pitter patter

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Amer Picon)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry. Two Mondays prior, I returned to the sets of online recipe flashcards from the Patterson House in Nashville and landed on the Pitter Patter from their Summer 2024 menu. While the recipe card lacked the serving style, I was able to glean it from an Instagram reel. Overall, it was akin to a Brooklyn Cocktail with sherry instead of dry vermouth, and also similar to the Blue Collar given the two bitters as accents. In the glass, the Pitter Patter roused up a dark orange and nutty cherry aroma. Next, a semi-dry caramel and grape sip crossed into rye, nutty cherry, dark orange, and oxidized sherry flavors on the swallow.

south of brooklyn

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Caribbean 6-10 Year Blended Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Amer Picon (Amaro Ciociaro)
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist and with a cherry.Two Fridays ago, Simon Difford posted one of his recent creations on Difford's Guide called the South of Brooklyn as his rum-touched Brooklyn riff noting that the Caribbean is south of Brooklyn. With the blanc vermouth, the recipe reminded me a little more of the White Collar from Dutch Kills than the classic itself. Once prepared, the South of Brooklyn donated an orange and cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, a semi-sweet caramel, grape, and cherry sip traveled towards rye, rum, nutty cherry, and dark orange flavors on the swallow.

dagny taggart

1 3/4 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Aperol
1/4 oz Torani Amer

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch, add a large ice cube, and garnish with a flamed (unflamed) orange twist.Two Sundays ago, I spotted a curious drink called the Dagny Taggart in a comment on KindredCocktails and traced it back to Imbibe Magazine in 2011. There, it described how it was created by Leo Rivas at Seven Grand in Los Angeles and named for the fictional heroine in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. The combination of Aperol and something Amer Picon-like was one that I enjoyed in the Bigmouth Strikes Again, so I was curious to see it matched with Scotch. In the glass, the Danny Taggart proffered a peat smoke and orange aroma. Next, malt and a hint of caramel on the sip opened up into smoky Scotch and bitter orange transitioning to softer orange flavors on the swallow.

good luck grin

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Amaro Ciociaro)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
2 dash Bittercube Corazon Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I found in my notes a recipe that I wanted to try from the StirredBlog in 2017 from the Baldwin & Sons Trading Co. in Woburn. It was part of the bar's Encyclopedia Brown series of stirred drinks that come to the table in a flask (found in a hollow book shell) to pour over ice, and this second part of the series was the Good Luck Grin that reminded me of the Brooklyn-like Blue Collar but with a semi-sweet sherry instead of sweet vermouth or perhaps the brandy-Oloroso Boys Don't Cry. The Good Luck Grin began with an orange, grape, and nutty cherry aroma. Next, grape, caramel, and a hint of cherry on the sip discovered Bourbon, bitter orange, and cherry flavors on the swallow. The end result reminded me of a hybrid of two drinks that were on my first Eastern Standard menu in June of 2007 – namely, Chuck Taggart's Hoskins and the house original Prospect Park.

jimmy graham

2 oz Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Torani Amer)
1/4 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.After I entered my Hell Haggerty into the KindredCocktails database, the Jimmy Graham popped up as a similar recipe. The drink was crafted in 2015 by Sara Rosales, Seattle bartender and owner of Lady Jaye, and since I enjoyed her Water Line, I gave this one a go. In the glass, the Jimmy Graham gave forth a lemon, caramel, and orange aroma. Next, caramel and grape notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow let loose whiskey, bitter herbal, orange, and nutty flavors.

