hotel de ville

1 1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Amaro Nardini

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I opened up The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and selected the Hotel De Ville by Zack Gelnaw-Rubin at Manhattan's Lion Lion circa 2019. The name Hotel De Ville translates to "city hall," and the term often refers to the magnificent one in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. I was familiar with the combination of spirit modified by Nardini which has appeared with Bourbon in the Closing Argument (plus chocolate bitters) and with rye in the Defeat by Greater Things (plus orange bitters) and the Mayor's Lament (plus a trio of bitters). Moreover, there was also a somewhat similar recipe spirits-wise with the Dark Horse with a Jamaican rum-Calvados pairing (albeit a non-funky rum) accented by Nardini and orange liqueur. Once prepared, the Hotel De Ville proffered an orange, caramel, apple, and rum funk bouquet. Next, caramel notes on the sip led into apple, funky rum, gentian, licorice, and mint flavors on the swallow.

slow drift

1 1/2 oz Santa Teresa 1796 Rum (Zaya)
1/2 oz Drouin Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/4 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Amaro Meletti
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a big cube. No garnish was specified. Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcards for Dear Irving, and I selected the Slow Drift from their current menu at their Gramercy location from the Island Hop section. Its Meletti-banana duo occurred before in the DK Old Fashioned with Bourbon and the Kon'Nichiwa!!! with Japanese whiskey and crème de cacao, so I was curious to try it with a dark rum-apple brandy base that reminded me of the spirits in the Sky Pilot. Once served, the Slow Drift gave forth a caramel, violet-floral, chocolate, and apple aroma. Next, caramel on the sip blossomed into dark rum, apple, herbal, banana, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

attack cocktail

1/2 Calvados (1 1/2 oz Morin Selection)
1/4 Cognac (3/4 oz Courvoisier VS)
1/4 Sherry (3/4 oz Lustau Amontillado)
3 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1 dash Anis (10 drop St. George Absinthe)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added an orange twist as a garnish. Two Fridays ago, I reached for my Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails book from 1996, and I became intrigued by the Attack Cocktail created at Johnny's Bar in Paris circa 1930. Its trio of sherry, grenadine, and bitters reminded me of the Red Riding Hood from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 but here with brandies and a touch of anise liqueur (given the era, either anisette or pastis, but I went with absinthe). Once served, the Attack Cocktail reached out with an orange, berry, apple, and anise aroma. Next, grape and red fruit notes on the sip opened up into apple, nutty, berry, allspice, and anise flavors on the swallow.

bouchot

1 1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Suze Gentiane Liqueur

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I spotted a reference to a drink that Sother Teague created for the podcast Sauced called the Bouchot to complement the episode's mussels dish. This fruity White Negroni riff was named after the fence posts for farming intertidal mussels. Overall, the flavor concept reminded me a little of my Tin Can Telephone with apple brandy and gentian liqueur that utilized sweet vermouth and a touch of Benedictine instead of Cocchi Americano. Once prepared, the Bouchot gave forth a lemon and gentian herbal aroma. Next, pear notes on the sip opened up into apple, herbal, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

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.

save the robots

1 1/4 oz London Dry Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass. Two Wednesday prior, I became inspired by the Nautical Mile with London Dry Gin and Calvados that I had the night before. I soon mashed up those spirits with the modifiers of Ce Soir, and I dubbed it Save the Robots after an after-hours club in New York City's East Village that I rediscovered in the book St. Marks is Dead and recalled from my time living in Manhattan in the early 90s. Here, pine and herbal aromas purchased entrance to the senses at the door. Next, caramel and honey notes on the sip danced their way into juniper, apple, vegetal, and herbal flavors on the swallow. I wondered if equal parts Calvados and gin would have worked better such that its richness would be closer the Cognac in the Ce Soir to balance the brighter herbaceous notes in the Yellow Chartreuse; however, I enjoyed the result enough not to retry it.

nautical mile

1 1/4 oz London Dry Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/4 oz Pisco (Macchu Pisco)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
1 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. From the most recent issue of Imbibe Magazine in the article on Calvados drinks, I got lured in by the Nautical Mile by Chris Kiyuna at Holy Water in San Francisco. The gin and apple brandy in a Sour reminded me of the Pink Lady but with orgeat and honey instead of that classic's grenadine and egg white. Furthermore, the orgeat-honey duo was one that I last saw in Backbar's Platform Lime and 3/4 as well as some older drinks like Army Navy Grog. In the glass, the Nautical Mile reached out with a pine, apple, and almond bouquet. Next, a creamy lemon sip unfurled into juniper, almond, and apple flavors on the swallow with a honey and chocolate finish.

rusty ringo

1 3/4 oz Boulard VSOP Calvados
1/4 oz Talisker 10 Year Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1/2 oz Drambuie

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a gold leaf (omit).

