alpine drive

1 oz Drouin Calvados (Morin Selection)
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Becherovka
2 dash Maple Bitters (3 drop Maple Syrup + 1 dash Fee's Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with an apple fan. Two Tuesdays ago, the apple fan on the Beyond the Solar System reminded me of the recipe that I had saved for the Alpine Drive by Mark Stoddard. I had uncovered this recipe via online recipe flashcards for the Fall 2024 menu at Teardrop Lounge in Portland, Oregon, and the current menu describes it as "A leisurely stroll through the changing colors" with evidence in the Willamette Weekly that it was being served at the bar as far back as 2017. I have only had Becherovka with an apple brandy base in the Meadowlands but several times in split base apple brandy drinks such as the Orchard in Manhattan, so I was curious to see try it here in a spiced Marconi Wireless riff. Once prepared, the nose offered up apple, dark grape, and cinnamon aromas. Next, grape, plum, and maple flavors on the sip dispersed into apple, herbal, clove, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

hunter-gatherer

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Jägermeister
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed).Two Sundays ago, I began searching the KindredCocktails database for an interesting nightcap to make. There, I found the Hunter-Gatherer by one of my Instagram friends, Brooklyn enthusiast Jesse Casey, that he entered into the website back in 2013. The thought of winter-spiced Boulevardier with a split of Becherovka and Jagermeister for the liqueur element seemed appealing, and it reminded me of the No Quarter with the aged spirit, sweet vermouth Jagermeister, and herbal cordial structure. Once built, the Hunter-Gatherer delivered an orange, ginger, and clove bouquet to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes swirled on the sip before opening up into rye, herbal, cinnamon, clove, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

agave orchard

1 oz Reposado Tequila (Espolon)
1 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Laird's Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1/4 oz Becherovka
2 dash Celery Bitters (Bitter Truth)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.While researching the Orchard in Manhattan that I had two nights previous, I found this similar recipe by Sother Teague that I had not tried before. That one was the Agave Orchard that he created for Bergen Hill in Brooklyn and that was published in a 2014 Imbibe Magazine article. This variation had tequila and celery bitters instead of Cognac and apple bitters plus a different recipe structure. In the glass, the Agave Orchard bloomed with orange, cinnamon, and pear aromas. Next, pear and nectarine notes on the sip flowed into tequila, apple, clove, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow with a celery finish.

orchard in manhattan

1 1/4 oz Louis Royer Force 53 VSOP Cognac (1 1/2 oz Courvoisier VS)
1 1/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Morin Calvados Selection)
1/2 oz Becherovka
1 dash Apple Bitters (Dashfire Spiced Apple)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an apple slice.Two Sundays ago, I opened up my new purchase of Adam Ford's Vermouth book, and when I flipped to the recipe section, the Orchard in Manhattan by Sother Teague at Amor y Amargo called out to me. The idea of a Harvard Cocktail (a/k/a a Cognac Manhattan) with apple and winter spice accents seemed rather appealing, so I set to work. In the glass, the Orchard in Manhattan unfurled toward the nose with apple, grape, clove, and cinnamon aromas. Next, a grape-driven sip grew into Cognac, apple, cinnamon, clove, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

bullfinch trio

1 1/4 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Becherovka
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1 dash Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.While writing up the Satan's Mustache, I did a web search to confirm the difference between the straight and curled versions of the gin-based Satan's Whiskers. That search led me to a ToastTab from a restaurant that included that classic and curiously a few recipes from Alcove in Boston possibly entered by a bar alumni. The recipe that called out to me was the Bullfinch Trio as perhaps a Negroni that traveled to the Czech Republic and underwent a metamorphosis; the current Alcove menu has the subtitle for the drink as "side angle side". Moreover, Alcove's Facebook has a 2019 post with a quote from lead bartender Will Piquette declaring, "I can just imagine cuddling up by a fire sipping on this cocktail (Bullfinch Trio) and watching the snowfall." Once prepared, the Bullfinch Trio opened up with an orange, grape, and clove bouquet. Next, a grape-driven sip led into gin, red fruit, cinnamon, and clove flavors on the swallow.

