the ambassador

1 oz Shot Tower Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack van Oosten
3/4 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
3/4 oz Giffard Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
6 leaf Mint

Muddle mint in a footed rocks glass (regular old fashioned glass). Add the rest of the ingredients, fill with crushed ice, and give a quick stir. While the recipe I uncovered lacked a garnish, one of the two drink photos I found were ornamented with mint sprigs, so I included one. Two Fridays ago, I continued on with the mint drinks that I had saved up from online recipe flashcard sets and picked the Ambassador at Bygone in Baltimore. I was able to find a Yelp menu photo from June 2023, and while the recipe lacked a garnish, I spotted two Ambassador drink photos on Yelp from around that time: one with a mint garnish and one without (so I opted for one). Since split bases of gin and Batavia Arrack have worked well in the Odessa Cocktail from the 1930s and in the more modern Transatlantic Orbit, I was game to try this one out. Here, the Ambassador generated a mint, nutty grape, and hint of clove aroma. Next, lime and grape notes on the sip traded in for piny juniper, funky rum, nutty, mint, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

the capricorn

1 1/2 oz Aged Dark Rum (Planteray Original Dark)
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with lime oil (lime twist). Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and spied an Erick Castro recipe that I had never made before – namely, the Capricorn that he created at Rickhouse in San Francisco circa 2009. It was reminescent of the Wray of Light with Jamaican rum instead of the dark rum and Batavia Arrack here, and with Becherovka as the clove source instead of falernum, it reminded me of Hop, Skip, and Jump. Once prepared, the Capricorn galloped to the nose with floral pineapple-lime melding into Batavia Arrack funk aromas. Next, lime with a hint of pineapple on the sip ushered in dark rum, Batavia Arrack's earthy funk, pineapple, and clove flavors on the swallow.

mistah bittah hai

1 1/4 oz Batavia Arrack (Von Oosten)
3/4 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 pinch Salt (4 drop 20% Saline)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Pilsner mug (Tiki mug), and garnish with mint sprigs, grapefruit slice (grapefruit twist), and a smoldering cinnamon stick.Two Thursdays, I returned to a 2024 Imbibe Magazine article for a Tiki drink called the Mistah Bittah Hai. The recipe was crafted by Jacoby Morciglio at Adrift Tiki Bar in Denver as a Mr. Bali Hai riff, and the magazine described how Jacoby "loves the combo of coffee and fruit in the tropical classic Mr. Bali Hai, but to play up the recipe's bittersweet notes, he swaps pineapple juice for grapefruit and brings in bitters and sweet vermouth. A touch of mezcal adds another dimension of flavor." Unlike the article's semi-vague recipe, the bar's Instagram specifies that the sweet vermouth mentioned is Punt e Mes and the Indonesian rum is Batavia Arrack (my recipe above is a hybrid of the magazine and the bar's social media post). Moreover, the article suggested Mexican rum or Rhum Agricole if Batavia Arrack is unavailable. Once prepared, the Mistah Bittah Hai gave forth a mint, grapefruit, and acrid cinnamon smoke aroma. Next, lime, grape, and roast notes on the sip developed into earthy, vegetal, bitter, grapefruit, coffee, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

xingu cocktail

70% Arrack (2 oz Batavia Arrack von Oosten)
10% Maraschino (1/2 oz Luxardo)
10% Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
10% Absinthe (1/8 oz St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I revisited my reprint of the 1936 book 1000 Misture and landed on the Xingu Cocktail which reminded me of the Xingu black lager from Brazil that I first tried in the mid-90s. The combination made me think of the egg white Arrack Sour which has Peychaud's Bitters for the anise note instead of absinthe. In the glass, the Xingu opened up with lemon, anise, and funky Batavia Arrack melding into nutty cherry on the nose. Next, lemon and cherry notes on the sip flowed into earthy, nutty, cherry, funk, and anise flavors on the swallow.

