space dog

1 3/4 oz Four Roses Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/4 oz Amaro Sfumato
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Two Mondays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Good Company in St. Louis and found the Space Dog as a complex Bourbon Sour for their Fall 2024 menu. I soon found a video from October 2024 of bar manager Diego Gonzalez making the drink on the bar's Instagram which confirmed the recipe. While I have never tried the Sfumato and orgeat pairing, I have tried it with another rabarbaro, namely Zucca, in Hungry Mother's Smoky with good effect. In the glass, the Space Dog came through with a woody spice, almond, and herbal roast aroma. Next, a creamy roast and grapefruit sip landed on Bourbon, smoky bitter herbal, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

wicker park sour

1 oz Jeppson's Malört
1 oz Pisco (Macchu Pisco)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with 3 drops Peychaud's Bitters. Two Saturdays prior, I opened up my copy of Toby Maloney's The Bartender's Manifesto book and was taken in by the Wicker Park Sour by Andrew Mackey at The Violet Hour circa 2011. Overall, the recipe read like a Pisco Sour that gained Malört, grapefruit, and honey to give it Chicago stylings. Once shaken and strained, the Wicker Park Sour began with an anise aroma from the Peychaud's Bitters garnish. Next, a creamy lemon, grapefruit, and honey sip evolved into bitter grapefruit pith and honey flavors on the swallow. While the drink allowed me to crack open my recent restocked bottle of pisco, that spirit was a bit lost in the mix and acted more like a flavor elongator akin to vodka in the Fernet-containing Sputnik.

fists of fury

1 1/2 oz Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
1/2 oz Amaro Meletti
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up my file of recipes that I have uncovered on online flashcard sites, and I opted for the Fists of Fury at the now shuttered The Varnish in Los Angeles. While I found the drink in a 2019 set, I spotted it in a Yelp menu photo and review from 2022, so it must have been popular enough to put on the cocktail list more than once. While the name made me think of Erick Castro's Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, instead of a Kill Bill: Vol. 2 reference, it was most like a tribute to the 1972 Bruce Lee movie. Tequila and Meletti have paired well in drinks such as the Aces & Eights and Guapo Buffone, and I used them to great effect in the Cantiflas Mustache, so I was definitely curious to try this one. Once shaken and strained, the Fists of Fury unleashed a vegetal aroma from the tequila. Next, an attack from caramel, grapefruit, and lime notes on the sip opened up tequila, caramel-herbal, and floral flavors on the swallow.

hustle & cuss

2 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Marie Brizard White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
1 dash Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist (omit). Two Tuesdays ago, I selected Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book off of the shelf and found the Hustle & Cuss by Jon Armstrong in 2016. There was no indication about why it was named that, but perhaps it was a tribute to the 2010 song by The Dead Weather. The grapefruit-maple-cinnamon trio appeared to be a driving force here; grapefruit-cinnamon is a proven duo in the Don's Mix as featured in the 1934 Zombie and grapefruit-maple is one that I learned to appreciate in Don's Volcano Bowl. In structure, the recipe vaguely reminded me of the Dead Rabbit's Doctor's Orders with the Bourbon, two citrus juices, cinnamon syrup, and modifiers, but the two take different paths. Here, the Hustle & Cuss donated a Bourbon, maple, and cinnamon aroma to the nose. Next, grapefruit and lemon on the sip flowed into Bourbon, maple, chocolate, cinnamon, and clove flavors on the swallow.

murder of crows

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Nocino (Russo)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 dash Bitters (Angostura)

