vito's catch

3/4 oz Don Julio Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
3/4 oz Cherry Heering
1 pinch Sea Salt (4 drop 20% Sea Salt Saline)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. Two Tuesdays prior, I opened up the Hawthorne bar bible, and I spotted the Vito's Catch that read like a tequila Blood & Sand riff that swapped the Scotch and orange juice for aged tequila and grapefruit. In the glass, the Vito's Catch effused a vegetal agave and cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, cherry and grape notes on the sip blossomed into tequila, dark fruit, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was impressed at how the grapefruit tied together the combination better than regular orange juice in the classic. This was a more subtle change than in my Rogue's Romance a few months ago where I replaced the orange juice in the Scotch original with lemon juice, a heavy dose of Angostura Bitters, and an orange peel included in the shake, but equally as enjoyable.

dad bod

1 oz Pig's Nose Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
3/4 oz Angostura Bitters
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/4 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Fridays ago, I decided to make the Dad Bod that I found in a set of online recipe flashcards from The Violet Hour's Spring/Summer 2023 menu. I decided to finally make it for it has the heavy Angostura Bitters, Cherry Heering, and lemon juice that I first tried in the Death or Glory that I recently republished in my The Clash cocktail biopic and just utilized in my Blood & Sand riff called the Rogue's Romance. Once shaken and strained, the Dad Bod gave forth an orange, allspice, and clove aroma. Next, creamy lemon and molasses notes on the sip stepped aside for Scotch, cherry, orange, clove, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

rogue's romance

1 oz Smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Giacomo Speroni)
1 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Angostura Bitters
1 Orange Peel approx. 3/4"x3" or 1"x2"

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. After thinking about the Death or Glory that I republished in the The Clash cocktail biopic article, I became inspired to tinker with the structure. The drink's Cherry Heering made me think of the Blood & Sand and I later dubbed the end result after another of Rudolph Valentino's movies, namely the Rogue's Romance. I opted for lemon instead of Blood & Sand's orange to mirror Johann Goes to Mexico and the Trinidad Sour, and after making it once, I decided to include a regal shake with an orange peel to add back some elegant notes found in the classic. Once made the second time with the orange peel in the shake, the Rogue's Romance served up a peat smoke, red fruit, orange, and clove bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip blossomed into smoky Scotch, cherry, clove, and orange flavors on the swallow.

rusty compass

1 1/2 oz Compass Box Peat Monster Scotch (1 oz Cutty Sark Prohibition + 1/2 oz Laphroaig 10 Year)
3/4 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Cherry Heering

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I had spotted an online reference to the Rusty Compass and tracked it down to a Liquor-dot-com article. The recipe was created by Meaghan Dorman as a Rusty Nail meets a Blood and Sand. To my Instagram post, Meaghan replied, "Oooo vintage! This was for the Peat Monster launch." Various Scotch articles point to the Scotch being introduced in 2003 which was the year that Meaghan moved from being a bartender in New Haven, Connecticut, to working in Manhattan (although the launch party could have been a year or so later). In the glass, the Rusty Compass pointed towards orange and peat smoke aromas. Next, honey and dark fruit notes on the sip turned towards smoky Scotch, honey, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

the fountain

1 1/2 oz Old-Grand Dad 114° Bourbon
3/4 oz Zucca (Sfumato)
1/4 oz Cherry Heering
1 dash Dram Black Bitters or other Aromatic Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Tuesdays two weeks ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I came across the Fountain by Chad Heuge. Chad created the drink at Longman & Eagle in Chicago, and the recipe was published by Vanity Fair in a 2015 article on Father's Day drinks. Intriguingly, he described his Father's Day-inspired Manhattan riff as "an homage to history, progression, and regression." I had previously had Cherry Heering and Zucca in Sahil Mehta's Estocada with mezcal and lime juice, so I was curious to see how it would do in a Bourbon Old Fashioned or Black Manhattan format. In the glass, the Fountain cascaded to the nose with lemon, roast, and cherry aromas. Next, a dark cherry- and roast-driven sip flowed into Bourbon, bitter herbal, and red fruit flavors on the swallow.

pin(head)s and needles

1 1/4 oz Ilegal Reposado Mezcal
1/2 oz Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Zirbenz Liqueur
1/4 oz Amaro Braulio
1/4 oz Cherry Heering

Torch a plank of cedar and overturn a coupe to be smoked. Stir with ice, turn over the coupe, strain into that coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Tuesdays ago, I ran an errand in Union Square, Somerville, so I stopped into Backbar for a drink. There, I became enraptured by the Pin(head)s & Needles from their special Halloween cocktail menu. Bartender Liz Pittari was inspired by the 1987 film Hellraiser, and the menu item was subtitled "Pine & smoke, pleasure & pain beyond your imagination." The mezcal, Punt e mes, and Cherry Heering combination reminded me of the Another Sunken Boat but here with bitter pine notes from the Braulio and Zirbenz. Once mixed, the Pin(head)s & Needles stalked the nose with dark cherry, smoke, and vegetal aromas. Next, grape and dark fruit on the sip siezed on to smoky, vegetal, bitter, and pine flavors on the swallow.

