my european girlfriend

2 oz Park VS Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
1/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass (coupe), and garnish with a cherry. Two Fridays ago, I returned to the 2020 Community Cocktails book that was put out to support Seattle's bartenders during the Pandemic, and I spotted the My European Girlfriend by Ryan Dorn at The Purple Café. The French Cider & Spirits website has the recipe with one of their Cognacs and my choice of Cocchi Americano instead of Lillet (despite Lillet being French), and they attributed it in early 2019 to Ryan when he was at Monsoon in Seattle. Overall, the recipe read somewhere between a Cognac Liberal given the vermouth and Picon-like aspect and a Hoots Mon with the vermouth-Lillet duo. Once mixed, the My European Girlfriend prompted the senses with a cherry, grape, and herbal aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip traveled over to brandy, bitter herbal, orange, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

vecchietto

3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
3/4 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
3 dash Cardamom Bitters (Bitter Housewife)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Tuesdays ago, I selected my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion off the book shelf and landed on the amaro-sherry Vecchietto in the Old Fashioned Section. The drink was created by Paul Hammond and Priscilla Leong now of the Flowing Bowl Cocktail Company in Melbourne, and vecchietto is an Italian word that translates to "little old man" or "frail old man" which is perfect for such a low proof Italian-themed drink. Cynar and Ramazzotti have been paired before in the Detroit Rock City, so I decided to give this one a try. In the glass, the Vecchietto hobbled to the nose with a lemon, nutty sherry, caramel, and herbal aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip led into funky herbal, nutty sherry, and root beer flavors on the swallow with a cardamom finish.

trainspotter

3/4 oz Scotch (1/2 oz Famous Grouse + 1/4 Ardbeg 10 Year)
3/4 oz Amaro Braulio
3/4 oz Giffard Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Mondays ago, I began perusing the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app where I landed on the Trainspotter by Mikey Reihill at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2024. This is a different Trainspotter than the one I had at Amor y Amargo or the one I made from the Continental Room, but all three perhaps tributes to the 1996 movie Trainspotting have a common thread of amaro. That amaro here is Braulio, and it and banana liqueur have worked well together in the Stellina, so I was curious to try this. Once prepared, the Trainspotter gave forth a caramel, peat smoke, and pine bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip formed into smoky Scotch, banana, herbal, and pine flavors on the swallow.

brave men run

2 oz Cutty Sark Prohibition Scotch (1 3/4 oz Famous Grouse + 1/4 oz Laphroaig 10 Year)
3/4 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot
1/4 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
2 dash Walnut Bitters (4 dash Strongwater)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a drink called the Brave Men Run that I spotted on Reddit's cocktail forum. The recipe created at Hanson's Shoe Repair in Orlando was perhaps named after a Sonic Youth song, a German noise pop duo, or a painting by Ed Ruscha, and Yelp menu photos from January 2025 to March 2026 display this cocktail. The trio of Cardamaro, apricot, and Amontillado appear in my Listening Room that was based off of the Father's Advice, and Cardamaro and apricot without the sherry occur in the Rube Goldberg Variation #3. With that, I set to mixing, and the result offered up a lemon, apricot, and peat smoke aroma. Next, a grape-driven sip transformed into smoky Scotch, apricot, herbal, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

maelstrom

1 oz Cachaça (Novo Fogo Bar Strength)
1 oz Jägermeister
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. While practicing my "Minimalist Amaro Talk" two Thursdays ago, I was inspired by Sother Teague's Rough Seas, and I took its cachaça-Jägermeister base and partnered it with the pineapple, cinnamon, and lime of Death & Co.'s Gilda Cocktail. Getting influence from the Rough Seas' name and keeping a German theme with the kräuterlikör, I dubbed this one the Maelstrom. In the glass, the Maelstrom swirled to the nose with a grassy funk, pineapple, star anise, and cinnamon aroma. Next, caramel, pineapple, and lime notes on the sip crashed into grassy "rum", cinnamon, herbal, ginger, and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

my fair lady

1 1/2 oz Bols Genever (Bols Barrel-Aged)
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1 tsp Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
3 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I found the My Fair Lady by Jesse Cyr at The Fog Room in Seattle from an Imbibe Magazine article in 2019. I most likely skipped over it when it was first published for I did not have Amaro Ciociaro on my shelves until early 2023. Jesse describes it as a Brooklyn variation "inspired by two of Holland's most treasured exports: Audrey Hepburn (who spent much of her childhood in Holland) and Genever." After stirring and straining, the My Fair Lady divulged an orange, malty, and hint of cherry aroma. Next, malt and caramel on the sip twirled into Genever and slightly bitter orange-cherry flavors on the swallow.