king of the hoodlums

3/4 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Demerara Rum (Hamilton 86°)
3/4 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I was inspired by the Cognac, Guyana rum, and Batavia Arrack split base in the 1930s Darling Cocktail, and I decided to mash it up with the Ciociaro-cacao combination from Little Branch's African Flower. Part of my thinking was due to how well crème de cacao and Batavia Arrack work in drinks like the 18th Century and Mutiny on the Mili Atoll. For a name, I dubbed this one the King of the Hoodlums after a character described in Herbert Asbury's The Barbary Coast book. James Riley who was better known to the San Francisco Police as that nickname came to San Francisco from New York City in 1868 and soon became one of the principal criminal ornaments. In the glass, the King of the Hoodlums showcased an orange, caramel, chocolate, and rum funk aroma. Next, caramel with a hint of orange peel on the sip parried with Cognac, funky and woody rum, chocolate, and orange flavors on the swallow.

odessa cocktail

25% Batavia Arrack (3/4 oz von Oosten)
25% Dry Gin (3/4 oz Tanqueray Malacca)
25% Sweet Vermouth (3/4 oz Giacomo Sperone)
25% Campari (3/4 oz)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to 1000 Mistures from 1936 and spotted the Odessa Cocktail which read like a Negroni meets a funky Right Hand. It also bore some resemblance to my Dutch Hand with Genever and mole bitters instead of the gin and Angostura here. In the glass, the Odessa Cocktail presented a grape, herbal, and pine bouquet to the nose. Next, a grape-driven sip opened up into funky rum, pine, sharp bitter orange, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

darling cocktail

20% Cognac (1/2 oz Courvoisier VS)
20% Demerara Rum (1/2 oz Hamilton 86°)
20% Batavia Arrack (1/2 oz von Oosten)
30% Sweet Vermouth (3/4 oz Giacomo Sperone)
10% Zara Maraschino (1/4 oz Luxardo)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a glass rimmed with grenadine and sugar, and garnish with a cherry.Two Wednesdays ago, I received my copy of 1000 Mistures from 1936 by Elvezio Grassi and recently translated by J.E. Clapham. For a starter, I honed in on the Darling Cocktail since I had not used my bottle of Batavia Arrack that much in the last year (save for the Lethal Weapon and Hitman). The trio of Cognac, rum, and Batavia Arrack screams out classic punches, but the only recipe that I could find that called for all three was Shannon Mustipher's modern Old Rogue punch. Here the three spirits were in a Martinez sort of format, so the straight spirits nature made me curious. In the glass, the Darling Cocktail offered up dark rum and nutty cherry aromas. Next, grape notes with a hint of molasses on the sip shifted into Cognac, funky and woody rum, nutty cherry, and clove flavors on the swallow.

lethal weapon

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 dropper Tiki Bitters (2 dash Bitter Cube Corazon)

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass with ice (Tiki mug with crushed ice).Two Thursdays ago, my friend Chris Almeida posted a story of a Facebook memory from 2022 of the recipe for the Lethal Weapon that he created at The Tasty in Plymouth, Massachusetts.The drink's combination of Smith & Cross, Batavia Arrack, lime, and falernum was one that I had enjoyed before in the Privateer, so I was curious to see how it would do with vanilla syrup and Tiki bitters here. Once prepared, the Lethal Weapon opened up with lime, vanilla, and rum funk aromas. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip flipped into funky and earthy rums, vanilla, and clove flavors on the swallow.

hitman

3/4 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
3/4 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/2 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make another recipe in the online recipe flashcard collection from Dutch Kills called the Hitman. I was not able to find it in photos of menus or in reviews on Yelp or Google Maps, but it was too tempting to pass up. The combination of mezcal and Batavia Arrack reminded me of various Boston and New York City drinks like the Esmino's Escape and the Shattered Glasser, and that duo was one that I utilized in the Explorer's Dream that I later modified into the Explorer's Negroni. Moreover, the combination of Maraschino and ginger syrup was very intriguing in the New Rider and in the One for Jimmy (with ginger beer), and I featured it in my Tiki drink Who Killed Mr. Moonlight?. In the glass, the Hitman launched off with a nutty cherry and smoke bouquet. Next, a lime and cherry sip stalked down funky spirits, nutty cherry, and ginger flavors on the swallow with a smoke and ginger finish.

