west end

1 1/4 oz Wild Turkey 101° Rye
3/4 oz Rainwater Madeira
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Blume Marillen Apricot Eau De
2 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Towards the end of our evening in Portland, Maine, two Wednesdays ago, we headed over to The Danforth for a nightcap. There, I asked bartender Garrett Jones for the West End that he attributed to Death & Co.'s Tyson Buhler who helped to consult on the menu. This was Tyson's Manhattan tribute to the neighborhood where The Danforth is located. In the glass, the West End gave forth an orange and grape aroma. Next, the grape notes continued on the sip where they were chased by rye, dry grape, apricot, and spice flavors on the swallow.

clockmaker

3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Linie Aquavit (Aalborg)
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Bual Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/2 oz Amaro Nardini

Stir with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora glass (cocktail coupe).Two Fridays ago, I sought out a nightcap after a busy shift bartending. In the newest Death & Co. book Welcome Home, I came across Tyson Buhler's 2019 Clockmaker, and I decided to give it a whirl despite having a different type of Madeira on hand. I was drawn in for it had the split base of rye and aquavit that I last enjoyed in the Miles Ahead and last tinkered with in the Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck in the Fall. In the glass, the Clockmaker proffered a grape and herbal bouquet to the senses. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip flowed into rye, caraway, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

don lockwood

1 oz Rainwater Madeira (1 1/2 oz Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/2 oz Bourbon (3/4 oz Old Grand-Dad 114°)
1/2 oz Benedictine (3/4 oz)
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters (2 light dash)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Saturdays ago, I returned to T. Cole Newton's Cocktail Dive Bar and spotted the Don Lockwood which in name and Bourbon component only reminded me of the one created at Dutch Kills. This one was crafted by Cole for the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans, and he similarly named it after Gene Kelly's character in Singin' in the Rain. The combination of Madeira and Benedictine was alluring for it worked rather well in the Prospector, and I had success with it in the Provocateur and Undercover Angel.The Don Lockwood proffered a lemon oil and grape bouquet. Next, grape and a light caramel note on the sip danced into Bourbon, oxidized fruit, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a lightly anise finish.

dead monk's society

1 1/4 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye (1 3/4 oz due to a misread)
3/4 oz Broadbent Verdelho Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year)
light 1/4 oz Benedictine
light 1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist placed on the edge of the glass.Two Sundays ago, I returned to Brian Bartels' The United States of Cocktails and spotted the Dead Monk's Society. The recipe was attributed to Kevin King at McCrady's in Charleston, SC, circa 2016, and I had to assume that this Creole-like number was a reference to the monks that make Benedictine. The book did describe that the Madeira factored into the equation here since George Washington drank that fortified wine with his meal at the original McCrady's centuries ago. Once prepared, the Dead Monk's Society met the nose with an orange, rye, and root beer bouquet. Next, a semi-dry grape and caramel sip carried into a rye, root beer, herbal, and orange swallow.

quoit club punch

Peels of 12 Lemon (of 3/4 Lemon)
16 oz Sugar (1 oz)
16 oz Lemon Juice (1 oz)
750 mL Jamaican Rum (1 1/4 oz Plantation Xaymaca + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
750 mL Cognac (1 1/2 oz Courvoisier VS)
750 mL Madeira (1 1/2 oz Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)

Make an oleosaccharum with the lemon peels and sugar (2+ hr). Dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice, add the rest of the ingredients, strain to remove the peels, and chill with ice.