Two Wednesdays ago, I had spotted a drink called the Rusty Ringo on a friend's Instagram post early that day, and I soon found this drink served at Bar Goto in New York City in a 2022 Punch article. Forbes published the recipe the recipe a year earlier in 2021 and attributed the recipe to bar director Kenta Goto who explained, "I'm always a big fan of Scotch. And if you really like it, you have also probably heard of a Rusty Nail, which is traditionally made with Scotch and Drambuie. In this riff on the classic that we're serving on our new winter menu at Bar Goto's Brooklyn outpost, Bar Goto Niban, we add Calvados. The apple brandy adds a beautiful aroma that works very well with Drambuie, which is made from Scotch and honey. The resulting cocktail is velvety and luxurious and is perfect to sip after a big holiday meal." Indeed, the Calvados-Drambuie duo is one that I appreciated in Death & Co.'s Widow's Laurel and Trina's Starlite Lounge's Bonita Applebum. Moreover, the Scotch-apple brandy-Drambuie trio is one that I utilized in my Lost in the Supermarket and the 3:20 in the Morning, so I was curious to give this drink a try. Once built, the Rusty Ringo gave forth apple, honey, and smoke aromas to the nose. Next, honey and apple notes continued on into the sip where they were joined by apple, peat smoke, and herbal flavors on the swallow. Overall, I wish that I had tried a different smoky Scotch such as Caol Ila or Ardbeg for Laphroaig's more medicinal notes that I usually enjoy came across as slightly off in this combination.

mountebank

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Morin Calvados Selection)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Absinthe (6 drop St. George)

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

Two Saturdays ago, I was inspired by the apricot-Sfumato combination in the previous night's Smooth Operator. I swapped the Armagnac-rye duo for Scotch-apple brandy, dropped the Benedictine, and exchanged the two bitters for absinthe. Originally, I tried Peychaud's Bitters here since they generally work well with Scotch, apple brandy, and apricot, but the balance was just too dark especially with the Sfumato, so I replaced it with the brightening action of absinthe. For a name, I kept the Smooth Operator in mind and dubbed this the Mountebank which dictionaries define as "a person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan" and "a person who sells quack medicines from a platform." Once prepared, the Mountebank gave forth a roast, orange, apricot, and anise aroma. Next, roast and apple notes on the sip sold off Scotch, apple, bitter apricot, smoky roast, char, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, I wished that I had reached for a more flavorful Scotch here like Cutty Sark Prohibition or mixed in a little high impact Islay single malt for some of the blended whisky, but Andrea and a few folks who tried it on Instagram enjoyed it as written.

forbidden forest

1 1/2 oz Courvoisier VSOP Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a dehydrated apple slice (omit).Two Sundays prior, I returned to the set of online recipe flashcards for Butcher Chef in Toronto, and I spotted the Forbidden Forest. This circa 2021 cocktail read like an apple-tinged Prospector Cocktail, and it was perhaps a Harry Potter reference to the dark forest that borders the edges of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once mixed, the Forbidden Forest teased the nose with Cognac, apple, and herbal aromas. Next, apple and orange notes on the sip were ensnared by brandy, herbaceous, orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

forefather

1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1 oz Roger Groult Reserve Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Grand Marnier (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters (*)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon oil from a twist.
(*) See text, but the drink was originally created with Bittermens Tiki Bitters.Two Saturdays, I decided to make another recipe that I had spotted on the Death & Co. marketplace site called the Forefather. The recipe was created by bartender Evan Flynn at their Denver outpost in 2023, and he was helped by his bar manager Scott Keys to create this after dinner drink for the menu. It read like a Honeymoon Cocktail with a split apple brandy base but without the lemon juice so I was sold. After I posted the drink on Instagram, Evan chimed in with, "Hey thanks for making this one! It's a real special one for me. If you try it again, try substituting Bittermens Tiki Bitters for the mole bitters. Scott and I originally wrote the drink with those bitters but the menu this drink was on already had too many drinks with tiki bitters so we ended up moving to mole bitters. Let me know which one you end up enjoying!" I did not have a chance to remake the drink with tiki bitters (I lately sub in Bittercube's Corazon since I lack the Bittermens product), but with mole bitters, the Forefather began with lemon, apple, and orange aromas. Next, a vaguely fruity sip opened up into apple, herbal, orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

cavalier

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Bushmills Singe Malt Irish Whiskey (Knappogue Castle)
1 1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Giacomo Sperone)
1/2 tsp Cane Syrup (Sirop JM)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)
2 dash Celery Bitters (Bitter Truth)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I was listening to Vinepair's Cocktail College podcast on the Fourth Regiment with bartender Chris Lemperle of the Crane Club in Manhattan. I first tried the Fourth Regiment, a Manhattan with a trio of bitters including celery, when it appeared on Anvil's 100 Drinks List back in 2013. Chris also covered a bonus recipe, the Cavalier, which was the bar's three spirits riff on the Fourth Regiment perhaps to mirror the three bitters in the mix, and I decided to make one that night. In the glass, the Cavalier offered up lemon, grape, herbal, and anise aromas to the nose. Next, a grape-driven sip flowed into rye, apple, nutmeg, anise, orange, and celery flavors on the swallow.