confiant

2 oz Pusser's Rum (1 oz Hamilton's Demerara 86° + 1 oz Doorly's 12 Year)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Bigallet China-China (Amer Picon)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays prior, I made the other recipe that I had bookmarked on the KindredCocktails database when I found the Water Line a few nights before called the Confiant. The drink was crafted by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2015 as perhaps a rum Creole Cocktail of sorts. I had done similarly with a rhum agricole and dry vermouth in the Patois, but here Rafa utilized a British Navy-style rum and bitter-sweet Punt e Mes. Once prepared, the Confiant sailed in with a lemon and caramel bouquet. Next, caramel and grape notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow dropped anchor with rum, caramel, herbal, dark orange, woody, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

brooklyn burns

1 1/2 oz Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch
1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Bigalett China-China (3/8 oz Torani Amer)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a coupe (old fashioned glass) with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make another recipe from the 2020 book Community Cocktails called the Brooklyn Burns by Jonny Henningson at Delancey in Seattle. On paper, it appeared more like a Liberal crossed with a Rob Roy than a Brooklyn mashed up with a Bobby Burns, but the combination seemed delightful and perfect for my need of a nightcap. In the glass, the Brookyln Burns erupted with a lemon and peat smoke aroma. Next, grape, malt, and caramel notes on the sip traipsed into smoky Scotch and dark orange flavors on the swallow.

averna cocktail

2 oz Michter's Rye
1/2 oz Averna
1/2 oz Amer Picon
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I returned to a bartender recipe collection from Eastern Standard in Boston, and I landed on the Averna Cocktail that reminded me in structure and naming convention of their Fernet Cocktail. I estimate this to have been created around 2007-08 before they ran through their Amer Picon stash and had to switch over to the house "Bitter Brew" mix in 2009. In a cocktail glass that was very similar to the ones that Eastern Standard used to use back in the day, the Averna Cocktail led off with a lemon, caramel, orange, and rye spice bouquet. Next, a caramel-orange sip opened up into rye, bitter-herbal, dark orange, and quinine flavors on the swallow.

burnisher

1 oz Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Hamilton Navy Strength Rum (1/2 oz Smith & Cross + 1/2 oz Hamilton 86° Demerara River)
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
1/2 oz Amer Picon (Torani Amer)
1/2 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Thursdays ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I came across the Burnisher created St. Paul cocktail enthusiast Craig Eliason a few days prior. It read like other burly drinks such as Chuck Taggart's Boulevard des Rêves and Colin Shearn's Transatlantic Giant, so it caught my eye. Moreover, its Picon-Swedish punsch pairing reminded me of the Rocket and other drinks, and the orange liqueur-Swedish punsch has prospered in the 1940s variation on the Corpse Reviver #2 and more modern ones like Dr. Rieux, so I was game to try this one. In the glass, the Burnisher proffered orange, caramel, and a hint of treacle on the nose. Next, the caramel and orange notes continued on into the sip, and the swallow opened up with dark rum, Bourbon, dark orange, and rum funk flavors. Overall, it was definitely intense and overproof, but it mellowed over time as the ice melted.

emoji swagger

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1/4 oz Bigallet China-China (Amaro Ciociaro)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Sundays ago, I uncovered a set of recipe flashcards from the now closed Shift Drinks in Portland, Oregon. The one that I latched onto first was the Emoji Swagger as an embittered and spiced tequila Liberal of sorts. I was able to date it to 2016 or before from a Willamet Week newspaper article that described how "it tastes like a bittersweet Manhattan combined with churros and lime." In the glass, the Emoji Swagger presented a roasted agave aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip fled into vegetal, bitter orange, and allspice flavors on the swallow. The allspice was a bit much for me but that was perhaps due to having Hamilton's instead of St. Elizabeth on my shelf; I could see knocking that volume to 1/8 oz if I were making it again.

quadrophenia

2 oz Four Roses Bourbon (Angel's Envy)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Averna
1/4 oz Amer Picon
1 dash Old Forester Bohemian Bitters (described as "cherry tobacco bitters") (King Floyd's Cherry Cacao)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and flame an orange twist over the top and discard.Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I spotted the Quadrophenia by bar manager Julian Goglia at The Pinewood Tippling Room in Decatur, Georgia. The recipe was sourced from a 2022 Paste Magazine article on Amer Picon, and Eater Atlanta wrote about it in a 2013 article that helps to give a time frame for its creation. The drink name makes reference to The Who's sixth album from 1973 that was a rock opera or perhaps the 1979 movie based off that album. To accent the cherry undertones in the drink, I opted for Angel's Envy Bourbon with its port finish, and made with such, it led off with cherry, caramel grape, and orange aromas. Next, the grape and caramel continued on into the sip where they were followed by Bourbon and bitter herbal-orange flavors on the swallow with a chocolate and cherry finish.