On the morning of the Fourth, I read David Wondrich's treatise on the Quiet Fourth of July in the DailyBeast about how he usually throws a big party replete with a punch bowl and other traditions; however, this year, the festivities would be scaled back greatly due to his regard for his guests' and his safety. While we have never thrown an Independence Day party before, I have been tasked with producing a punch for them, and if I was not working that day, I was among friends. This year, it would just be Andrea and myself, and we planned a dinner out on our second floor deck. For a final drink of the night, I plotted out a scaled down number from Wondrich's Punch Book. The Quoit Club Punch created perhaps two centuries ago in Richmond, Virginia, seemed rather delightful with Jamaican rum, brandy, and Madeira, so I prepared the oleosaccharum before I began cooking. Wondrich worked off of an old description of the ingredients and estimated rather well what the recipe could have been.
The Quoit Club rejoiced the senses with rum funk and bright lemon bouquet. Next, lemon, grape, and caramel notes raised a toast on the sip, and the swallow continued on with the funky rum, lemon peel, and grape complexity from the Cognac and Madeira. Overall, it reminded me of a more Colonial and less exotic West Indies Punch.

spectacle island

3/4 oz Unaged Rhum Agricole (Rhum Clement Premiere Canne)
3/4 oz Aged Domestic Rum such as Thomas Tew (Thomas Tew)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Build in a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Garnish with mint sprigs, freshly grated nutmeg, and an ignited spent lime shell containing overproof rum (El Dorado 151).

Two Tuesdays ago, I wanted to make a recipe from my new purchase of Chloe Frechette's Easy Tiki book, and I stopped my page turning when I came across the Spectacle Island. The recipe was crafted by Chantal Tseng of Washington DC's Petworth Citizen & Reading Room where Chantal and the staff are known for creating literary-inspired drink menus. This one besides being named for a Boston Harbor landmark was from a line in Neal Stephenson's 1988 novel Zodiac. The combination of rum, pineapple, Madeira, and Chartreuse reminded me of the Reverend Mather so I was game.
The Spectacle Island circled the nose with mint and nutmeg aromas. Next, grape, lime, and pineapple notes sailed into a swallow featuring grassy rum funk melding into Chartreuse's herbal flavors.

shipwreck

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Linie Aquavit (Aalborg)
1/2 oz Pernod Absinthe
1/2 oz Blandy's 5 Year Bual Madeira (1/2 oz Blandy's Verdelho + 1/4 oz Simple Syrup)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
2 dash Miracle Mile Red Eye Bitters (Bittercube Jamaican #2)

Whip shake, pour into a double old fashioned glass, and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds (lemon wheel and chocolate mint sprigs).

Two Thursdays ago, I was in a Tiki mood, so I reached for David Montgomery's Zombie Horde book. There, I latched on to Jim Meehan's Shipwreck that he created at PDT in 2013. The Madeira in the Zombie riff appealed to me for I had tinkered with Madeiras in the Island of Lost Souls, and the aquavit was definitely a good thing given its role in the the Norwegian Paralysis, Viking Fogcutter, and Port of Göteborg. I probably had skipped over this one since I feared that the healthy slug of absinthe would dominate this libation, but I was wrong.
The Shipwreck met the nose with rum funk, tropical, and anise aromas that were accented by my choice of chocolate mint garnish. Next, lemon, pineapple, and grape mingled on the sip, and the swallow was an intense combination of funky rum, caraway, and herbal anise spice flavors. Given how burly the spirits in the mix were, they all seemed to keep each other in check.

reverend mather

1 oz Higher Proof Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse Rye)
1/2 oz Pineapple Rum (Plantation)
1 1/2 oz Rainwater Madeira (Blandy's Verdelho)
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Brian recommends a rye over 80° here.
Two Sundays ago, I decided to make one of the recipes that Brian Maxwell has been posting daily on his Shaker of Spirits blog called the Reverend Mather. This Manhattan riff was created in tribute to one of the leaders of the Salem Witch Trials and the early Temperance (moderation not Prohibition) movement. Once prepared, the Reverend Mather offered up a lemon and rye aroma with a sweeter note perhaps from the pineapple in the rum. Next, caramel and grape conspired on the sip, and the swallow proclaimed rye, rum, grape, and pineapple-herbal flavors.