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel (lemon twist). Two Mondays prior, I began perusing the KindredCocktails database and spotted the Murder of Crows created by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2017. The combination of walnut liqueur and cinnamon syrup is one that worked well in the Five Year Plan and The World is Yours and that I utilized in my Shadows & Tall Trees at Russell House Tavern back in 2013. In the glass, the Murder of Crows gathered around the nose with a lemon, walnut, and cinnamon bouquet. Next, grapefruit and roast notes on the sip opened up into rye, walnut, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

rising sun

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Maraska Maraschio
1 pinch Salt (3 drop 20% Saline)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wheel. Two Sundays ago, I recalled a mezcal drink on Reddit called the Rising Sun, and I tracked down the recipe to a 2014 Saveur article. The drink created at Toro Bravo in Portland, Oregon, came across like a mezcal Hemingway Daiquiri, but the recipe that popped into my head first was the Prado that I was reminded of the day before via the latest Imbibe Magazine issue (the magazine used the Stan Jones' recipe with egg white and simple instead of grenadine one in the link). Moreover, there were of course traces of the Division Bell's flavor profile here. Once shaken and strained, the Rising Sun greeted the senses with a lime, smoky, and nutty cherry aroma. Next, lime and grapefruit notes on the sip unfurled into vegetal, smoky, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow with a lime peel and grapefruit pith finish.

my favorite mutiny

1 1/2 oz Pineapple Rum (Planteray Stiggins' Fancy)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum

1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a mug, fill with more crushed ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Two Fridays ago, I was still thinking about a drink that Andrea had recently had at Trina's Starlite Lounge called the Wagon Wheel Watusi with rye, Smith & Cross, Benedictine, crème de cacao, and lime. Trina's has paired cacao and Benedictine together before in the Grandpa's Drunk, and I have enjoyed the combination in drinks like the Divorcé in NYC and included it in my King of Birds. For a direction, I took it in the way of the Jet Pilot riff Benny & the Jets and I dubbed it after a 2006 hip-hop song by The Coup called My Favorite Mutiny. I had enjoyed that song in a playlist created by a tequila brand ambassador, and I made note of it in my list of potential drinks names a few years ago. Once prepared, My Favorite Mutiny launched off with a woody spice, rum funk, and chocolate aroma. Next, lime, grapefruit, and caramel notes on the sip sailed into funky rum, pineapple, herbal, chocolate, and clove flavors on the swallow.

wonk holiday punch (2025)

1/2 oz Planteray Mister Fogg Sail No. 1 Rum
1/2 oz Planteray Xaymaca Rum
1 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup 2:1 (1:1)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Two Wednesdays ago, I was listening to a Bartender at Large podcast where Pierre Ferrand's Alexandre Gabriel was the guest, and I later checked out Alexandre's Instagram. One of the posts was a joint one from Matt Pietrek from December 2025 where Matt posted his Wonk Holiday Punch. Matt was inspired by a conversation with bartender Jason Alexander, and his recipe utilized three of Alexandre's products. I had not seen orange liqueur as a base since the Grand Marnier event at Drink at 2009 where John Gertsen led the pack with 2 1/4 oz with the Mission of Burma as an inverted Pegu Club and Scott Holliday's Alicante at 1 1/2 oz (our cocktail, the Lioness (of Brittany), was a meager 3/4 oz by comparison). Once prepared, the Wonk Holiday Punch named after Matt's CocktailWonk and RumWonk accounts began with orange, caramel, and cinnamon aromas. Next, a medley of grapefruit, lime, and orange notes on the sip sailed into rum, orange, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow. The roundness of Pierre Ferrand's orange liqueur akin to that of Grand Marnier allowed for this large amount of curaçao to prosper as half of the alcohol volume.

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.

cinn-ful bastard

2 oz Mount Gay Black Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Collins glass (Tiki mug), and garnish with a cherry and candied ginger. Two Mondays ago, I was perusing online recipe flashcards sets when I found a 2015 collection from the Tonga Hunt in Los Angeles. There, I locked in on the Cinn-ful Bastard, and its rum, lime, orgeat, and cinnamon combination reminded me of the Cuban Anole. Later, I realized that I used to make a similar drink at River Bar in 2018 called the Zombie Nation. In the mug, the Cinn-ful Bastard erupted with a cinnamon, almond, and cherry aroma. Next, a creamy grapefruit and lime sip got tripped into rum, cinnamon, almond, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

hi-tide boogie

1 1/2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1/4 oz Don's Spices #2 (1/8 oz Vanilla Syrup + 1/8 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's))
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
3/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Lime Juice