bigmouth strikes again

1 1/2 oz Old Forester 100 Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Amaro Ciociaro)
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
2 dash Cherry Bark Bitters (King Floyd's Cherry Cacao)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays, I went back to the online flashcard set for house recipes at Atlanta's Paper Plane, and I paused on The Smiths tribute named Bigmouth Strikes Again. Besides the musical reference, its similarity to Eastern Standard's Prospect Park lured me in. Through an Eater article, I was able to identify the creator as Paul Calvert circa 2013. In the glass, the Bigmouth Strikes Again displayed an orange and dark fruity bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel, orange, and grape notes on the sip stepped aside for Bourbon, bitter cherry, and orange flavors on the swallow.

bourgeois guilt

2 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
1/4 oz Walnut Liqueur (Russo Nocino)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/8 oz Bigallet China-China (1/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro)
2 dash Fee's Walnut Bitters (4 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixirs)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays ago, I was searching through the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across the Bourgeois Guilt created by Chicago home bartender Applejack. With Cognac, walnut liqueur, and Benedictine, it reminded me of my Pirate's Alley but here with the Amer Picon-like Bigallet China-China and without the split spirit base of Scotch that I included. Once prepared, the Bourgeois Guilt began with an orange and rich Cognac aroma bolsterd by caramel and walnut notes. Next, the caramel continued on into the sip where it got overwhelmed by Cognac, walnut, herbal, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

blue collar

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Michter's)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro or Amer Picon (Ciociaro)
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.

After making the White Collar, I was driven to make the companion piece that inspired it, namely the Blue Collar. For that one, Michael Madrusan accidentally mixed up the recipes for a Brooklyn and a Liberal at Milk & Honey back in 2008, and he liked the result. Madrusan in his A Spot at the Bar book lists the Blue Collar as Amer Picon, and the Bartender's Choice app calls for the similar in flavor Amaro Ciociaro. Overall, the combination is very similar to the original recipe for the Brooklyn (before it morphed into the dry vermouth recipe in a later books like the 1927 Barflies & Cocktails) in the 1908 Jack's Manual of 50% rye whiskey, 50% regular (sweet) vermouth, 1 dash Maraschino, and 1 dash Amer Picon.The Blue Collar greeted the nose with a lemon, grape, and cherry bouquet. Next, grape and caramel on the sip gave way to rye with bitter orange melding into nutty cherry flavors on the swallow with a clove and cherry finish. Overall, I rather enjoyed this version, and found it perhaps better than the classic Brooklyn akin to why I love the Creole Cocktail so much.

hugo bracer

1 oz Apple Brandy (2 oz Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Amer Picon (1/2 oz Torani Amer)
2 dash Grenadine (1/2 oz)
Juice 1 Lime (1/2 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Thursdays ago, I delved into my drink book library and selected Trader Vic's 1947 Bartender's Guide. There, I spied the Hugo Bracer which had the Amer Picon-grenadine duo found in Basque Picon Punch as well as more modern recipes like the Jayco from Trader Vic's 1972 Bartender's Guide Revised. I originally mixed this with the two dashes of grenadine at 1/4 oz, but it needed a bit more to balance the lime juice, so I upped it to 1/2 oz. Overall, the structure ended up very close to my Cognac-based with lemon juice 8th Arrondissement that began with the idea of a French version of the Ward 8. In the glass, the Hugo Bracer donated an apple, herbal, and berry aroma. Next, lime and red berry notes on the sip flowed into apple and bitter orange flavors on the swallow with a pomegranate finish. Overall, the Hugo Bracer came across as an embittered Jack Rose with a skew towards the bitter orange direction.

