilling.

Two Saturdays ago, I had some cocktail savvy drinkers at the bar on a date, and they wanted shooters in between rounds. For the first one, I made M&Ms which are equal parts mezcal and (Amaro) Montenegro that was created by Montegro ambassador Marco Montefiori in 2015 and popularized by bartender Rob Krueger at Employees Only and Extra Fancy in New York. For a second round, I made the C.I.A. (Cynar In Apple brandy):

C.I.A. (orginal)
• 1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
• 1 oz Cynar
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
Build in a glass and give a quick stir.

The Brooklyn Bartender book attributed the combination to the Dram bar. Bartender Tonia Guffey described, "One of the drinks we created that's become a bit of an underground shot... I wanted the proof of Fernet, but I wanted a break from it. So I decided to take Cynar, which is lower in proof, and bonded applejack, which is higher, and I put them together 50/50 split, added a drop of Angostura, and boom, a shot was born." Later, I researched the C.I.A. and discovered that bartender Sother Teague wanted this combination to last longer, and he adapted it at Amor y Amargo into a full-sized room temperature cocktail. I jotted down the recipe for later use from Kindred Cocktails which cited Sother's 2016 Instagram post as a source.The following night, I decided to make this C.I.A. variation. Sother elongated the portions of each part and split the Cynar with Punt e Mes; he also added a little water to open the drink up a bit and switched the winter spiced Angostura for apple bitters. The re-configuring of the C.I.A. yielded an orange oil aroma over herbal, caramel, mint, and apple notes. Next, grape and caramel mingled on the sip, and the swallow flowed with apple, caramel herbal, and minty flavors.

cabb

1 oz Apple Brandy (Morin Calvados)
1 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
1/4 oz Branca Menta

Build without ice, give a quick stir, and serve at room temperature.

Two Thursdays ago, I spotted an intriguing Sother Teague recipe on Kindred Cocktails called CABB. I was able to source the backstory via a GrubStreet article that described how this was created for Amor y Amargo's 8 seat Reserve Bar circa November or December 2020. That series was a ticketed session pairing 5 cocktails with 5 dishes for a fixed price. During my recent trip to Amor y Amargo last week, I was given an old menu that showed that it was served along side a dish of slow-cooked navy beans with garlic confit, blistered tomatoes, mint, and toast. That mint element would work great with the touch of Branca Menta in the mix.The CABB welcomed the senses with a caramel, menthol, and minty aroma. Next, caramel and grape on the sip slid into apple, funky vegetal, and minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.

pillars of society

2 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Cynar (*)
1/4 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand) (*)
2 dash Absinthe (1/2 bsp Kübler)

Build in a rocks glass, give a quick stir, garnish with a lemon twist, and serve room temperature.
(*) Original was 1/2 oz each which was too orange forward; I wanted to do a 2:1 which has worked before but 2/3 to 1/3 oz seemed awkward.

I continued on with my tinkering with the Cynar-curaçao combination, and I began to think about Maks Pazuniak's room temperature drinks such as the Charlatan. I kept that drink's Punt e Mes base, swapped in the two liqueurs, and accented the concept with absinthe. Moreover, the curaçao in a drink such as this reminded me of Kirk Estopinal's Hotel Room Temperature. Like the Prelude to a Broken Arm, I kept with the Dada art theme and named this the Pillars of Society after a 1926 piece by Hugo Ball.The Pillars of Society greeted the senses with a lemon, orange, caramel, and grape bouquet. Next, grape and orange notes on the sip flowed into bitter orange and funky vegetal flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

book of lies

2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz Zacapa 23 Rum
1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum

Build in a single old fashioned glass, give a quick stir, garnish with orange oil from a twist, and serve room temperature.Two Mondays ago, I pulled the Jupiter Disco: Preservation zine out of the frequently used book pile and spied the Book of Lies. This drink was crafted by Al Sotack in 2013 at the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. as a reverse (room temperature) Rum Manhattan utilizing the duo of Zacapa for richness and Smith & Cross for funk that I have seen work in the Frau Holle and Desk Job. Once prepared, the Book of Lies opened with an orange and caramel aroma. Next, grape, caramel, and plum notes on the sip offered up funky rum, raisin, and orange flavors on the swallow.

hotel room temperature

1 1/2 oz Carpano Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz El Dorado 12 Year Rum
1/4 oz Marie Brizard Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand Dry)
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters
8 drop Salt Tincture (1 pinch Salt)

Build in a rocks glass without ice, give a quick stir, and garnish with an orange twist. Serve room temperature.Two Wednesdays ago, I decided to embark on the last recipe in Kirk Estopinal's trilogy, the Halfway to a Three Ways to Lose Your Lover, in Beta Cocktails. With the same set of ingredients of vermouth, dark rum, curaçao, mole bitters, and salt, there was the stirred and chilled All's Fair and the whole egg Flip Out. Here, it was the sans dilution and chilling Hotel Room Temperature, and it began with an orange and caramel aroma. Next, grape, caramel, and a hint of orange on the nose checked in to dark rum, orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

just the paperwork

1 1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1 oz Cognac (Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
1 oz Cocchi Americano
2 dash Orange Bitters (Scrappy's)
1/2 oz Water

