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.

start me up

1 oz Elijah Craig 12 Year Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum (Doorly's 12 Year) (*)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Strega
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice.
(*) The bar's 2019 cocktail book has this as Scarlet Ibis Rum. Two Wednesdays ago, I decided to make the Start Me Up that I found in a set of online recipe flashcards for the NoMad in Los Angeles. I uncovered both a drink photo and menu photo on Yelp from 2018 that had it under the "NoMad Classics" section, and I later found the recipe in The NoMad Cocktail Book where it was attributed to Leo Robitschek and Jessica Gonzalez; there it called for the Trinindad rum Scarlet Ibis. While the book did not say, if I had to wager, I would guess that it was named for the Rolling Stones song. As for the recipe, Strega has been paired up with either honey or ginger in a few drinks, but only appeared with both in Skull & Crown Trading Co.'s Hanalei Moon mixed in with a few other tropical ingredients. Once assembled, the Start Me Up gave forth a star anise and lemon aroma. Next, lemon and honey notes on the sip evolved into Bourbon, rum, honey, ginger, anise, and vanilla 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.

que paso

1 1/2 oz Corazon Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Amaro Braulio (*)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White
1 Strawberry

Muddle the strawberry, add the rest of the ingredients, and shake without ice. Shake with ice, strain into a Delmonico (single old fashioned) glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.
(*) Later made at the bar with Amaro Abano, see text. Two Sundays ago, I wanted to use the other half of my lemon, so I found the Que Paso from The Violet Hour's Winter 2022 menu through online recipe flashcards. While the flashcards had the amaro as Brauilo, their Instagram in late March 2022 had it as Abano. It is unclear when during the menu's progression that the liqueur switched, but I made it with Braulio, although strawberry-Abano has worked rather well in the Speaking In Tongues that was created across town at Sable in 2010. With Braulio, the Que Paso welcomed the senses with lemon, red berry, vegetal, and pine aromas. Next, creamy, lemon, fruity, and honey notes on the sip flowed into tequila, honey, pine, and strawberry flavors on the swallow.

the wardlow

2 oz Bulleit Rye (Old Overholt 86°)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and accent with 2 spritzes absinthe (10 drop St. George). The recipe did not specify if the spritzes were before (like a rinse) or after straining, and I did the latter. Note: a Yelp photo from June 2015 showed this drink served with what appears to be an orange twist (not included here). Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the set of online recipe flashcards from Roxanne's and honed in on the Wardlow created circa 2015 and named after their street address in Long Beach, California. Overall, the drink read like a Gold Rush meets a Frisco Sour, so I was intrigued. Moreover, the combination of Benedictine, honey, and lemon is one that I have seen before in the Castle Garden with gin and Angostura, the Bail Out with Bourbon and allspice dram, the Fecamp 500 with applejack and lemon bitters, and my French Film at Loyal Nine with dry vermouth. Once shaken and strained, the Wardlow showcased an anise and floral bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and honey notes on the sip unfurled into rye, herbal, floral, cherry, and anise flavors on the swallow.

honey i'm home

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Bols Genever (Bols Barrel-Aged)
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc (Servito)
1/4 oz Malört
1/4 oz TVH2 (Honey Syrup)
2 dash Lavender Bitters (Scrappy's)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist. The drink that I had prepared in advance while I was at the USBG Bar Summit in Philadelphia on Monday was the Honey I'm Home from Chicago's The Violet Hour for their Summer 2022 menu. I was able to source the spec through online recipe flashcards, and my cheatsheat from the bar defines TVH2 as honey or honey-ginger-cinnamon syrup (which makes perfect sense given the drink's name), so I went with the one that I had on hand. While I have not had a Genever-tequila cocktail before, there are four Genever-mezcal ones on the blog dating back to 2009 with Misty Kalkofen's 1820. Once prepared, the Honey I'm Home gave forth a lemon, malty, and vegetal bouquet to the nose. Next, honey and white grape notes on the sip delved into tequila, malty, honey, and bitter flavors on the swallow.

yabbadabbado

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite Especial)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
Strawberries (2 medium)

Muddle strawberries, add the rest, shake with ice, and double strain into a coupe. Two Tuesdays prior, I looked at my list of drinks garnered from the Attaboy online recipe flashcards, and I zoomed in on the Yabbadabbado. The rabarbaro-strawberry combination was one that I enjoyed greatly in the King Vittorio's Cobbler at Cure in 2011 (and renamed King's Cobbler in the Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em book), so I looked forward to trying it in this The Flintstones-themed drink. In the glass, the Yabbadabbado opened up with roast, vegetal, smoke, and red berry aromas. Next, lime, roast, and a hint of red fruit notes on the sip swayed into mezcal, honey, herbal, and strawberry flavors on the swallow.