the five elements

3/4 oz Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
3/4 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Chinese Five Spice Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
(*) Chinese five spice syrup: 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water. Heat the spices in a pan until they become fragrant. Add sugar and water, stir, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, let sit covered for 15 minutes, strain through a coffee filter, bottle, and refrigerate.After spotting Misty Kalkofen's Joe's Fashion that paired Punt e Mes with Chinese five spice syrup, I decided to tinker. I opted for the spirits mix from the Bombay Government Punch of Cognac and Batavia Arrack to make a drink split between ingredients from the East and the West. Since it felt very punch like, I dubbed this the Five Elements – partly because the recipe had that many ingredients but also because the word 'punch' may derive from the Hindi word 'panch' meaning five: spirit, citrus, sugar, spice, and water. Once prepared, the Five Elements greeted the nose with Cognac, apple, and cinnamon aromas. Next, lemon, honey, roast, and grape notes on the sip sailed into Cognac, dry funky Batavia Arrack, herbal, and spice including star anise flavors on the swallow.

dutch highlander

1 1/2 oz Blended Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I was scanning through the Difford's Guide database when I came across the Dutch Highlander by Jason Clapham at St. Edward's MCR at Oxford, England. It was a riff on Paul Harrington's 1990s Highlander with the addition of Batavia Arrack in the mix. Since Scotch and Batavia Arrack have paired well in drinks like My Triumphs, My Mistakes and Tall as a Tree and Twice as Shady, I was curious to give this drink a try. Here, it met the nose with lemon and herbal aromas. Next, caramel and malt on the sip led into Scotch melding into Batavia Arrack's funkiness followed by smoke and herbal elements on the swallow.

midnight to midnight

3/4 oz Genever (Bols)
3/4 oz Batavia Arrack
1 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Mole Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

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

Two Saturdays ago, one of my fellow bartenders at Drink made the Midnight Mass from Death & Co. for a guest, and I became curious about the combination of Cardamaro and Benedictine. After having the Wild Card two nights before, the Genever-Cardamaro duo was on my mind, and I decided to split the spirit with Batavia Arrack as I had done in the Dutch Hand after experiencing the two in recipes like the Double Dutch and Weirding Way. For a name, I paid tribute to the Midnight Mass inspiration and dubbed it Midnight to Midnight after a Psychedelic Furs album.Midnight to Midnight presented an orange and malty bouquet to the senses. Next, grape, malty, and caramel notes on the sip progressed into earthy, malty, and herbal flavors with a clove, allspice, and chocolate finish.

koki'o punch

2 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum (El Dorado 5 Year)
1 oz Hibiscus Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1 dash Bittermens Burlesque Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice. I strained into a Zombie glass with cracked ice and garnished with a lime wheel.
(*) A strong steap of hibiscus flower for 5 minutes to make a tisane or "tea". Combine with an equal volume of sugar and stir to dissolve.

Two weeks ago, I caught the news that Boston bar legend Aaron Butler had passed away. I met Aaron when he was on the opening staff for Drink in 2008; moreover, he helped to open Russell House Tavern as its bar manager in 2010. Those two locations are very dear to me for Russell House Tavern was where I got my start as a bartender in 2013, and Drink is my currently bar home as of November 2021. In fact, two weeks before Aaron's passing, we were chatting online about Drink's past and present and catching up on each others' lives. Aaron's passing was in the same week as Junior Ryan in Portland, Oregon, who I had met at Portland Cocktail Week 2012 and attended his Demystifying Vermouth class.