slow dance

1 1/2 oz Elijah Craig Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/4 oz Averna
1/4 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.To continue on with the Becherovka theme, I next selected the Slow Dance from Dutch Kills' Fall menu via online recipe flashcards that attributed the drink to Jason Kilgore at Dear Irving in 2023. Once assembled, the Slow Dance waltzed to the nose with orange, caramel, and fruity aromas. Next, a caramel-tinged sip led into Bourbon, caramelized banana, clove, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

marksman

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I landed on the Marksman from Ward 8 in Boston, and I soon was able to identify it in a 2015 BevSpot article and video that attributed it to bartender Sean Earley. It was less like Craigie on Main's Marksman and more like a Bourbon-laden version of Eastern Standard's Metamorphosis. In the glass, the Marksman took aim at the nose with lemon, Bourbon, and clove aromas. Next, a lemon and honey sip shot forth at Bourbon, cinnamon, clove, and floral flavors on the swallow.

velvet revolution

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Espolon)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.At Daiquiris & Daisies, bar co-owner Joe Cammarata mentioned a drink called the Inner Child that he attributed to Attaboy, and I was able to find it in a collection of recipes for Dutch Kills. Instead of that citrussy number, I was distracted by the Oaxacan Old Fashioned riff accented by chocolate and Czech spiced liqueurs called the Velvet Revolution by Dana Skinner for Dutch Kills' Winter 2019 menu. The bar's Instagram gave the back story that the drink was named after a nonviolent revolution that toppled the Communist Party in Czechoslovakia in December 1989. Once prepared, the Velvet Revolution commenced with a grapefruit, vegetal, chocolate, clove, and smoke aromas. Next, a hint of caramel on the sip flowed into vegetal, smoke, chocolate, cinnamon, and mint flavors on the swallow.

doctor q

1 oz Añejo Rum (Don Q Gran Añejo)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Combier Orange Liqueur (Cointreau)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Saturdays ago, I was scanning a pre-Pandemic bartender's recipe collection from Eastern Standard in Boston, and I came across the Doctor Q which utilized Becherovka that I was first introduced to at that bar via the Metamorphosis back in 2007. I was able to find a February 2014 menu photo on Yelp which gave the clue that Doctor Q was made with an "aged Puerto Rican rum", and along with the name, I surmised that the producer was Don Q. Once shaken and strained, the Doctor Q prescribed an orange and cinnamon aroma. Next, a lemon sip conjured up rum, orange, cinnamon, and clove flavors on the swallow. Overall, the combination was rather autumnal and made me think of the Winter Daiquiri.

1807 old fashioned

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse Bonded) (*)
3/8 oz Becherovka
3/8 oz Amaro Montenegro
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.
(*) I would recommend a softer rye like Old Overholt 86°.Two Wednesdays ago, I uncovered the 1807 Old Fashioned in an online flashcard collection of Milk & Honey-related recipes which made sense since the recipe reminded me structurally of the .38 Special. The drink was created by Chris Bostick perhaps from his time at The Varnish in Los Angeles, and the name makes reference to the year that Becherovka was invented. The only instance that I have had Becherovka and Montenegro together was in the Powerful Baritone, so I was curious to see a more stripped down recipe without a third liqueur. Once prepared with Rittenhouse as the rye, the 1807 Old Fashioned greeted the senses with orange oil, clementine, and clove aromas. Next, orange peel notes on the sip set up rye, clove, cinnamon, and cardamom flavors on the swallow with an orange peel finish. Overall, I think this combination would have worked better with a softer rye like Old Overholt 86°; while I love Rittenhouse for most rye cocktails, I felt that it shifted the balance away from the liqueurs too much.

bon vivant

1 1/3 oz Jamaican Rum (Plantation Xaymaca)
2/3 oz Cognac (Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Becherovka
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (2 dash Strongwater)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass; I added a lemon twist to the recipe.

Two Mondays ago, Jason Clapham, the Cocktail Member of the St. Edward's MCR in Oxford, send me a message on Instagram that I read as I was walking home from my bar shift. He wanted to share with me his Bon Vivant that he was proud of, and he described it as "inspired by Jerry Thomas of course." Since the combination reminded me of Chuck Taggart's Swell Season with a different spirit base, I was intrigued. He mentioned that he utilized Plantation Xaymaca as the rum, so I went with that since it is in my collection.The Bon Vivant unfurled a lemon, fruity funk, and ginger aroma to the nose. Next, caramel and grape swirled on the sip, and the swallow bowed with funky rum, Cognac, rounded bitter, clove, and cinnamon flavors.

