smoking gun

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1/2 oz Aquavit (Linie)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 slice Cucumber

Muddle cucumber in syrup, add rest of ingredients, shake with ice, double strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a fresh cucumber slice. Two Mondays ago, I fired up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and looked for a recipe to celebrate my garden's first cucumber of the season. There, I landed on the Smoking Gun by Gabriel D'Alessandro at London's Satan's Whiskers in 2025. The bar's Instagram had a slightly different ratio of 1 oz mezcal, 1/2 oz aquavit, and 2/3 oz for both the lemon juice and simple, but I used the app's recipe better suited to American jiggers. While I have had a few mezcal-cucumber drinks like the Mexican Razor Blade and the Disco Nap, the only aquavit-cucumber recipe that I have tried is the Balsa Raft at Vandaag, a Manhattan bar that focused on Genever and aquavit. Gabriel recommended on Instagram, "If you can get hold of Aalborg Dild Aquavit, the dill freshness sets things off nicely." With Linie Aquavit though, the Smoking Gun revealed itself with a vegetal, cucumber, and caraway aroma. Next, lemon coupled with a greenness on the sip delved into vegetal, smoke, cucumber, and spice notes on the swallow.

the linguist

1 1/2 oz Brennivin Aquavit (Linie)
1/2 oz Wild Turkey Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I caught up on the December Campari Academy class video featuring Gregory Buda that I had missed when it aired live. Afterwards, I checked out his Instagram and spotted a drink called The Linguist that was the passed cocktail at his master class on menu development held at the Daisy Cocktail Bar in Reykjavík, Iceland, in November of 2025. I messaged Gregory for the recipe, and I made the drink that he created at Montreal's Bisou Bisou in 2024 later that night. The ingredients reminded me of the rye-forward Mergers & Acquisitions that I had a few years ago, so I knew it would be a good one. In the glass, The Linguist gave forth orange, caraway, and grape aromas. Next, the vermouth's grape led the sip that transformed into Bourbon, caraway, grape, herbal, and orange pith flavors on the swallow.

scandinavian delight

1 1/2 oz Martin Miller's Gin (Martin Miller Westbourne Strength)
1/2 oz Krogstad Aquavit
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth (Servito)
1/4 oz Amaro Braulio

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a lemon twist on the rim. Two Sundays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Scotch Lodge in Portland, Oregon, to sample the Scandinavian Delight. I was able to spot a Yelp menu photo from May 2022 and a pair of Yelp drink photos at the bar from June 2022. Overall, the gin, aquavit, and blanc vermouth trio reminded me of Death & Co.'s One, One, One, and a Martini riff seemed like a perfect way to end the evening. Once mixed, the Scandinavian Delight proffered up lemon, caraway, and star anise aromas to the nose. Next, a semi-sweet white grape sip with a hint of caramel blossomed into pine, star anise, herbal, and caraway flavors on the swallow.

bowie intro

1 1/4 oz Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky
1/2 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Krogstad Aquavit
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Rich Demerara 2:1 Syrup (1/2+ oz 1:1)
2 Cherries (Luxardo)

Muddle cherries, add rest of the ingredients, and shake with ice. Double strain into a Collins glass with crushed ice (old fashioned glass with a large cube) and garnish with a cherry or a lemon wheel-cherry bullseye (cherry).When I landed late Wednesday night two weeks ago from the USBG conference in Atlanta, it was time for a nightcap. For a recipe, I opted for the Bowie Intro by Chaim Dauermann at The Up & Up in Manhattan that was posted on KindredCocktails. The database sourced the drink from a 2024 The Manual article on crème de banane recipes, and since banana and aquavit worked really well in the Mr. Wednesday, I was sold. In the glass, the Bowie Intro gave forth a caraway, cherry, and whisky aroma. Next, lemon, cherry, and caramel notes on the sip transformed into whisky, banana, cherry, and caraway flavors on the swallow. Indeed, the touch of aquavit was rather elegant in this mix.