The longest legacy cocktail that Aaron had was the Battle of Trafalgar that was on the opening menu in 2010 and lasted on the menu for the two years that I was there and a few years past my leaving in 2015. That recipe with a half ounce of Batavia Arrack made Russell House Tavern the largest account for that spirit in the United States. After Aaron's passing, I made this recipe for guests at Drink, and the combination still held up; even without explanation of why I suggested it, they were recommending it to others in their party or to others at the bar around them. Later that week, bartender and musician Randy Wong posted a recipe, the Koki'o Punch, that Aaron had crafted for an Opus Affair event in 2011 where Randy's band, the Waitiki 7, performed. The recipe struck me as a parallel creation stylistically to the Battle of Trafalgar with the Pimm's base and St. Germain accent being substituted for the red and floral combination of rum, hibiscus, and Burlesque Bitters and with the honey swapped for falernum. That might be a stretch, but both had the three quarters ounce lime and the trademark half ounce of Batavia Arrack.

It took a bit of effort to find hibiscus tea for most stores sell it as part of an herbal blend. Andrea was able to find it in the ethnic aisle for it is big in Caribbean cultures. Once prepared, the Koki'o Punch donated a lime, berry, floral, and rum funk aroma to the nose. Next, lime and tart berry on the sip flowed into rum, Batavia Arrack funk, and clove flavors on the swallow.

sacred monkey forest

2 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe rinsed with smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year).

Two Thursdays ago, I was inspired by the Krakatoa that I had at Drink as a patron back in 2008 and that I started making in the past few weeks on the other side of that same bar. That night, I made a first pass at a riff, and I improved it a few days later. To the house classic, I removed the Chartreuse on fire aspect and included the liqueur in the mix. Taking a page from Avery's Arrack-Ari, I added in a smoky Scotch rinse, and from the Banana Toronto, I dosed in some banana liqueur to mingle with the Fernet. For a name, I uncovered the Sacred Monkey Forest which is a park in Indonesia (where Batavia Arrack is made) where one can feed and interact with the monkeys at one's own risk (yes, they do and will bite).The Sacred Monkey Forest began with a peat smoke and herbal nose. Next, caramel and tropical fruit notes on the sip swung into funky rum, bitter herbal, and banana flavors on the swallow.

explorer's negroni

3/4 oz Batavia Arrack (Von Oosten)
3/4 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
2 dash Absinthe (1 scant bsp Kübler)

Stir with ice, strain into an Old Fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, someone made my Explorer's Dream and posted that riff on the Poet's Dream on Instagram. Therefore, I revisited the combination and wondered what else the Batavia Arrack-mezcal duo for gin would work in. The classic I went with was the Negroni, and I kept the absinthe from the Explorer's Dream for it worked great with Campari and sweet vermouth in the Quill.The Explorer's Negroni discovered an orange, funk, and hint of smoke on the nose. Next, a dark berry on the sip reminded me of sloe gin, and the swallow landed with funky spirits melding into bitter orange flavors with anise accents.

pleasure and pain

1 3/4 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Nux Alpina (Russo Nocino)
1/2 oz Branca Menta
1/4 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Sundays ago, I was intrigued with a recipe that I had spotted on the Kindred Cocktails database -- namely, the Pleasure and Pain that Misty Kalkofen created at Brick & Mortar in 2012. Misty's use of walnut liqueur in the Human Rocket, In Vida Veritas, Sentimental Gentleman, and other drinks made me curious as to what she saw in its pairing with Batavia Arrack. Moreover, the duo of Branca Menta and Benedictine in the mix intrigued me. Once prepared, the Pleasure and Pain conjured a minty and menthol aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip cracked into funky Batavia Arrack, earthy walnut, and Fernet's gentian and mint flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was impressed at how well the Branca Menta kept the Batavia Arrack in check.