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a TIki mug, and garnish with a mint sprig (swizzle stick). Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a reference to the Hi-Tide Boogie by Justin Wojslaw at the Diller Room in Seattle that I traced back to Andy Boimila's Mixing Up Tiki channel on YouTube. Justin named this after the rockabilly and surf music studio Hi-Tide Recordings. The cinnamon and Don's Spices #2 combination reminded me of the classic Nui Nui and Colonel Tiki's (And) Knobs is Thirteen, and cinnamon and passion fruit are a natural duo that I last tried in the Pagan Punch a few short weeks ago. In the mug, the Hi-Tide Boogie swept in with dark rum, vanilla, and cinnamon aromas. Next, grapefruit, lime, and caramel notes on the sip receded into burly rum, vanilla, passion fruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

throwing shade

1 1/2 oz Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Zucca (Sfumato)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Two Fridays ago, I reached for my copy of Nico Martini's Texas Cocktails book, and I honed in on the Throwing Shade by Jessica Sanders at Nickel City Bar in Austin. The combination of whisky, Zucca, and grapefruit juice reminded me of Backbar's Zucca Hour, so I was intrigued. Once prepared, the Throwing Shade landed a smoky herbal and ginger bouquet on the nose. Next, grapefruit and roast notes on the sip gave way to whisky, herbal, ginger, and smoky bitter flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

megalodon's fang

1 1/2 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz London Dry Gin (Tanqueray)
1/4 oz Cointreau
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice (*)
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1 tsp Grenadine
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, strain into a Megalodon Relic Tiki mug (Pirhana mug), and garnish with mint sprigs and a dehydrated grapefruit wheel (grapefruit twist only).
(*) My guess is that there will be no harm if the lemon juice is omitted and the lime is upped to 1 oz (I happened to have a sample of lemon superjuice on hand to save juicing 3 fruits for this recipe). For another recipe for my new Tiki mug acquisition, I opted for the Megalodon's Fang from a collection of Tikiland Trading Co.'s recipes that were posted on Reddit's Tiki forum. The Megalodon's Fang was perhaps a riff on Trader Vic's Shark's Tooth No. 1 from the 1940s and probably not the Cobra's Fang. It was created by Kelly Merrell at Trader Sam's at Disneyland and included as a recipe card to accompany Tikiland Trading's Megalodon Relic mug. Once prepared, the Megalodon's Fang siezed onto grapefruit and dark spice aromas. Next, a trio of grapefruit, lime, and lemon notes on the sip swam towards pineapple, pine, berry, and clove flavors on the swallow.

pagan punch

2 oz Coruba Dark Jamaican Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a glass (Tiki mug), and fill with crushed ice. The instructions did not list a garnish, but the photo showed mint sprigs and a plastic spider (grapefruit peel snakes). Two Thursdays ago, my shipment of a half dozen new Tiki mugs arrived, and I sought out uses for them. On my phone, I found a screenshot of the Pagan Punch by San Francisco home enthusiast Joe Kennedy that he posted on Facebook's Tiki Recipes group back in October. It was a cross of Pagan Idol's Quarantine Order with Stephen Remsberg's Planter's Punch featuring Coruba Rum (which we had at his house in 2010 as alluded to in this post). The passion fruit-cinnamon syrup duo is one that I utilized in my Bucking the Tiger a few days after having it in the Samson Swizzle; my earliest blog post with the duo turns out to be something I came up with independently during Loyal Nine's Yacht Rock Sundays in 2015 called the Key Largo. In the new mug, the Pagan Punch prayed to the nose with grapefruit and cinnamon aromas. Next, caramel, grapefruit, lime, and passion fruit notes on the sip chanted until dark funky rum, passion fruit, cinnamon, and allspice flavors from the swallow reared their heads.