swell season

2 oz Blended Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Becherovka
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon peel.Two Fridays ago, I was in a Manhattan mood and recalled a recipe that I had spotted in Chuck Taggart's Gumbo Pages. The drink was his Swell Season Cocktail that he named after the folk rock duo of an Irish musician and a Czech singer-pianist represented by Irish whiskey and Becherovka, respectively. Once prepared, the Swell Season sang to the nose with a lemon, clove, and ginger bouquet. Next, grape and malt on the sip carried on into whiskey, clove, cinnamon, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

powerful baritone

1 1/2 oz Cutty Sark Prohibition Scotch
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/4 oz Strega
1/4 oz Becherovka
2 dash 18.21 Bitters Leon Ginger Tincture (Berg & Hauck Lemon Bitters)

Build in a double old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, and stir to mix and chill. Garnish with a spritz of Laphroaig and a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I was curious about a recipe that I spotted in a Punch Drinks article on Penicillin riffs. The one that called out to me was the Powerful Baritone by Sother Teague of Amor y Amargo, and he crafted this variation without citrus juice which I had only tasted once before in the Penicillin Flip. The Powerful Baritone once assembled crooned out a lemon oil and peat smoke bouquet. Next, malt with an almost honey-like note on the sip transferred into peaty Scotch, orange, and star anise flavors on the swallow with a lemon and spice finish.

the port world cup cocktail

1 1/2 oz Tawny Port (Sandeman)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/4 oz Becherovka
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Whip shake, pour into a rocks glass, and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with an orange twist and mint sprig.

Two Tuesdays ago, Kara Newman posted that an article of hers had just been published in the Wine Enthusiast. It was about a drink called the Port World Cup Cocktail that was created at Cure in New Orleans as Matt Young's riff on the Manila Hoop Punch in Charles H. Baker's 1939 The Gentleman's Companion (which I made two days later). Matt was inspired by Manila being the "Global City" by utilizing spirits from around the world; his original was a split of rum and aged cachaça which was simplified for publication.
The Port World Cup greeted the nose with a mint, orange, and rum funk aroma. Next, lime and grape notes on the sip traveled to port wine, funky Jamaican rum, clove, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

hop, skip, and jump

1 1/2 oz Appleton Rum (Appleton Signature) (*)
1 oz Pineapple Gomme Syrup (3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 tsp Becherovka (1/4 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
(*) Beckaly listed the recipe as "Jamaican rum" but later clarified that she uses the less funky Appleton brand.

Two Mondays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had heard on Joseph Borosoki's Ask the Bartender podcast on the Daiquiri (episode #2). Joseph interviewed five bartenders, and the only recipe that veered from the rum-sugar-lime trio was the Hop, Skip, and Jump from Beckaly Franks of the Pontiac in Hong Kong. Beckaly commented that the Becherovka here makes the flavors in the pineapple syrup pop, and I noted that it was also her choice of flavor accent in the I Love You Like a Punch in the Head.
So after the Daiquiri Time Out happy hour on Zoom (more on the DTO phenomenon), I utilized my extra lime juice to make this Daiquiri variation. Things began with an aged rum, pineapple, and clove aroma that preceded a lime and pineapple sip. Next, rum, pineapple, clove, cinnamon, and ginger flavors followed through on the swallow.

maiden voyage

1 1/2 oz Barrel-Aged Gin (Bluecoat Aged)
3/4 oz Calvados (Boulard VSOP)
1/4 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a snifter glass (Tiki mug), and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a scored lime shell (nasturtium flower) and a toasted cinnamon stick.
I was feeling the need for a tropical drink two Sundays ago, so I turned to Shannon Mustipher's Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails book. There, I latched on to the Maiden Voyage that was her recipe inspired by elements of the Mai Tai and the Fog Cutter. Once prepared, the Maiden Voyage launched into peppery floral, cinnamon, apple, and orange aromas. Next, lime and orange notes on the sip sailed into juniper, orange, apple, cinnamon, vanilla, and clove flavors on the swallow.

up in smoke

2 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Becherovka
2 dash House "Smoke & Oak Bitters" (*)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass that had been smoked (torched cedar wood with the glass put over it), and add a Phoenix (or other large) ice cube.
(*) A combination of 18-21 Havana & Hyde Bitters, house barrel-aged Angostura Bitters, and Owl & Whale Sea Smoke Bitters).