carpenter bee

3/4 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Nardini
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with candied ginger on a pick. Two Fridays ago, I got home from my bar shift and opened up The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app. There, I latched onto the Carpenter Bee by Greg Keesee at Attaboy Nashville in 2023 as part of the spirit, amaro, ginger syrup, and citrus insect-themed series that includes the Dragonfly, Mosquito, and Scarab. I later realized that I had made this combination but with lime in the Yellow Jacket, but considering how Sasha Petraske's camp found the Bee's Knees to be different with lime juice and called it the Business, this makes sense. Here, the Carpenter Bee gave forth an apple, caramel, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip dug into apple, ginger, mint, and pine flavors on the swallow.

third colors

2 oz Aged Rum (1 oz Hamilton's Demerara River 86° + 1 oz Doorly's 12 Year)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays prior, I looked to The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app for a nightcap and selected the Third Colors by Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin at Manhattan's Lion Lion in 2018. The name and recipe structure are very similar to Zachary's Away Colors consisting of aged rum, banana liqueur, and Fernet. The combination of apricot and Sfumato reminded me of my Mountebank with Scotch and apple brandy (and a dash of absinthe) instead of rum. Therefore, I set off to mixing one up and enjoyed its orange, apricot, roast, and char aromas. Next, the roast and orchard fruit notes continued on into the sip where they were replaced by woody rum and bitter apricot flavors on the swallow.

dust jacket

1 3/4 oz Aged Dark Rum (1 oz Coruba + 3/4 oz Hamilton 86° Demerara)
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1 tsp Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Sundays prior, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and found the Dust Jacket by David Molyneux at The Everleigh in Melbourne circa 2017. The combination of spirit, fortified wine, Ramazzotti, and Maraschino reminded me of the Williamsburg that has Cocchi Americano instead of sherry and the Caretaker with dry vermouth and a mint leaf instead of sherry. In the glass, the Dust Jacket revealed a woody rum and nutty cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the rums and amaro flowed into funky rum, root beer, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

charlie hustle

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I began searching The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and landed upon the Charlie Hustle by Jon Nutter at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2019. Overall, it came across like a split amaro Black Manhattan with a split base akin to Sam Ross' Grandfather. Once prepared, the Charlie Hustle conned the nose with an bright orange oil, caramel orange, and apple aroma. Next, the amari's caramel came through on the sip where it was pursued by Bourbon, apple, bitter orange, and caramel flavors on the swallow.

davinci

1 1/2 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato

Stir with ice, strain into an old fasioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Thursdays ago, I began perusing The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app when I spotted the DaVinci crafted in 2023 by Roger Scandela at Manhattan's Attaboy. In the structure of spirit, Campari, Sfumato, and vermouth drinks, the Mean Old Man with Scotch stands out in my head, and I did a similar drink but with port called the Preceptor. Also in the ballpark is Cure's Ghost of My Life with gin, Campari, and Zucca (another rabarbaro like Sfumato) but no vermouth. Once mixed, the DaVinci gave forth a fresh orange aroma over Campari's orange and Sfumato's herbal and roast. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip flowed into gin, bitter orange, smoky, and earthy herbal flavors on the swallow.

buster brown

1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Amaro Braulio
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/8 oz Honey Syrup
3/8 oz Coconut (Coco Lopez)

Shake with ice and strain into a glass. The recipe's photo shows an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, so I followed suit. Two Fridays prior, I began perusing the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app on my phone, and I landed upon the Buster Brown by Jon Nutter at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2023. The app only listed the ingredient as "coconut," and since I had an opened Coco Lopez in the refrigerator, I interpreted it as coconut cream. The combination of spirit, Braulio, honey, and lemon reminded me of my Golden Eagle, but here with Bourbon and coconut instead of mezcal. Once mixed, the Buster Brown lumbered forward with herbal, coconut, and pine aromas. Next, a creamy honey and lemon sip twisted into Bourbon, bitter pine, and coconut flavors on the swallow.

quartermaster

2 oz Jägermeister
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a snifter or tropical mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig, star anise, and cherry (nasturtium). Two Thursdays ago, I opened up Justin Wojslaw's Coconuts and Carnage book and spotted his Quartermaster that was different from Gin Joint's Quartermaster and Matt Pietrek's Smoky Old Quartermaster. This one reads like a Jägermeister Piña Colada or perhaps Painkiller with the orange juice swapped for curaçao like Paul McGee prefers. I have been thinking about Jägermeister in tropical drinks a lot lately as I am building out my slide deck for a talk at Boston Rum Week in a few weeks entitled "Minimalist Amaro Tiki". Jägermeister has such wonderful ginger, galangal, star anise, dried orange peel, cinnamon, and clove aspects that work great in tropical drinks such as the Escape Hatch, Muertito Vivo, and my Lost U-Boat. Once prepared, the Quartermaster came forth with mint, floral, anise, caramel, and orange aromas on the nose. Next, a creamy lime, caramel, and pineapple sip delved into caramel, anise, ginger, herbal, orange, pineapple, and coconut flavors on the swallow.