dogstar

2 oz Brennivin (Linie Aquavit)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1 bsp Maraschino (1/8 oz Luxardo)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with orange oil from a twist and with a cherry.Two Saturdays ago, I uncovered a set of online recipe flashcards for The Rose in Jackson, Wyoming, and selected the Dogstar from their Winter 2015-16 menu. On paper, it came across like an aquavit Angel of Tombstone or Brown Manhattan with a touch of Red Hook. Once mixed, the Dogstar guided the nose towards orange, cherry, caraway, and herbal aromas. Next, a grape and cherry sip flowed into caraway, bitter herbal, orange, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow.

surfing valhalla

1 1/2 oz Aquavit (Linie)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Cynar

Shake with ice, strain to a coupe, and garnish with a lime wedge (omit the garnish; also it was not observed in a Yelp drink photo in 2018).Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Rosewater in Houston and spotted their Surfing Valhalla that seemed intriguing. The restaurant's website describes it as "A sort of Nordic-inspired Daiquiri variation. We introduced this one in the Spring of 2017, and it's long been a favorite of the owner, but he's obsessed with aquavit and Genever." The obsession of aquavit and Genever reminded me of Vandaag in Manhattan which I had the chance to visit back in 2011. Once prepared, the Surfing Valhalla paddled out to the nose with caraway, lime, and herbal aromas. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip crested into caraway, grapefruit pith, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

folk hero

3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Wild Turkey 101° Rye (Rittenhouse)
1 tsp Linie Aquavit
1 tsp Amaro Nonino
1 tsp Benedictine
1 tsp Honey Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.After making the Model Village, I still had the webpage for the Death & Co. market place open, and I found the Folk Hero there. They attributed the drink to bartender Jake Powell at their Denver location in 2024; Jake described how the rye-apple brandy duo often denoted by the word "harvest" such as in the Harvest Sour drew him in. Moreover, he let his obsession about folk heroes like Paul Bunyan and Evil Knievel come through in the name. The idea of a split base rye-apple brandy Old Fashioned with accents of aquavit seemed appealing especially recalling how well rye and apple brandy work with aquavit in the 2009-era Carra-Ryed Away and Norwegian Wood, respectively. Once mixed, the Folk Hero launched into a lemon, apple, caramel, caraway, and herbal bouquet. Next, caramel and honey notes on the sip wandered off into rye, apple, caraway, herbal, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

scandinavian delight

1 1/2 oz Martin Miller's Gin (Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength)
1/2 oz Krogstad Aquavit
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Amaro Braulio

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I uncovered an online recipe flashcard set for the Scotch Lodge in Portland, Oregon, and I landed on the Scandinavian Delight that had the same gin, aquavit, and blanc vermouth combination as Death & Co.'s One, One, One. I was able to get a time frame of 2022 through Yelp menu and drink photos and a January 2023 Early Out article. Here, it had Braulio to accent the Martini structure akin to the Maraschino in the Genever-for-gin Bohemia. Once assembled, the Scandinavian Delight welcomed the nose with a lemon, pine, caraway, and star anise bouquet. Next, a white grape sip with a hint of caramel transitioned into caraway, citrus, pine, and anise flavors on the swallow.

doppelganger

1 1/2 oz Drumshambo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1/2 oz Linie Aquavit
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Celery Bitters (Bitter Truth)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails book, and I decided on the Doppelgänger by Jillian Vose at the Dead Rabbit. Once prepared, the drink showcased lemon, pine, and caraway aromas. Next, white grape and honey notes on the sip blossomed into whiskey, caraway, and pine flavors on the swallow with a soft vegetal finish.

water line

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Linie Aquavit
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Cointreau
(1/8 oz Demerara Syrup as my addition for balance)
2 dash Fee's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 dash Fee's Walnut Bitters (2 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixir)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass (coupe), and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays previous, I began searching the KindredCocktails database for drink ideas. There, I landed on the Water Line by Sara Rosales, a Seattle bartender and co-owner of Lady Jaye, circa 2013. The spirits balanced merely by Cynar and an orange liqueur had worked so well in the Devil in a Boot and Hugo Ball, that I was keen on trying this one. Moreover, rye-aquavit combination has been great in cocktails like The Staggerly and in my creations like the Day Old Bread that I was ready to stir this one up. Once done, the Water Line showcased an orange, caramel, rye, and caraway aroma. Next, a caramel orange sip rose to rye, caraway, and herbal orange swallow.