Two Thursdays ago, I was invited to a Teeling Irish Whiskey event at Backbar to hear distiller Alex Chasko speak about the rebirth of distillation in Dublin. Before the talk began, the Backbar bartenders were executing a small menu of Teeling Whiskey drinks, and it was recommended that I start with the Up in Smoke. Bar owner Sam Treadway explained not only the house bitters, but the reason why the menu read cinnamon syrup instead of Becherovka; they had originally planned this drink with the single malt which worked better with that syrup, but they were not allotted bottles to make cocktails and thus switched to the Czech liqueur. The phoenix ice cube as the centerpiece of the drink represents the Teeling crest on the bottle which represents how the Teeling family's whiskey legacy died out with the decline of distillation in Ireland and was recently reborn.
The Up in Smoke lived up to its name with a wood smoke aroma that wafted over soft whiskey notes. Next, a malty sip rose to a whiskey and herbal-flavored swallow and a cinnamon finish. While the drink subtitle on the menu was "A modern take on the classic Irish whiskey drink The Tipperary," the Up in Smoke drank more like a lightly herbal Old Fashioned.

i love you like a punch in the head

3/4 oz Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
3/4 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 tsp Becherovka (1/4 oz)
1/2 oz 2:1 Simple Syrup (3/4 oz 1:1)
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter) and grapefruit oil from a twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I was excited about trying a recipe from a new book, namely Clair McLafferty's Romantic Cocktails: Craft Cocktail Recipes for Couples, Crushes, and Star-Crossed Lovers; I was sent the book as a thank you for my contribution of the Queen of the Lava Beds for the section on drinks for two. The one I selected was the I Love You Like a Punch in the Head by Beckaly Franks at the Pontiac in Hong Kong that appeared like an agave egg white Sour spiced with Becherovka. The name also worked perfectly with the glass that I purchased at the Central Square Good Will store earlier in the day for $1.99 -- namely, a Richard Jolley creation that he did for Bombay Sapphire back in 1996!
Entertainingly, the two week delay in my blog posting lined up with today being Valentine's Day, so here is one for the lovers even if the name shows signs of dysfunction. On the nose, the I Love You proffered clove, cinnamon, grapefruit, and hints of smoke. Next, a creamy lemon sip bobbed and weaved into smoky agave and hints of cinnamon, clove, and ginger on the swallow.

becky's battle

1 oz Batavia Arrack
1 oz Becherovka
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

Whip shake, pour into a snifter glass, and fill with crushed ice. Float 3-4 dash Angostura Bitters, and garnish with a lime, cherry, and mint sprig flag.

Two Fridays ago, I found myself in Harvard Square, so I headed to Russell House Tavern for a drink. There, I found a seat in front of lead bartender Lex Russo, and I requested the Becky's Battle off of the cocktail menu. With Batavia Arrack, honey, and lime, I wondered if the name was a reference to the Battle of Trafalgar which just came off their menu after an 8 year run. Lex explained that he crafted this with Corey; the drink evolved in an Iron Chef sort of way where two bottles were blindly grabbed from the well -- Batavia Arrack and Becherovka. And when he listed off the recipe, the split base with Becherovka reminded me of the Flight Deck that I recently made.
The Becky's Battle shared a mint, lime, and clove bouquet with the nose. Next, lime and honey mingled on the sip, and the swallow gave forth Batavia Arrack's funk, pineapple, and cinnamon spice flavors to round out the drink.

flight deck

1 oz Monkey 47 Gin (Martin Miller Westbourne)
1 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
2 dash 18.21 Ginger-Lemon Tincture (Berg & Hauck's Lemon Bitters)

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

Two Thursdays ago, I was excited to make a recipe from Sother Teague's new book, I'm Just Here for the Drinks. The one I selected from the half of the book that I had read was an Aviation riff called the Flight Deck that lacked the blue color and floral notes from the crème de violette version. Instead, it took things on a more spiced route by splitting the gin with Becherovka, and this reminded me of Eastern Standard's recipes like the Metamorphosis and Kysely where they subbed all of the base spirit for this Czech liqueur.
Once I had prepared Sother's riff, it offered up pine, cinnamon, and lemon aromas to the nose. Next, lemon with a hint of cherry on the sip transitioned to juniper, nutty Maraschino, cinnamon, and ginger flavors on the swallow with a clove finish.