Build in a rocks glass, give a quick stir, and garnish with an orange twist. Note: This is a room temperature cocktail.Two Sundays ago, I returned to Sother Teague's I'm Just Here for the Drinks book where I spotted the Just the Paperwork. This curious room temperature cocktail was something that Sother frequently mixed up for himself to do the finances at Amor y Amargo after closing the bar at night. Although he referred to it as a Scaffa, the presence of water in the mix put it at a room temperature cocktail; Scaffas are not cocktails due to their missing water component in the 1806 definition of a cocktail of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. One curious thing about this combination was that all three main ingredients are made from grapes for Amaro Nonino is grappa based. Once prepared, the Just the Paperwork wrote out an orange oil and brandy aroma. Next, caramel, orange, and peach notes on the sip waylaid into Cognac, orange, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

schrage muzik

1 oz Rhum Agricole Blanc (Rhum Clement Premiere Canne)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch (*)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Campari (*)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Build in a rocks glass without ice. Stir to mix, garnish with an orange twist, and serve at room temperature. Perfect of flask filling as well.
(*) This was originally created with 3/4 oz Swedish Punsch and 1/4 oz Campari which was tasty but I felt that the Campari needed to come forward more.

My Facebook memories reminded me that in 2013 I created a room temperature drink called the Madame Mustache for the Whiskey Amari series night I did with Katie Emmerson. The event organizer, bartender Matt Schrage, requested a Scaffa (a room temperature drink with bitters but no dilution) for his birthday which fell on our date. Since Matt was a fan of rhum agricole, I ended up utilizing that as a base. Now seven years later, I decided to pay tribute to Matt again on his birthday with a variation on that concept although sans opportunity to serve him one. For a name, I figured that this one might hit you like a WWII armament, and I dubbed it the Schrage Muzik.
The Schrage Muzik began with orange oil, grassy funk, and hints of smoke on the nose. Next, a rich caramel sip shot into a grassy, herbaceous, and orange-apricot swallow with smoke, tea tannin, and spice elements on the finish.

how do i compare

3/4 oz Bourbon (Four Roses Yellow Label)
3/4 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Cointreau
2 dash Apple Bitters (1 dash Bittermens Burlesque + 1 dash Regan's Orange)

Build in a glass, stir to mix without ice, and garnish with orange oil from a twist. Note: This is a room temperature cocktail.

After my work shift two Thursdays ago, I ventured into Sother Teague's I'm Just Here for the Drinks book where I spotted his How Do I Compare recipe. The drink is a room temperature "cocktail" called a Scaffa that fails to be cocktail for it lacks the water component in the 1806 formula of spirit, sugar, bitters, and water. Classic Scaffas such as Frank Meier's 1934 Rum Scaffa frequently called for Benedictine, and I have found orange liqueurs to work well too such as in the Orange Scaffa. Here, the How Do I Compare utilizes both, and the name is in reference to comparing apples to oranges or apple brandy plus bitters and Cointreau, respectively. To round out the mix, Sother split the base spirit with Bourbon, and to answer the naming question, he responded, "How do I compare apples to oranges? I don't. I just drink them."
In the glass, the orange element greeted the senses through the orange oil from a twist. Next, apple and the whiskey's malt filled the sip, and Bourbon and apple flavors were joined by orange-herbal notes on the swallow.

illusion travels by street car

1 1/2 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
1 oz Cimarron Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters
3/4 oz Water

Build in a cocktail coupe, and briefly stir to mix without ice. Note: This is a room temperature cocktail.

A few Tuesdays ago, Andrea and I ventured down to the South End to have dinner at Estragon. For a cocktail, I asked for a intriguing room temperature recipe from his drink notebook called Illusion Travels by Street Car. Sahil described how he crafted this recipe as a stirred with ice and strained libation, but he enjoyed it more when it warmed up. For his next iteration, he eschewed ice completely and substituted it with a half jigger of water. For a name, he dubbed this one after a quirky 1945 Luis Buñuel movie.
The Illusion Travels by Street Car offered a vegetal nose from the Cynar and tequila that paired well with the nutty aromas from the sherry and Maraschino. Next, the sip was rich and grape driven, and the swallow proffered tequila, herbal, and nutty flavors with a light spice finish.

black rock chiller

1 oz Reposado Tequila (Lunazul)
1 oz Branca Menta
1 oz Suze (Salers)

Build in a rocks glass (punch cup). Stir without ice and serve as a room temperature cocktail.

Two Tuesdays ago, I sought out cocktail recipe inspiration in Paul Clarke's The Cocktail Chronicles and decided to try out a quirky looking non-cocktail called the Black Rock Chiller. The drink was a Scaffa crafted by Sother Teague of Manhattan's Amor y Amargo, and it does not classify as a cocktail for it leaves out the final part of the "spirits, sugar, bitters, and water" definition. I actually did have an opportunity to have this made for me by Sother himself when he did a pop-up at Silvertone for Boston Thirst in 2014, but I opted for his Pumpernickel instead.
The Black Rock Chiller began its intrigue with a mint, menthol, and cigarette tobacco aroma. Next, a rich caramel sip proceeded into agave vegetal notes blending into gentian liqueur and Fernet's herbal flavors on the swallow with a minty-herbal finish. Overall, the drink was not very bitter due to the sugar content; moreover, despite the recipe, it was not freakish at all and rather an enjoyable sipper.