the parakeet

2 oz Privateer Rum (Privateer Tres Aromatique)
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash DeGroff's Pimento Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a pineapple frond and grapefruit twist (grapefruit twist only). Two Saturdays prior, I delved back into the Eastern Standard pre-Pandemic bar bible and latched on to The Parakeet. Overall, it appeared like a Jungle Bird riff that calls for pineapple syrup instead of juice akin to the Mocking Bird, Unique Bird, and other variations but with a name that reminded me of the Lorikeet. Once assembled in the Tiki mug, The Parakeet soared to the nose with a grapefruit oil aroma. Next, lime, grapefruit, orange, and pineapple notes on the sip roosted upon rum, cinnamon, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

the marxist

1 1/2 oz Death's Door Gin
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Sundays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for 1 Tippling Place in Philadelphia and landed on The Marxist from around 2017 that made me think of the Socialist and Communist in name. In structure though, it reminded me of Sam Ross' Too Soon? but with grapefruit juice instead of the two orange wedges and perhaps the Bitter End with lemon and simple instead of Cointreau. Once prepared, The Marxist offered up a pine and grapefruit aroma. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip were overthrown by juniper, herbal, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

los muertos

2 oz Arette Blanco Tequila
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 bsp Grenadine (1/8 oz)
1 bsp Ginger Syrup (1/8 oz)

Build in a Hurricane glass (Collins), fill with crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and garnish with mint sprigs.Two Sundays ago, I selected the bar bible for the Hawthorne that I acquired shortly after they closed the bar due to the Pandemic, and there I latched on to Los Muertos by bartender Jason Kilgore. I estimate that it was created circa 2014-2015 given that one of Jason's work bios listed his tenure there as January 2014-January 2016). Overall, it read like a Swizzle with tequila Zombie vibes (with ginger syrup instead of Angostura and Herbsaint), so I was sold. Once prepared, the Los Muertos greeted the senses with a mint bouquet. Next, a grapefruit, berry, and lime sip rose up into tequila, cinnamon, red berry, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

skull & crown

2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1 oz Kuleana Nanea Rum (1/2 oz Uruapan Charanda + 1/2 oz Monymusk Gold)
1 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum (Hamilton's 86° Demerara River)
1 1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Velvet Falernum
1/ oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine

Whip shake, pour into a skull Tiki mug (Tiki bowl), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with flaming half lime shell (ignited El Dorado 151°) and orchid (ornamental pea blossoms).Two Fridays ago, Andrea was in the mood for something tropical, so I decided to make this drink for two that I found in a set of online recipe flashcards for the Skull & Crown Trading Co. menu in Honolulu. The eponymously named Skull & Crown seemed like a winner for it read like a Zombie riff without bitters or absinthe. The flashcard recipe did not contain any garnish information, but I was able to glean that from a photo in a 2019 Honolulu Magazine article. The article also suggested that the flash card-specified Kuleana Nanea, a Central American and Caribbean molasses rum blend mixed with Hawaiian agricole, was originally Bacardi 8 Year back in 2019, and I utilized a Mexican agricole blend supplemented with some mild aged Jamaican rum. This delight once prepared greeted the senses with a lime, rum, and cinnamon aroma on top of the dazzling fireshow that we soon after extinguished. Next, caramel, berry, and lime notes on the sip were beseiged by funky rums, cinnamon, grapefruit peel, 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.

3/4 monty

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist and an orchid (grapefruit twist and ornamental pea blossom).Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to the set of online recipe flashcards from Forget Me Not in Denver that I had utilized only once back in December with the Bonnie & Clyde. The one that caught my eye this time was the 3/4 Monty, and 303 Magazine had an article in March 2021 about the bar's opening menu that described how it was named after "a three-quarter ounce pour of Montenegro Amaro" instead of going the full monty; Yelp also had a drink photo of it in March 2021. The name made me think of Platform Lime and 3/4 at Backbar, and the combination reminded me a little of a rye version of the Pegu Club. In the glass, the 3/4 Monty began with a grapefruit and orange bouquet. Next, lime and orange notes on the sip developed into rye, orange, grapefruit, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.