opera comique

1 oz Aquavit (Linie)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I was in the mood to tinker for Negroni Week despite the end result being nothing like a Negroni. I became inspired by the Cynar-Chartreuse combination of the Drink of Laughter & Forgetting and by the structure of the Tailspin. I was considering gin as the spirit, but that put the mix too close in the direction of my Continuum from Our Fathers back in 2018. The Cynar made me think of the Trident and its aquavit, so I made that switch. I dubbed this the Opera Comique (a/k/a Murderer's Corner) after one of the most bawdy concert saloons in old San Francisco run by Happy Jack Harrington in the 1870s as discovered in Herbert Asbury's book The Barbary Coast. The final result proffered orange, herbaceous, and caramel aromas. Next, grape and caramel notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow followed through with caraway, vegetal, herbaceous, and orange flavors.

freydis

3/4 oz El Dorado 3 Year White Rum (Hamilton White Stache)
3/4 oz Krogstad Aquavit
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz L'Orgeat Almond Liqueur or Orgeat (Orgeat)
1/4 oz Orchard Peach Liqueur (Mathilde)

Whip shake, pour into a Hurricane or Pearl Diver glass (Collins), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and orchid (ornamental pea blossom).As I was making my way through Amanda Schuster's Signature Cocktails book, one of the first drinks that seemed intriguing that I had not tried before and was also easy to make without crafting ingredients or utilizing time- and labor-intensive processes was the Freydis. The recipe was created by Selma Slabiak at Mother of Pearl in Manhattan circa 2018, and it was also meaningful to me for I got to meet Selma when we both attended the same session of Gaz Regan's Cocktails in the Country in 2015. Selma named her Nordic take on the Mai Tai after the sister of Leif Erikson and the first Scandinavian woman to make it to America. The combination reminded me a little of Death & Co.'s Mr. Wednesday but here in a peach instead of banana way. Once prepared, the Freydis landed with a mint and nutty bouquet. Next, a creamy lime sip sailed into rum, caraway, star anise, and nutty peach flavors on the swallow.

the rest is noise

1 oz Daron Fine Calvados (Morin Selection)
1 oz Linie Aquavit
>1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1 pinch Salt (3 drop 20% Saline)

Stir with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass rinsed with Laphroaig Scotch.Two Tuesdays prior, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Chicago's The Violet Hour, and I stumbled onto the apple-herbal The Rest is Noise from their Summer 2022 menu. The flashcards described it as a "Scandinavian smoky Sazerac", and the photo I took reminded me of Pouring Ribbons' Parade of the Fairies despite Chartreuse being the only overlapping ingredient. Once prepared, The Rest is Noise started off with a peat smoke aroma from the Laphroaig rinse. Next, apple notes on the sip continued on into the swallow where they were joined by complementary herbaceous and caraway flavors.

internet famous

1 1/2 oz White Rum (Privateer Tres Aromatique Overproof)
1/2 oz Pamplemousse Grapefruit Liqueur (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Brenevin (Linie Aquavit)
1/8 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Saline (3 drop 1:4 Saline Solution)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for Portland's Shift Drinks and spotted the Internet Famous. Its aquavit-Maraschino combination reminded me of how well it worked in recipes like the Bohemia and Argyle, so I was curious to give this one a go. Here, the Internet Famous proffered a grapefruit and cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, cherry notes on the sip uncovered rum, cherry, caraway, grapefruit peel, and anise flavors on the swallow.