[west of rome]

1 oz Milagro Tequila
1 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
1 oz Zucca Rabarbaro Amaro
1 oz Water

Build in a white wine glass pre-rinsed with absinthe. Stir briefly without ice to mix, and garnish with lemon twist oil. Note: this is a room temperature cocktail.

The libation that I started with at Estragon was one of bartender Sahil Mehta's previous drinks of the day. Sahil mentioned that when he was tinkering with the cocktail, it tasted better when it sat around and warmed up than when it was chilled; therefore, he skipped the ice part and added water to give a similar level of dilution. For a name, I dubbed this one West of Rome after a John Fante novel for it reminded me of one of my agave and absinthe room temperature drinks Ask the Dust.
The drink began with a lemon, anise, and minty aroma that later became more herbal from the Zucca. Next, grape dominated the sip and gave way to an agave and herbal swallow with hints of nuttiness and chocolate that ended with an anise finish.

velveteen rabbit

1 oz Angel's Envy Bourbon
3/4 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
3/4 oz Averna
3/4 oz Water
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Build in a rocks glass without ice and stir to mix. Note: this is a room temperature cocktail.
For a first drink at Sichuan Garden II's Baldwin Bar, I asked Van for the curiously room temperature Velveteen Rabbit. Van mentioned that it was created by bartender Ran Duan and was a re-working of one of his previous drinks. I later realized that I had made this one at home as the Last Cold Night Before Spring after it had won one of the monthly ShakeStir competitions using a different Bourbon. Here, the Velveteen Rabbit showed off a dark nutty grape aroma. Next, caramel and grape on the sip transitioned into rich Bourbon accented with herbal spice and sherry nuttiness on the swallow. The swallow also displayed some chocolate notes on certain sips.

soldadera

1 oz Mezcal (Montelobos)
1 oz Blanco Tequila (Piedra Azul)
1/2 oz Averna
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Royal Combier (Grand Marnier)

Build in a wine glass and stir to mix without ice. Garnish with 3 mists of Angostura Bitters (glass pre-rinsed with a dash or two) and a flamed orange twist (not flamed). Note: This is a room temperature cocktail.
Two Fridays ago, I specifically bought pineapple juice to make a drink I spotted on the Del Maguey Mezcal site's recipe collection. The drink I was lured in by was Bobby Heugel's The Brave that he created early at Anvil Bar & Refuge and remains on the list to this day. I was partially drawn in to the recipe not just because it was a room temperature cocktail, but one that also included fruit juice in the mix; the only other one I had was the Pequod Sour from the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book. After I made the drink and put it on Instagram, Bobby commented back that the recipe was an error and there was no pineapple juice whatsoever.

The Brave
• 1 oz Mezcal
• 1 oz Blanco Tequila
• 1/2 oz Averna
• 1/4 oz Royal Combier
Build in a wine glass and stir to mix without ice. Garnish with 3 mists of Angostura Bitters and a flamed orange twist. Note: This is a room temperature cocktail.

I was a little dismayed that I had made the wrong drink due to the misprint, but the results were rather delightful especially with how the pineapple worked well to tie together the rich caramel notes of the amaro and the earthy spiciness of the agave spirits as well as soften the spirits' heat. Indeed, the erroneous drink had taken a life of its own. For a name, I kept the concept of "brave" and the Mexican origin of the distillates and dubbed this the Soldadera after the female soldiers who fought alongside the men in the Mexican Revolution. Not to let this fortuitous blunder slip unwritten, here are my tasting notes. The Soldadera began with clove, smoke, and orange oil aromas. Next, the sip offered that great pairing of caramel and pineapple, and the swallow began with smoke, agave, and pineapple flavors, and ended with an orange peel note from the liqueur.

derby scaffa

1 1/2 oz Four Roses Bourbon
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Water
2 drop Lavender Bitters

Build in a rocks glass, stir to mix without ice, and garnish with orange oil. Note: This is a room temperature cocktail.
Two Wednesdays ago, I stopped into Backbar for one of their guest bartender series for Will Isaza of Fairsted Kitchen was behind the stick. Earlier in the evening, the bar was full, so I stood against one of the counters; there, I placed an order for the Derby Scaffa off of the Tradesman section of the menu that bartender James Lamont made for me at the service bar. Like their Improper Scaffa, this room temperature cocktail veers away from pure Scaffa convention by adding a bit of water to soften the ingredients. Once prepared, the Derby Scaffa offered an orange and floral aroma overlaying the caramel notes, and the caramel continued on into the sip where it soothed the malty heat. Finally, the swallow presented whiskey, candied citrus peel, and herbal flavors that finished with the St. Germain coming across like grapefruit on the swallow. I was not sure if the St. Germain was more effected by the Amaro Montenegro or by the sharpness of the lavender bitters to produce that note.