made man

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/8 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Mondays ago, I was peering through the Kindred Cocktails database when I came upon the Made Man by Ali Reynolds at the Hawksmoor in London. The database sourced the drink from a CocktailsDistilled web post which described, "In the same way that a made man is traditionally seen as 'untouchable' by fellow criminals, in the world of cocktails, a Made Man offers a taste you can't refuse." I was able to find references as early as 2013 to this drink on the web, and the rye, cherry, Yellow Chartreuse combination reminded me of the Last Waltz. Once stirred and strained, the Made Man gave forth a rye, cherry, and herbal pine bouquet. Next, dark fruit notes on the sip led into rye, cherry, bitter herbal, piny, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

another sunken boat

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Banhez)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
2 dash Absinthe (12 drop Copper & Kings)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make the Another Sunken Boat by Phil Ward at New York City's Long Island Bar circa 2022 as a riff on the Remember the Maine originally published in Charles H. Baker Jr.'s first book. I had spotted this recipe on a friend's Instagram post in early July, and I was able to trace it back to Robert Simonson's Substack. The combination reminded me of the reposado tequila-based Remember the Alamo, so I was definitely interested in trying Phil's spin on things. In the glass, the Another Sunken Boat proffered smoke, vegetal, and licorice aromas to the nose. Next, grape and dark plum notes on the sip nestled into vegetal, smoke, bitter herbal, cherry, and licorice flavors on the swallow that later gained more dark fruit notes as the drink warmed up.

daddy issues

1 1/2 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Averna
1/4 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz Combier (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry.Two Tuesdays ago, I uncovered a set of online recipe flashcards for Mr. Mao in New Orleans. In a September 2021 set, I latched onto the intriguingly named Daddy Issues by beverage director William Greenwell, and I confirmed it via a November 2021 drink of the week post on The Whiskey Lifestyle site that identified the creator. Given the timing, the drink was either on the opening menu in July 2021 or soon after. I described it in a comment on my Instagram post as "It's like a Black Manhattan got crossed with a Remember the Maine. Not something that I'd come up with but I'm happy to have tried this one!", and bartender Kevin Peterson replied there, "Black Manhattan meets El Presidente + bitter Cherry Heering. Open to the possibility." The combination of Cherry Heering and Averna was one that I enjoyed in the Simon, so I was game to give this one a try. In the glass, the Daddy Issues began with caramel and cherry aromas. Next, caramel and dark fruit on the sip fells aside to Bourbon, herbal, cherry, and orange flavors on the swallow.

louisiane and maine

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (10 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry.Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted a new entry on the KindredCocktails database called the Louisiane and Maine. The drink created by Massachusetts home enthusiast Todd Yard was named for its mashup of a Remember the Maine and a De La Louisiane, and the recipe was sourced from a recent post on his Concoctails blog. Moreover, the Cherry Heering-Benedictine pairing also reminded me of the Singapore Sling. Once prepared, this Manhattan variation gave forth an anise and cherry bouquet. Next, grape and cherry notes on the sip leapt to rye, herbal, clove, and anise flavors on the swallow with a cherry finish.

stenton

1 1/2 oz Scotch (1 oz Famous Grouse + 1/2 oz Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Cherry Heering
1/8 oz Lemon Juice

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe pre-rinsed with mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte), and garnish with an orange peel-cherry flag.Two Mondays ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I came across the Stenton by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2014 that he described as "an aromatic, slow-sipping version of the Blood & Sand." Once prepared, the Stenton showcased an orange, caramel, grape, and smoke bouquet. Next, grape, caramel, and dark cherry notes on the sip flowed into Scotch, dark orange, herbal, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

the communist

1 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Cherry Brandy (Cherry Heering)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.After writing up the Socialist, I was reminded of the Communist that Ted Haigh sourced from the 1933 Cocktail Parade pamphlet and published in his Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails book. Overall, it had a gin Blood & Sand-like feel as well as that of an earlier and less herbal version of the Singapore Sling before pineapple and grenadine took over, so I was curious to try this 90 year old recipe. In the glass, the Communist proffered an orange, cherry, and pine bouquet to the nose. Next, orange and dark fruit notes on the sip transfered into gin, cherry, tart citrus, and orange flavors on the swallow.

panic button

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Averna
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass (old fashioned) with a large ice cube.Two Saturdays ago, I came across a recipe from Imbibe Magazine  that I had skipped over when I received the issue in late 2017 called the Panic Button. The recipe was crafted by Ryan Casey at the Living Room Bar at the Dewberry Hotel in Charleston. At first, it reminded me of a High Hat made more complex with two Italian bitter liqueurs, and then I recalled Todd Maul's The Simon that included Averna in the mix but not the Campari. Once prepared, the Panic Button showcased a cherry, orange, and lemon bouquet to the nose. Next, dark fruit and orange notes on the sip slipped into Bourbon, bitter cherry, and caramel flavors on the swallow.