sleeping tiger

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Lime Juice (1/2 oz)
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a cayenne pepper-Demerara sugar (1:4) rim, and garnish with a lime wheel (omit) and a light dusting of cayenne pepper. Two Sundays ago, I returned to Amanda Schuster's New York Cocktails book and spotted the Sleeping Tiger from Louis 649 in Manhattan that I had neglected to make over the years. This was Louis 649's most popular cocktail, and a year after they closed in 2014, the bar Mace opened in that spot. The concept with the honey-ginger aspect reminded me of agave Penicillin riffs like the Little Branch Cocktail perhaps crossed with mezcal-honey-cayanne recipes like the Dahlia's Revenge and my Lupe Velez. Once mixed, the Sleeping Tiger awoke with a pineapple, vegetal, and smoke aroma. Next, pineapple, honey, and lime notes on the sip stretched into smoky mezcal, pineapple, and ginger flavors on the swallow with a hint of pepper spice.

penumbra

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/8 oz Honey Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, and strain into a Sour glass. Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the most recent set of online recipe flashcards for Attaboy that I uncovered. There, I found the Penumbra and an almost identical drink called the Orange Moon that was served in an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube instead of served up. For a time frame, I turned to Yelp where there was a June 2023 review with a photo of the Penumbra served in a coupe, and an October 2023 review with photo of the Orange Moon served in an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube and short metal straw. One of the reviews described the combination as, " I felt like it tasted like an orange creamsicle." The combination of gin, Aperol, and passion fruit reminded me of the 'I'iwi Bird, and Aperol and passion fruit factored into my gentian liqueur-based Italian Stallion and Baldwin Bar's aromatized wine-based Rome with a Slight View. Once shaken and strained, the Penumbra cast out an orange, passion fruit, and pine aroma. Next, a creamy orange sip was overshadowed by gin, passion fruit, and orange flavors on the swallow.

Postnote 5/27/26: The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app confirms this recipe and attributes it to Zack Gelnaw-Rubin.

heather on the hill

2 oz Grant Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1 dash Cardamom Bitters (The Bitter Housewife)
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the online set of recipe flashcards for 1 Tippling Place in Philalephia that I had not touched since July when I made The Marxist. From that 2017 set, I selected the Heather on the Hill. In my research, I found an October 2016 article in Mid-Day with a photo and a description of the bartender Myles Carroll making the drink for a month long pop-up in Mumbai, India. Overall, the recipe reminded me of Sother Teague's Take me to Marrakech but with Scotch and egg white instead of Armagnac. Once prepared, Heather on the Hill gave forth an orange, honey, and Scotch aroma. Next, a creamy orange and lemon sip led into Scotch, honey, and cardamom flavors on the swallow. I was quite surprised at how delightful this combination was given its relative simplicity.

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.

spirited spectre

1 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with an orange twist and pineapple wedge (orange twist and freshly grated nutmeg). Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the collection of Tikiland Trading Co. recipes that they included with their ceramic mugs. The one that caught my eye was the Spirited Spectre by Kelly Merrell, head bartender at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland; the recipe was included with the company's Thor's Haunted Hatbox mug. Overall, it reminded me of a rum-based mashup of the Hawaiian (pineapple, lemon, Maraschino) and the Royal Hawaiian (pineapple, lemon, orgeat). Once prepared, the Spirited Spectre gave forth a pineapple, nutty cherry, and rum funk aroma. Next, a creamy lemon, pineapple, and honey sip transformed into funky rum, nutty cherry, almond, and anise flavors on the swallow.

samoan grog (tribute to the mai-kai)

1 oz Gold Rum (Planteray Isle of Fiji)
3/4 oz Dark Rum (Coruba)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Honey Syrup 2:1 (3/4 oz 1:1)
1/2 tsp Don's Spices No. 2 (1/4 tsp each Vanilla Syrup and (Hamilton's) Allspice Dram)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice and pour into a glass. I used a Tiki mug and garnished with an orange twist. Two Mondays, I was feeling the need for a tropical drink, so I returned to the The Atomic Grog site. There, I spotted Jim Haywood's 2014 interpretation of the Mai-Kai's Samoan Grog. The Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale seemed to have riffed on Don Beach's Colonial Grog from the 1940s that Beachbum Berry later wrote about in Potions of the Caribbean. Overall, the recipe reminded me of an orange for grapefruit juice Navy Grog plus bitters that included the honey from Don Beach's version and the allspice dram of the Trader Vic recipe (with vanilla syrup to tag along via Don's Spices #2). Once mixed and poured into the last unused mug from the my most recent purchases, this take on the Samoan Grog generated an orange, caramel, and allspice aroma. Next, orange, lime, caramel, and honey notes on the sip unfurled into funky rum, vanilla, allspice, and honey flavors on the swallow.