circe

1 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/2 oz Plantation OFTD Rum
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry (La Gitana)
1/2 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with 3 grapes on a pick (whip shake, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist).Two Fridays ago, I kicked off my celebration of the January Instagram phenomenon of Tiki the Snow Away with the Circe from Chloe Frechette's Easy Tiki book. The recipe was crafted by Channing Centeno at Otis in Brooklyn, and I took the on-the-rocks delivery and made it a bit more tropical. Here, the Circe met the nose with a grapefruit, floral, ginger, and rum funk aroma. Next, lemon, peach, and white wine notes on the sip transformed into funky rums, floral, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

catch-22

3/4 oz Batavia Arrack (1 1/4 oz von Oosten)
3/4 oz La Gitana Manzanilla Sherry (1 1/4 oz)
3/4 oz Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb (3/8 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao) (*)
3/4 oz House Chocolate Liquor (3/8 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao) (*)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (not flamed).
(*) The house chocolate liquor was an unsweetened recipe as a cacao and vanilla infusion. I adjusted ingredients to make for a more balanced recipe given my sweetened chocolate liqueur.Two Mondays ago, I decided to make a recipe that I had spotted on social media from the Left Coast Libations book called the Catch-22. I had previously skipped this recipe for it appeared to0 sweet (not to mention that I only added Fino and Manzanilla sherries in the last year or so, and I certainly did not have them on hand when the book was published ten years ago). The key was that the recipe created by Jackie Patterson at Heaven's Door in San Francisco called for a house chocolate liquor (not liqueur), and there was no sugar in that cacao and vanilla infusion; therefore, I adjusted all the proportions to keep the overall sugar level about the same as intended given my chocolate choice. Once prepared, the Catch-22 met the nose with an orange, chocolate, and rum funk bouquet. Next, a semi-dry sip shared roast notes from the crème de cacao, and the swallow offered up funky Batavia Arrack, chocolate, orange, savory, and briny flavors to round out the drink.

bombay government punch

25 oz Batavia Arrack (2 oz Von Oosten)
25 oz Cognac (2 oz Courvoisier VS)
12 oz 2:1 Demerara or Turbinado Sugar (1 oz 2:1 Demerara)
Juice 12 Limes (1 oz Juice)
2 quart Water or Cooled Black/Green Tea (5 1/4 oz Green Tea)

Build in a bowl, chill with ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Two Thursdays ago, I was in the mood for a punch, so I reached for David Wondrich's book on the subject. The one that caught my eye was the Bombay Government Punch based off of the classic Bombay Presidency Punch. The original was described in 1676 to involve the imbibers "besotting themselves with drunkenness... to the shame, scandall, and ruine of our nation and religion." Wondrich adapted this formula in 2003 to a variety of rum and brandy combinations as Batavia Arrack was rather hard to source at the time. He specified 10 Cane Rum (which is now no longer produced) and a VSOP Cognac with the option of swapping the water component for cooled tea; by the time he was writing Punch, Arrack was being imported into the country once again, and he suggested it as an option instead of rum.
The Bombay Government Punch proffered a wood spice, floral Cognac, and funky Arrack bouquet to the nose. Next, a rich lime and caramel sip led into grassy Arrack, Cognac, and green tea flavors on the swallow.

archipelago

250 mL Batavia Arrack van Oosten (2 1/2 oz)
100 mL Calvados (1 oz Morin Selection)
50 mL Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear Liqueur (1/2 oz)
125 mL Ginger Syrup (1 1/4 oz)
100 mL Lemon Juice (1 oz)

Combine in a Tiki bowl and stir with ice. Garnish with citrus wheels and flowers (citrus peel, mint sprigs, and flowers).
Two Saturdays, I was in the mood for something refreshing, so I selected Shannon Mustipher's Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails. There, I uncovered her Archipelago that was leaning more towards a punch than a Daiquiri like Eastern Standard's Archipelago. Its combination of Batavia Arrack and apple brandy made me recall the Prospector from Kask in Portland, and the ginger and pear liqueur had me thinking about the Naughty Nanny that Andrea created for a Mixology Monday years ago (it might be the only recipe that she created solo on here). Once built, the Archipelago welcomed the senses with a mint, apple-pear, and ginger bouquet. Next, lemon and pear notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow proffered Batavia Arrack's funky rum, apple, and ginger pear flavors.