davinci

1 1/2 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato

Stir with ice, strain into an old fasioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Thursdays ago, I began perusing The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app when I spotted the DaVinci crafted in 2023 by Roger Scandela at Manhattan's Attaboy. In the structure of spirit, Campari, Sfumato, and vermouth drinks, the Mean Old Man with Scotch stands out in my head, and I did a similar drink but with port called the Preceptor. Also in the ballpark is Cure's Ghost of My Life with gin, Campari, and Zucca (another rabarbaro like Sfumato) but no vermouth. Once mixed, the DaVinci gave forth a fresh orange aroma over Campari's orange and Sfumato's herbal and roast. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip flowed into gin, bitter orange, smoky, and earthy herbal flavors on the swallow.

sidewinds

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
3/4 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
1 oz Lemon Juice

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a mug, top with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs. Two Saturdays ago, my Coco Lopez run had me thinking about the Tradewinds, and its apricot liqueur made me consider how well bitter liqueurs would work in there. My original idea was to do a Ferrari-based (Fernet-Campari) riff, but the flavors ended up too muddied, so I changed it up by dropping the Fernet from that and returning it to being a bit more rum-driven. Nixing the Fernet over the Campari was a no brainer for the latter works rather well with apricot liqueur such as in the A Study in Pink and the Jungle Hotel Bird. The apricot also pointed me to its synergy with Swedish punsch which I learned about in the Havana Cocktail, and Swedish punsch works great with Campari from a trio of drinks I had in 2012 – namely, Sleeping with Strangers, Barefoot in the Dark, and Deck Hand. For a name, I dubbed it the Sidewinds named after a breezes that can blow a moving object off its direction of travel. Here, the Sidewinds gave forth mint, rum funk, and fruity aromas. Next, a creamy lemon and orange sip sunk into funky rum and bitter peach flavors on the swallow.

top rope

1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Campari
3/4 oz Fino Sherry (Lustau Manzanilla)
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (3 dash Strongwater Walnut)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fasioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Sundays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and picked the Top Rope by Sean O'Connor-Combee at J & Tony's Discount Cured Meats and Negroni Warehouse in San Diego circa 2022. The name made me think of the Turnbuckle, but that one was more bitter tropical. This drink instead reads like a sherry for sweet vermouth Boulevardier akin to Hungry Mother's No. 72, but here with a cross of dry Fino and sweet Pedro Ximenez sherries as I tried in the Bae of Biscay (I am much more used to Oloroso or Amontillado with Pedro Ximenez such as in the Black Adonis and the In the Middle of a Foggy Sea). In the glass, the Top Rope lept off with an orange, raisin, and Bourbon aroma. Next, a dark grape sip landed on Bourbon, raisin, date, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

torreador del diablo

1 1/4 oz Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/8 oz Honey Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Fridays prior, I began perusing The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and happened upon the Torreador del Diablo by José Manuel Alvarez Gonzalez at London's Milk & Honey in 2013. The Campari, apricot liqueur, and lemon juice trio has worked well in the Juniper #3 and in my St. Botolph's Club, so I was curious to taste it with the ginger-honey-lemon of a Penicillin Cocktail. Once mixed, the Torreador del Diablo showcased a vegetal tequila, apricot, and ginger aroma. Next, lemon with a hint of honey on the sip stepped aside for tequila, bitter orchard fruit, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

kingston neck tai

(a) 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
(b) 1 1/2 oz oz Aged Jamaican Rum (Coruba) (*)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)

Stir ingredients in set A with ice. Shake ingredients in set B with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass. Add crushed ice, and layer the stirred set A on top. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with a spent lime shell (or orange twist) and mint sprigs.
(*) A lighter Jamaican rum like Appleton Signature might make the layers more visually distinct than the dark rum I opted for. Two Mondays ago, I became inspired by Three Dots & A Dash's Negroni + Saturn that layered a rum-based Kingston Negroni over a gin-based Saturn; however, I wanted to keep the spirit class the same like I did in my Negroni on Saturn (but layered opposed to a mashup). Therefore, I conceived of a Kingston Negroni over a Mai Tai to keep Jamaican rum as the central thread tying the two parts together. For a name, I cleaned up the idea of Kingston Neg-Tai into the Kingston Neck Tai. My original plan earlier in the day was to do an orange twist to tie in the garnish from the Kingston Negroni aspect along with a mint bouquet, but I forgot that once the drink making process got started and I ended up garnishing with the classic spent half lime shell. Once prepared, the Kingston Neck Tai surrounded the nose with a mint, lime, and rum funk aroma. Next, using a straw, a creamy lime and orange sip progressed into funky rum and orange flavors on the swallow. As the rum Negroni entered the scene, the gained caramel notes on top of the creamy lime ones with additional funky rum and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

kingston negroni (toby maloney)