moving through kashmir

1 oz Famous Grouse Scotch
1 oz Cruzan Light Rum (Don Q Añejo)
1/8 oz Honey Syrup 3:1 (1/4 oz 1:1)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Mondays ago, I was scanning online recipe flashcards when I honed in on the Moving Through Kashmir from the Summer 2015 menu at The Rose in Jackson, Wyoming. Scotch-rum stirred drinks have dated back a century with the earliest that I have made being the dry Rob Roy riff, the Burlington, from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933, and the next oldest being the Quarter Deck #2 from Trader Vic's 1947 Bartender's Guide. The closest to this recipe though is Death & Co.'s I Againt I with somewhat more robust spirits and a different bitters in place of the Angostura here. For a name, this drink is most likely a reference to a line from the 1975 Led Zeppelin Song "Kashmir" about singer Robert Plant's 1973 drive through a desolate part of Southern Morocco. Once prepared, the Moving Throught Kashmir offered up lemon, honey, Scotch, and anise aromas. Next, honey and malt on the sip opened up into Scotch, rum, allspice, and anise flavors on the swallow.

bastard's sour

2 oz Planteray Xaymaca Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, and garnish with a mint sprig, orchid, and snow-like powdered sugar (orange slice and cherry). Two Saturdays ago, I was in the mood for something tropical, so I searched my list of interesting recipes from the Geeki Tiki site. The one that called out to me was the Bastard's Sour crafted by Jason Alexander, a/k/a Tiki Commando, at the Devil's Reef in Tacoma, Washington. The recipe was included in the company's Jon Snow mug and was subtitled "Cheers to the king in the north!" Given the name, I thought about the Suffering Bastard, but on paper, it was closer to an Eastern Sour and a Scorpion Bowl. Instead of that recipe, the first part of the name derives from Jon Snow being the bastard son of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North in The Game of Thrones. Once prepared, the Bastard's Sour welcomed the senses with an orange, nutty, and dark rum aroma. Next, a creamy lemon and orange sip developed into funky rum, orange peel, floral, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

the witch doctor

3/4 oz Angostura Bitters
3/4 oz Mezcal Union Uno (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Lunazul Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice 

1/2 oz Honey 3:1 (3/4 oz 1:1)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a big ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Sundays ago, I opened up my copy of The Bartender's Manifesto by Toby Maloney and Emma Janzen and spotted the Angostura-heavy The Witch Doctor by Patrick Smith at The Violet Hour in 2018. Patrick noted how orange oils and honey soothed Angostura's baking spice notes, and perhaps this worked just as good as the orgeat in the Trinidad Sour. The closest recipe to this that comes to mind is the Johann Goes to Mexico that includes an agave spirit base but lacks the honey aspect (although Demerara syrup has a bit of roundness to it). In the glass, The Witch Doctor proffered orange and floral aromas. Next, lemon and molasses-caramel notes on the sip opened up into smoky vegetal, clove, and allspice flavors on the swallow with a honey finish.

westpoint

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Coruba)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon wedge (lemon twist). Two Mondays prior, I grabbed my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion, and the Westpoint by Daniel Zacharczuk circa 2015 at Salt's Cure in Los Angeles spoke to me. For some reason, the structure quickly reminded me of the Sky Pilot despite that drink being an apple brandy and grenadine one without bitters but still with the dark rum as an accent. Searching the database, it is closer to the Lazy Bear though with lime and a different call of bitters. Once prepared, the Westpoint showcased lemon, honey, and whiskey aromas to the nose. Next, lemon, honey, and caramel notes on the sip marched into rye, funky rum, honey, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

nova scotia

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (2 oz Evan Williams Bonded)
1/3 oz Islay Scotch (>1/2 oz Laphroaig 10 Year)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca (1/3 oz)
1/4 oz Honey Syrup (1/3 oz)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays ago, I opened up The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and became enchanted with the Nova Scotia as a Toronto riff by Paul Hammond and Priscilla Leong now of The Flowing Bowl Cocktail Company in Melbourne, Australia. Overall, it reminded me of the rye-Speyside Scotch Toronto riff, All Bark, All Bite from the Violet Hour that I discovered in the Bartender's Manifesto two years ago. In the glass, the Nova Scotia approached the nose with a lemon, floral, and peat smoke bouquet. Next, honey and malt notes on the sip transitioned into smoky whiskey flavors accented with bitter minty menthol on the swallow.

honey badger

1 1/2 oz Barr Hill Gin
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Domaine de Canton (Barrow's Intense)
1/2 oz Honey Syrup 1:1
2 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a dehydrated citrus wheel (lemon twist). Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a drink called the Honey Badger that Bardtenders posted on their Instagram account earlier that day. I felt it was a good tribute for the folks from that site hosted me on their podcast two nights before for a recording to be broadcasted in late February. The combination reminded me of Michael Madrusan's Son of a Beesting at Milk & Honey that calls for ginger syrup instead of liqueur akin to a Bee's Knees crossed with a Penicillin. In the glass, the Honey Badger gave forth a lemon, ginger, and honey bouquet. Next, lemon and honey notes on the sip gave way to pine, ginger, honey, and orange flavors on the swallow.

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.