great fitzgerald

40 mL Blended Whisky (1 1/2 oz Famous Grouse)
10 mL Lustau Oloroso Sherry (2 tsp)
5 mL Amer Picon (1 tsp Torani Amer)
15 mL Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
15 mL Simple Syrup (1/2 oz)
1 dash Pernod Absinthe (12 drop)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I kept with the London theme and selected the Claridge's Cocktail Book for the evening's recipe. There, I was lured in by the Great Fitzgerald that was adapted by Nathan McCarley-O'Neill at the Claridge's Bar for it had a Barbara West vibe to it and was similar to Sam Treadway's take on that classic, namely The Old (Barbara) West. The Great Fitzgerald welcomed the senses with an orange, lemon, and nutty grape bouquet. Next, lemon, grape, and caramel notes on the sip flowed into Scotch, nutty grape, and dark orange flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

ozymandias

3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Copper & Kings Butchertown Brandy (Copper & Kings American Brandy)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Torani Amer)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters (Bittermens Burlesque)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make the Ozymandias that appeared in the most recent issue of Imbibe Magazine (March/April 2022). This tribute to either the Percy Bysshe Shelley poem or the poem's muse Pharaoh Ramesses II (Ozymandias was how the Greeks referred to him as) was crafted by Nickle Morris at Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, and it reminded me of a split spirits Creole Cocktail. In the glass, the Ozymandias proffered a lemon and brandy aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes mingled on the sip, and swallow conjured up rye, brandy, herbal, and caramel orange flavors.

the elves and their antics

1 1/2 oz Genever (Bols)
1 oz Cardamaro
1/4 oz Amer Picon (Torani Amer)
1/4 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.

I was reminded of the Genever-Cardamaro pairing that I first learned about at Portland Cocktail Week 2012 with the Deck Hand and Walking Spanish and was reminded of years later with the Le Subtil. It inspired a series of creations such as the Wooden Shoe, and I crossed the idea with the Benedictine-Picon pairing in the Creole Cocktail. I dubbed the result The Elves and their Antics in keeping with my previous Dutch fairy tale drink names.The Elves and their Antics teased the nose with a malt and herbal aroma. Next, the malt continued on into the sip where it mingled with the grape notes, and the swallow came through with malt, orange, and herbal flavors.

beginning of the end

1 1/2 oz Aged Rum (Don Q Gran Añejo)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
1/3 oz Amer Picon
1/3 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a flamed orange twist.For the final night of Sherry Week 2021, I turned to Difford's Guide for an answer. There, I landed upon the Beginning of the End crafted by Paul Mathew of The Hide in London for the 2008 Boutique Bar Show's cocktail competition. The name reflects how it is a riff on the classic Fin de Siècle but with aged rum and sherry in place of the original's gin and orange bitters. For a last #SherryKu (sherry Haiku) to accompany my Instagram entry, I composed, "Solera system/No beginning or finish/Fractional blending." In the glass, the Beginning of the End donated an orange oil over rum, nutty sherry, and dark orange aroma. Next, caramel and grape notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow rounded things out with rum, nutty sherry, and dark orange flavors.

zipper skin

1 1/2 oz Bourbon
3/4 oz High Wire Distilling Southern Amaro
3/4 oz Bigallet China-China
1 dash Cocktail Punk Smoked Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.During my New York City trip, I made a stop into Amor y Amaro on that Wednesday for a pair of drinks. For a starter, I asked bartender Bruce Shultz for the Zipper Skin from the menu that appeared like a Boulevardier riff akin to the Poison Arrow. When I inquired about the recipe, Bruce handed me a sheet from one of Amor y Amargo's Reserve Bar nights that they held in November and December of 2020 where five cocktails were each paired with small dishes for eight guests per session. The Zipper Skin for that event was matched with crispy orange-scented cauliflower with a raisin-caper emulsion. The Zipper Skin here without a small plate proffered an orange oil and caramel bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and orange peel on the sip led into Bourbon, cinnamon, orange, tea, gentian, and quinine flavors on the swallow.

Post note 8/24/21: I found the Zipper Skin in Sother's I'm Just Here for the Drinks book. It describes how, "Zipper Skins are a variety of Dancy tangerine whose skins are easily peeled or zipped off. This drink is plentiful with orange flavors: China China is an orange and herb amaro... Southern Amaro... is made from gentian, mint, black tea, and Dancy tangerines... Though it's a sipper, it zips down fast."