1 3/4 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist and a lemon twist. Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a recipe that I had spotted in Toby Maloney and Emma Janzen's The Classic Cocktail Sessions book that was Toby's take on the Kingston Negroni which appeared in the book's Negroni variation section. To Joaquin Simó's tropical Negroni riff, Toby described, "I up the amount of booze (of course) and then lean into the dark brooding funky flavors of the Jamaican rum by plumping up the Campari with some of the artichoke-based Cynar." Toby's recipe joins the other Kingston Negroni riffs that I have made such as Paul McGee and Shelby Allison's Pineapple Kingston Negroni that included pineapple rum in with the Jamaican rum and Death & Co.'s Improved Kingston Negroni that swapped the vermouth and amaro to Punt e Mes and Zucca. This one is in the middle utilizing the pineapple rum split from the former and a change in bitter liqueurs from the latter. Once prepared, Toby's Kingston Negroni gave forth an orange, lemon, pineapple, and rum funk bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip delved into funky rum, pineapple, bitter orange, and funky herbal flavors on the swallow.

left-handed banana

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens Mole)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a cherry. Two Sundays ago, I spotted a curious recipe on the Reddit Cocktails forum created by user The_Xozz called the Left-Handed Banana. The recipe was a riff on Sam Ross' Left Hand and named after a legendary item in the RuneScape game. After I made it, someone reminded me of Anvil's Banana Boulevardier, and I thought: just like a Left Hand is a Boulevardier with chocolate bitters and served up, this is its own drink. Unlike the standard Left Hand that opts for an orange twist and a cocktail coupe, this recipe calls for a cherry and an old fashioned glass with ice (the Banana Boulevardier recipe gives the option of either coupe or rocks glass with ice serving styles, both with an orange twist). Once prepared, the Left-Handed Banana conjured up a cherry and fruity aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip developed into Bourbon, bitter orange, and banana flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

blood sacrifice

1 oz Dark Overproof Rum (Planteray OFTD)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Amaro Nardini
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet, orange slice (omit), parasol, and cinnamon (freshly grated). With my new purchase of the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app, I sought out something with mint served in a ceramic mug. The recipe that called out to me was the Blood Sacrifice by David Ebert at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2025 as a riff on his tropical Fix, the Blood Moon, which lacks the rum. Nardini and Campari have paired well together in a number of drinks including the Klaus Kinski and the Host Body, so it seemed like an intriguing duo to star in a tropical number. Here, the Blood Sacrifice generated a cinnamon and mint aroma. Next, lime, caramel, and tropical notes on the sip blessed funky rum, bitter orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a passion fruit finish.

dry daiquiri

1 1/2 oz Light Rum (Old Ipswich White Cap)
1/2 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 tsp Passion Fruit Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed). Two Mondays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and became intrigued by Dry Daiquiri from Kevin Armstrong at Match Bar in London circa 2005. The Dry Daiquiri has the Campari-passion fruit duo that I first learned about in the Novara; with dark rum and a touch of absinthe, this combination becomes the Benjamin Barker Daiquiri, and with pineapple, this combination shares similarities with the Commando Bird. In the glass, this Daiquiri offered up a tropical and complex orange aroma. Next, lime and melon notes on the sip stepped aside for rum, bitter orange, and passion fruit flavors on the swallow.