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.

down time

1 1/2 oz Toki Whisky (Kavalan)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Amaro Nardini
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Another drink that caught my attention in the online recipe flashcard set for Dutch Kills was the Down Time that I was able to date to their Fall 2022 menu via photos on Yelp. It read like a whisky-apple brandy Old Fashioned flavored with Amaro Nardini and allspice dram, and the apple, Nardini, and allspice trio worked well in the Infernal Architect, so I was curious to give this a try. In the glass, the Down Time opened up with orange, caramel, and herbal aromas. Next, caramel with a hint of apple on the sip slid over to whisky, apple, herbal, and allspice flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was impressed at how well the allspice accented the Calvados and whisky here.

menage a trois

1 oz Armagnac (Marie Duffau Napoleon)
1/2 oz Aged Rhum JM (Rhum JM 100° Blanc)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with an orange twist.Another drink that caught my eye from the online recipe flashcard set for Dutch Kills was the Ménage à Trois as a three French spirits in Old Fashioned format (sans bitters) sweetened with Pedro Ximenez sherry akin to ones with bitters like the Second Marriage and Linchpin. I was able to find the drink on the bar's Spring/Summer 2024 menu. Once prepared, the Ménage à Trois proffered an orange, raisin, and grassy aroma. Next, a rich grape and caramel sip followed through with brandy, apple, grassy rum, raisin, and fig 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.

return trip

3/4 oz Roger Groult Calvados (Morin Selection)
3/4 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
3/4 oz Amaro Braulio
1 tsp Vanilla Syrup
1 tsp Pineapple Gum Syrup (Pineapple Syrup)
1 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters (Bitter Cube Trinity)

Stir with ice, strain into a single old fashioned glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards from Death & Co. and landed on the Return Trip from the Denver branch's Fall 2021 menu. A Reddit post indentified it as a bartender Mitchell Armstrong creation. In the glass, the Return Trip launched off with a lemon, pine, raisin, and vanilla aroma. Next, grape and caramel on the sip traveled to apple, nutty, pine, and vanilla flavors on the swallow with a pineapple finish.

bayonet

1/2 oz Hine Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/2 oz Roger Groult Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Blume Marillen Apricot Eau de Vie (Shalakh Armenian Apricot Eau de Vie)
1/2 oz Cynar
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth

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 found another online recipe flashcard set from Death & Co., and I selected the Bayonet from their Fall 2021 menu; Yelp helped me to identify the location as Death & Co.'s Denver branch. I was curious as whether the Bayonet was more a three-brandy Little Italy of sorts or whether it was more akin to a Negroni in structure with the two aged brandies as the spirit component and the Cynar-apricot eau de vie acting as the bittering agent. Moreover, I was drawn in further for apricot liqueur and Cynar have been magical together ever since I first tried them in the One One Thousand at Brick & Mortar. Once affixed, the Bayonet charged to the senses with an orange and apricot aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip were attacked by Cognac, apple, apricot, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

operation overlord

1 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/2 oz Chauffe Couer Calvados (Morin Selection)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup

Stir with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed (Kübler) coupe, and garnish with an orange peel sidewinder.Two Sundays ago, I returned to the online flashcard set for the Patterson House in Nashville and found the Operation Overlord in a collection of older menu items. The French spirits in the mix, especially the Calvados, made sense as the drink was dubbed after the codename for the Battle of Normandy where Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944, to begin the march eastward towards Germany during World War II. In the glass, Operation Overlord commenced with an orange and anise bouquet along with rich notes from the Cognac. Next, orange and orchard fruit akin to peach and pear on the sip charged into Cognac, apple, orange, and anise flavors on the swallow.

hastings

1 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse Black)
1 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1 tsp Drambuie

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I spotted the Hastings on the KindredCocktails database that caught my attention. The recipe was created by Adam Manning of the Tartines to Tikis blog for the Mixology Monday apple-themed event that I led in 2014, so I had already read his blog post albeit nine years prior. Here, Adam made a Scotch variation of Erik Lorincz's Norman Conquest and perhaps of Sam Ross' Grandfather, and the result shared a similarity to Erick Castro's Full Windsor. Once prepared, the Hastings launched off with an orange, apple, and Scotch aroma. Next, grape and honey notes on the sip marched into Scotch, apple, honey, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a hint of smoke on the finish.