willie lee

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
1/2 oz Aquavit (Linie)
3/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1/8 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice and strain into a heavy absinthe-rinsed (Kübler) old fashioned glass.Two Tuesdays ago, I was writing up the tequila-aquavit Enemy Lines, and I thought about how well aquavit, mezcal, and rye work in duos in various cocktails. Therefore, why not throw all three in together akin to Death & Co.'s Conference? The format I took that evening was a three spirit Improved Cocktail riff that I dubbed Willie Lee after the character from Johnny Cash's "Cocaine Blues" song. Once assembled, the Willie Lee stepped up with anise, vegetal, and caraway aromas. Next, a semi-sweet sip retreated to rye, agave, caraway, nutty cherry, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

enemy lines

1 1/2 oz Linie Aquavit
3/4 oz El Tesoro Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 tsp 2:1 Cane Sugar Syrup (1/4 oz 1:1)
4 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters (Jerry Thomas Aromatic Bitters)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a reference to Jillian Vose's Enemy Lines that she created at Death & Co. in 2011 and had published in Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails, and I figured that it would be a great double header to the night before's Drawing Board that she created four years later at Dead Rabbit. The Enemy Lines featured tequila and aquavit in Old Fashioned format, and the two spirits have worked well together in Franky Marshall's Eleventh Hour and Sandy De Almeida's Raging Bull, so I was curious to further explore the duo. In the glass, the drink led off with lemon and vegetal aromas. Next, caramel notes on the sip gave way to agave, caraway, and anise flavors on the swallow.

day old bread

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Aquavit (Linie)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Cynar
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe rinsed with absinthe (Kübler).Two Fridays ago, I was inspired to riff on Maks Pazuniak's 100 Year Old Cigar, and I swapped the dark rum accented by smoky Islay Scotch for a 3:1 rye whiskey to aquavit combination that I have used in drinks like Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck and was still fresh on my mind from having the Mergers & Acquisitions two weeks prior. The drink I dubbed Day Old Bread due to the rye and caraway notes began with anise, licorice, and herbal aromas. Next, a caramel-driven sip led into rye, caraway, herbal, and minty flavors on the swallow with a clove and caraway finish.

mergers & acquisitions

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Aquavit (Linie)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I was flipping through an online flashcard set when I spotted the Mergers & Acquisitions that called for the delightful rye-aquavit combination that I learned about in the Carra-Ryed Away and that I utilized in recipes like the Nude Descending a Staircase. I was able to pin the drink down to the Craft & Commerce speakeasy in San Diego circa 2016 via a post on The Drinking Life blog; the blog listed the sweet vermouth as merely 1/4 oz, but I trusted the flashcards' 3/4 oz and the fact that the name and recipe reminded me greatly of the Milk & Honey gem, Death & Taxes, that calls for the larger volume. Once built, the Mergers & Acquisitions schemed up an orange, caraway, and rye aroma. Next, a grape-driven sip was bought out by a rye, caraway, and herbal swallow.

the staggerly

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse Bonded)
3/4 oz Aquavit (Linie)
3/4 oz Amaro Nardini

The recipe did not specify serving instructions other than an orange twist, so I prepared like an Old Fashioned – stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays ago, I uncovered an online collection of recipe flashcards from the Zig Zag Café in Seattle and landed upon the Staggerly. I was able find an early reference to it in a 2013 Yelp review, and it was described in the 2018 book 100 Things to Do in Seattle Before You Die. I was lured in by the rye-aquavit combination that David Wondrich utilized in 2005 in the Old Bay Ridge and I later used in cocktails like the Nude Descending a Staircase. Once assembled the Staggerly donated a lemon, caramel, caraway, and herbal bouquet to the nose. Next, the amaro's caramel filled the sip, and the swallow gave forth rye, caraway, caramel, bitter, and minty flavors.

divine wind

1 oz Linie Aquavit
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1 dash Celery Bitters (Bitter Truth)

Stir with ice, strain into a single old fashioned glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the Atlanta's Paper Plane online flashcards and came across the Divine Wind from their February 2014 cocktail menu. It was described as a riff on the Tailspin, and it reminded me of the Norwegian Negroni given the aquavit and Cynar. In the glass, the Divine Wind whispered lemon, caramel, and grape aromas to the nose. Next, the caramel and grape continued on into the sip where it was chased by caraway, nutty cherry, and herbal flavors on the swallow.