lacrimosa

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Luxardo Bitter (Bianco)
3/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed). Two Saturdays prior, I decided to make the Lacrimosa by David Slape at Manhattan's P.D.T. in Fall 2008 via The P.D.T. Cocktail Book as a "dark, brooding Negroni variation." I spotted this a few days before on a friend's Instagram and realized that I skipped over the recipe in the book since I lacked Luxardo's Bitter until a year and a half ago. In the glass, the Lacrimosa cried forth fresh orange oil aromas over rye and caramel orange ones. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the Ciociaro opened up into rye, dark orange, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

no further questions

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/8 oz Peated Whisky (Laphroaig 10 Year)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a drink created by Tim Kirkland called No Further Questions that he named after his friend Brian Collins' frequent replies to requests of a sip of the drink that he posted on Instagram. Whisky, Punt e Mes, and Ciociaro is a combination that worked well in my Jolly Jane, Rafa Garcia Febles' Stenton, and other recipes, so I was curious to try it here. In the glass, the No Further Questions proffered orange, peat smoke, and grape aromas to the nose. Next, grape and caramel on the sip soon hid behind rye, caramel orange, bitter herbal, and peat smoke flavors on the swallow.

heartbreaker

1 1/2 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Thursdays ago, I fired up The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and got curious about the Heartbreaker by Jon Nutter at Manhattan's Attaboy circa 2023. The gin, Green Chartreuse, and Montenegro trio reminded me of Sother Teague's Oh My Word, so I figured that it would be a more alpine and less nutty-fruity version here. The duo of Braulio-Montenegro has appeared twice on the blog in the Bar Room Brauler and the Spaghetti Western; however, I have previously only tried one other Green Chartreuse-Braulio drink, the Devil's Whisper, as Braulio is more often paired with the Yellow variety. Once prepared, the Heartbreaker descended with a grapefruit, herbaceous, and pine aroma. Next, a lightly caramel and clementine sip was kicked aside for gin, bitter herbal, pine, orange, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow.

where it all begins

1 1/2 oz Chattanooga High Malt Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/4 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

No instructions were provided, so I stirred with ice, strained into a cocktail coupe, and garnished with a cherry. Two Wednesdays ago, I uncovered an online recipe flashcard set for Nashville's Pinewood Social and selected the Where It All Begins from a 2021 collection, and I was able to confirm the drink's ingredients in a GoogleMaps menu photo. This Manhattan variation launched off with a cherry and dark grape aroma. Next, grape and sweet citrus notes on the sip slipped into Bourbon, bitter, bright orange-lemon, vanilla, and peppery flavors on the swallow. If I were to make this again, I would decrease the Licor 43 amount or even swap the volumes with Amaro Abano, for the balance came across a bit sweet and bright for me; often a quarter ounce of Licor 43 in a stirred drink is plenty such as in the Signals, Calls, & Marches.

maybe later

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Amaro Braulio
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2-3 slice Cucumber

Muddle cucumber in syrup, add rest of ingredients, shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a floated cucumber slice. Two Wednesdays ago, I fired up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and spotted the Maybe Later by Chloe Martin in 2024 with no mention of where the drink was created. Given the name and structure, it was perhaps a riff on Sam Ross' Too Soon? and very reminscent of the Amaro Montenegro-laden Old News that I made around two weeks prior. In the glass, the Maybe Later showcased a lemon, pine, and cucumber bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip delayed pine, herbal, cucumber, and minty flavors on the swallow.

thang down flip

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Zucca Rabarbaro (Sfumato)
3/4 oz Amargo de Chile (Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur)
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup
1 Whole Egg

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a snifter glass (single old fashioned), and garnish with freshly microplaned chocolate. Two Mondays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcards for Chicago's The Violet Hour and happened upon the Thang Down Flip from their Winter 2022 menu; the slightly cooler weather made a whole egg drink not feel out of place. Overall, it reminded me of the Colleen Bawn with the rye, egg, two liqueurs, and grated garnish. Having tasted Amargo de Chile earlier this year, I felt that Ancho Reyes would work well in its place. The drink was probably named after the Missy Elliott's song "Work It" with the lyric "I put my thang down, flip it and reverse it." Once prepared, the Thang Down Flip offered up chocolate, herbal, and roast aromas to the nose. Next, a creamy and caramel sip was chased by rye, chili pepper, smoky herbal, and hint of spice flavors on the swallow.

the caretaker

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Maraschino (Maraska)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1 leaf Mint

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe (cocktail glass), and garnish with a mint leaf. Two Sundays prior, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and landed on the Caretaker by Lisa Kempen at Caretaker in Auckland, New Zealand, circa 2021. Overall, the recipe came across like a Brooklyn riff akin to the Williamsburg with Cocchi Americano and the Brooklyn Bridge with sweet vermouth instead of the dry vermouth here. The stirred with mint Manhattan aspect is actually an old concept such as in the Sirloin from the 1933 edition of Jack's Manual (and rather common with vintage Martini riffs like the Fascinator and Cooperstown). In the glass, the Caretaker offered up assistance with a Bourbon, mint, and cherry aroma. Next, caramel and a slight cherry note on the sip blossomed into Bourbon, root beer, nutty cherry, and minty flavors on the swallow.