stiggins' ruin

3/4 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
3/4 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Crème de Poire (3/4 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear + 1/8 oz Simple Syrup)
3/4 oz Gran Classico (Campari)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice. After having enjoyed the Smoke Along the Crescent Bend, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Club 33, the New Orleans-themed restaurant at Disneyland in Anaheim. There, I latched onto the Stiggins' Ruin as perhaps a fruity Right Hand riff. A Yelp drink photo dated this to at least 2023, and a 2024 Yelp menu photo provided the description, "Reverend Stiggins was a well-known character among the Crescent City. He would often enjoy a cocktail or two... or three, which ultimately led to his ruin." While I do not have Gran Classico, I had found Campari to be a decent substitute in a pinch, and I have had good luck pairing Campari and pear liqueur before in the Life on Mars. In the glass, the Stiggins' Ruin opened up with rum funk, pineapple, and pear aromas. Next, caramel and pear notes on the sip descended into funky rum, pineapple, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

johnny utah

2 oz Espolon Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with 1 oz soda water, fill with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I began perusing the Kindred Cocktails database and landed on the Johnny Utah created by Carlo Caroscio at Volt in Baltimore circa 2014 around two years before he moved to Boston to work at Backbar. Carlo named the drink after Keanu Reaves' character in the movie Point Break. What drove me into making it was how well the Campari-grenadine combination works; in fact, the duo was dubbed "bittersweet" in the Freaky Tiki, and I utilized it in my Jungle Grog and Zombie Count. Moreover, the Campari-cinnamon pairing is also excellent in recipes like the Babbo's Toddy and Rum Firewalker, and I made use of in the Black Hand Society and Quetzal. Once prepared, the Johnny Utah proffered an orange, cinnamon, and agave aroma. Next, a carbonated lime and dark berry sip gave way to vegetal tequila, bitter red fruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

smoking jacket

1 oz Mezcal (Convite Esencial)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Saturdays ago, I uncovered a set of online recipe flashcards for King Bee in Austin and landed on the Smoking Jacket. The site Austin Pedal Party mentioned the drink in a bar review and showcased it in a menu photo around the Fall 2024-Spring 2025 timeframe. This one joins the two other Smoking Jackets on the blog, namely Bergamot's and Death & Co.'s, but this is the only one to use mezcal instead of Scotch. Overall, the combination was rather similar to the Bordertown with different proportions and garnish and without bitters added. Once prepared, the Smoking Jacket gave forth a grapefruit, roasted vegetable, and smoke aroma. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip opened up into vegetal, smoky, dried fruit, bitter orange, and spice flavors on the swallow.

best friend

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite Especial)
1/2 oz Campari
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a dehydrated pineapple wheel (omit). Two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make the Best Friend by Karl Steuck for the opening menu at the Condor Bar in the Hotel El Roblar. I found the recipe in a set of online recipe flashcards for the bar, and my search uncovered the recipe in a 2025 article in Food & Wine. The Best Friend read like a Gilda Cocktail meeting a mezcal Jungle Bird, so it seemed worthy of a try. As I mentioned in my Palenque Punch yesterday, my trick of swapping the simple syrup for cinnamon in the mezcal version of the parallel Mr. Bali Hai (to add depth of flavor lost in transitioning to an unaged spirit as well as adding complementary notes) was also something that Karl figured out as well. Once prepared, the Best Friend greeted the nose with a pineapple, cinnamon, and vegetal aroma. Next, pineapple and lime notes on the sip blossomed into smoky vegetal, bitter orange-pineapple, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

night nurse

1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum (Appleton 8 Year)
1 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Overproof Jamaican Rum (Wray & Nephew)
1/4 oz Cynar
1 tsp Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1 tsp Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing my copy of the January/February 2026 issue of Imbibe Magazine when I spotted the Night Nurse by Robby Dow at Bespoke in Wilmington, North Carolina. Overall, it was akin to the Coffee Negroni with different rum origin plus touches of Cynar and banana liqueur. Once mixed, the Night Nurse gave forth an orange, banana, rum funk, and coffee aroma. Next, grape, caramel, and roast notes on the sip transferred into funky rum, herbal, coffee, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow with a coffee and banana finish.