remember the maine

1 jigger Rye Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse)
1/2 jigger Sweet Vermouth (3/4 oz Cocchi)
1-2 tsp Cherry Brandy (1/4 oz Cherry Heering)
1/2 tsp Absinthe (Kübler)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime or lemon twist (lemon).I realized when writing up the Julia's Hand and making reference to the Remember the Maine that I had never put that classic on the blog. It is a drink that I first made in November 2007 and put on my LiveJournal that I sourced from Salvatore Calabrese's Complete Home Bartender's Guide which described it as "a rusty red cocktail with a bitter sweet taste and an aniseed-flavored overlay"; moreover, it was a cocktail I mixed up frequently when I started bartending at Russell House Tavern in 2013 where it was on the menu. The recipe that I utilized above is the one from Charles H. Baker Jr.'s Jigger, Beaker, and Glass that Baker had in Havana in 1933. In the glass, the Remember the Maine rallied to the nose with lemon, cherry, and anise aromas. Next, grape and dark cherry on the sip sailed into rye, black cherry, and licorice flavors on the swallow.

julia's hand

1 1/2 oz Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Orange Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/4 oz Cherry Liqueur (Cherry Heering)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Fridays ago, I spotted a recipe called Julia's Hand in an online flashcard set, and I was able to confirm the recipe in a 2017 article in Celebrity Tastemaker. The drink was crafted by Tonia Guffey at Featherweight in Brooklyn that appeared like it might come across like a smoky and orange version of the Remember the Maine. In the glass, Julia's Hand gave forth peat smoke and orange aromas. Next, grape and cherry notes swirled on the sip, and the swallow wrapped things up with smoky Scotch, cherry, and orange flavors on the swallow.

crimson king

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Cherry Heering
1/8 oz Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.On a recent Liquor-dot-com round-up article of Punt e Mes recipes, I became intrigued by the Crimson King that they had originally posted in 2016. This Boulevardier riff was strangely not attributed to any bartender or establishment, but it reminded me of my Down for the Count as a Remember the Maine mashed up with a Negroni. In the glass, the Crimson King showcased a grapefruit and grape aroma. Next, a fruity sip of cherry and grape notes transitioned into rye, bitter orange, cherry, and coffee flavors on the swallow.

the highlander

2 oz Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering

Build in an old fashioned glass, add ice, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for Michael and Zara Madrusan's A Spot at the Bar book and came upon the Highlander created by Eric Alperin at the Varnish Bar in Los Angeles. The name reminded me of Paul Harrington's Highlander that was akin to a Scotch Monte Carlo that he published it in his 1998 book Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century (and probably a few years earlier in Wired magazine). I then recalled that Eric's recipe appeared in Robert Simonson's The Old-Fashioned book, and there Eric declared, "[It's] so simple that I thought I couldn't be proud of it, but my guests love to order it."The Highlander reached the senses with a lemon, smoke, and cherry aroma. Next, dark fruit on the sip was conquered by Scotch, black cherry, herbal, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

triborough

2 oz Wild Turkey Rye (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Clear Creek Kirschwasser (Trimbach)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I began flipping through the PDT Cocktail Book for a drink recipes that I had glossed over. The one that caught my eye was the Triborough as Nate Dumas' 2009 twist on the Remember the Maine. Moreover, the rye, eau de vie, and Punt e Mes components in a Manhattan variation format reminded me of the West End that I semi-recently had at The Danforth. Here, the Triborough donated bright orange oils over dark caramel orange aromas. Next, a grape and caramel sip gave way to rye, cherry, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

mystic wood

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Fridays ago, I began perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across the Mystic Wood created by Kelly Swenson at Ten-01 in Portland, Oregon, circa 2008. The combination of rye whiskey, Cherry Heering, and apricot liqueur reminded me of Todd Maul's Laura Lee that presented the trio as a Sour instead of as a stirred cocktail here. Once prepared, the Mystic Wood showcased a rye and cherry aroma. Next, a dark fruit sip flowed into rye, cherry, apricot, and clove flavors on the swallow.

andrew square

2 oz Old Overholt Rye Whiskey (86°)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Fridays ago, I was peering into the "Drinks of Drink" notebook at work and spotted the Andrew Square named after a nearby neighborhood just south of the bar's location. Its combination of cherry liqueur and Fernet Branca was one that dated back to Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 with the Pinto. With rye whiskey as a stirred drink, the Andrew Square reminded me of the more recent Problem Solver and the combination of the liqueurs have appeared elsewhere on here. The notebook lacked any hint as to its creator or year, but once prepared, it revealed a cherry, clove, and rye aroma. Next caramel and dark fruit notes on the sip flowed into rye, cherry, menthol, and bitter gentian flavors on the swallow.