teaching bad apples

1 oz Campari
1 oz Amaro Zucca (Sfumato)
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake, pour into a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a lime wheel. Two Tuesdays prior, I reached for my copy of The Bartenders Manifesto book by Toby Maloney and became entranced by the Teaching Bad Apples by Jim Troutman at The Violet Hour circa 2018. Jim described this as "A training wheels cocktail for people interested in bitter spirits," and the concept was not too out of line with the Amaro Daiquiri save for the pineapple juice, honey, and bitters. In addition, I have tried Campari and a rabarbaro (such as Zucca and Sfumato) paired together in equal parts before in the Gully Brood and Preceptor, but not without a base spirit like here. Once mixed, the Teaching Bad Apples shared a bright lime oil, fruity, roast, and smoky char bouquet to the nose. Next, roast, lime, pineapple, and honey notes in the sip flowed into bitter orange, earthy bitter, and smoky flavors on the swallow with a honey-tinged finish.

the whole spectrum

1 oz Cynar
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Islay Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1/4 oz Lemon Juice

4 dash Fee's Peach Bitters
1 pinch Salt (4 drop 20% Saline)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. One of the drinks that I spotted in Shawn Soole's Great Northern Cocktails book when I made The Kipling Cocktail instead was The Whole Spectrum by Kyle Guilfoyle at the Nimble Bar Company in Victoria, British Columbia. The Cynar, big cube, touch of lemon juice, and pinch of salt made me think of the Little Giuseppe, except the pinch of salt was incorporated in the stir and not placed on top of the ice cube to integrate over time to modulate the bitterness quotient. In addition, the equal parts Campari and Cynar with something smoky was seen in the Devotion & Desire, so I was curious to see it here with Scotch instead of mezcal. Once mixed, The Whole Spectrum offered up a lemon and peat smoke aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the Cynar opened into smoky whisky, herbal, bitter orange, savory, and peach flavors on the swallow.

luca brazi

1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Campari
1/3 oz Cynar
5 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist. Two Tuesdays prior, I sought out my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and landed on the Luca Brazi in the Negroni section as crafted by Lorenzo Antinori at Bar Leone in Hong Kong circa 2023. I could not find any confirmation of the bar's spelling of the drink, but Luca Brasi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather and the 1972 film based on it. Overall, the combination looked like a less intense version of The Last Mechanical Art, so I was intrigued. In the glass, the Luca Brazi ushered forth grapefruit, floral, vegetal, and peachy-orange aromas. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip developed into vegetal, orange, and peach flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

stepwise improvement

1 1/4 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
2 dash Absinthe (20 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. As I was sorting through the various months' posts to start on the year end wrap-up, I spotted Liholiho Yacht Club's Step into Liquid. Knowing how Maraschino can soften Campari – a trick that I learned at Eastern Standard with their Carnivale, I decided to modify their drink via the 1880s Improved Cocktail addition of Maraschino and absinthe. The drink that I dubbed Stepwise Improvement began with orange and nutty cherry aromas. Next, a dark grape sip flowed into rum, pineapple, bitter orange, nutty cherry, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, the addition of Maraschino and absinthe took the combination into a more tropical realm.

tropicale

3/4 oz Jamaican Dark Rum (Coruba)
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Giacomo Speroni)
3/8 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau Amontillado)
1 tsp Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garish with an orange wedge (orange twist). Two Saturdays ago, I returned to The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and opted for the Tropicale by Lorenzo Antinori at Bar Leone in Hong Kong from the Negroni section. It was a different drink from the similarly named Negroni Tropicale that took things in a passion fruit and citrus direction. As a Kingston Negroni with sherry and banana accents, the Tropicale began with orange oil, caramel, nutty sherry, and dried fruit aromas. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip ripened into funky rum, nutty, bitter orange, and tropical flavors on the swallow.

ghost rider

3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with candied ginger. Two Wednesdays ago, I became inspired by the Maraschino, ginger, and lime trio in the Hitman from Dutch Kills and I mashed it up with the Ferrari (Fernet-Campari duo). Previously, I did a similar Ferrari mashup in the Blank Hand Society using the Gilda as the other inspiration point. For a name, I dubbed this one the Ghost Rider after a 1977 song from the synth-punk band Suicide that was a nod to a Marvel Comics character. In the glass, the Ghost Rider screamed the truth with a menthol, ginger, and nutty cherry aroma. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip rode off towards caramel, minty, menthol, and bitter nutty cherry-orange flavors on the swallow.