nail in the coffin

1 1/2 oz Yamazaki 12 Year Single Malt (Kavalan Classic)
3/4 oz Rainwater Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/2 oz Licor 43 or Other Vanilla Liqueur (Licor 43)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with grated black cardamom.
Two Saturdays ago, I returned to Daniel Yaffee's Drink More Whiskey book and decided on the Nail in the Coffin by Brian Means from San Francisco. This Rusty Nail riff was unique for it did not call for Drambuie as one of the ingredients as others like the Tooth and Nail and Bitter Nail had; instead, it utilized a trio of Madeira, Licor 43, and Fernet as the modifiers. While I lacked a Japanese whisky in my collection, I figured that a Taiwanese single malt was a good substitute in a quarantine situation. Once stirred and strained, the Nail in the Coffin proffered a cardamom, vanilla, and herbal nose. Next, malt and grape swirled on the sip, and the swallow gave forth whisky, vanilla, gentian, and menthol flavors that rather kept the Fernet Branca in check.

the war on christmas

1/4 oz JM Creole Shrubb (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/2 oz Rainwater Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
3/4 oz Cardamaro
1 1/4 oz Brennivin Aquavit (Aalborg)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist and sage leaf (omit the sage).
Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a recipe that Paul MacDonald posted on his Instagram called The War on Christmas. The recipe is part of his Fibonacci series (each measure is the sum of the previous two) that he has delved into at Philadelphia's Friday Saturday Sunday restaurant over the last few years, and this one has a bit of a Martinez feel to it. The War on Christmas met the nose with an orange, caraway, savory, and grape bouquet. Next, grape, caramel, and orange notes on the sip added up to herbal cola and orange flavors on the swallow with a caraway finish.

the navigator

1 oz Bacardi 8 Year Rum
1 oz Rainwater Madeira
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist and an edible orchid flower.
Two Sundays ago, we returned from an afternoon of outlet shopping in Kittery, Maine, and beer drinking at the SoMe taproom, and we stopped into the Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden II for dinner. For a drink, I asked bartender Nika Orlovsky for the Navigator. With a fortified wine overlap with the other Navigator on the blog, I assumed that this was a tribute to Prince Henry the Navigator who claimed the island of Madeira for Portugal in the 15th century. Once served, this Navigator proffered floral and lemon aromas from the garnishes that led into a caramel, grape, and lemon sip. Next, the aged rum mingled with a floral apricot flavor on the swallow. Overall, it was a delightful tipple that reminded me a little of the Scofflaw in build style.

sunday morning coming down

3-4 leaf Mint (6 leaves)
1 1/2 oz Sercial Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1 oz Barbancourt 4 Year Rhum (Barbancourt 8 Year)
1/4 oz Rich Demerara Syrup

Muddle the mint, add the rest of ingredients and crushed ice, stir, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Sarah Baird's New Orleans Cocktails and spied the Sunday Morning Coming Down. I was lured in by it being a Julep with Madeira as well as being a Johnny Cash song reference. I later learned that the song was written by Kris Kristofferson and recorded in 1969 by Ray Stevens a year before Johnny Cash turned it into a number one hit. The recipe was crafted by Isaiah Estell of Cavan, and the rum, Madeira, and mint reminded me of the Take the Long Way Home.
The Sunday Morning Coming Down offered up a mint bouquet to the nose that preceded a grape and caramel sip. Next, rum, grape, orange peel, dried fruit, and mint flavors fill the swallow.

every dream a dream of escape even when it doesn't look like it

1 oz Rainwater Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/2 oz Cointreau
3 dash Angostura Bitters
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, add a Champagne float (1 1/2 oz Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with a knotted lemon twist.

Two Sunday mornings ago, I was perusing Instagram when I had spotted a literary-inspired drink by Chantal Tseng at Washington DC's Petworth Citizen called the Every Dream a Dream of Escape Even When It Doesn't Look Like It that impressed me first due to the name length for it had one more than the previous champ of 12 words, The Facts Concerning the Late Van Hagen & The Thirsty Man's Safari. This The Underground Railroad-themed drink also caught my eye for it reminded me of a Prince of Wales minus the brandy; however, Chantal revealed her influence as a "Seelbach Cocktail with Madeira replacing the Bourbon and half the bitters." Finally, it seemed like a great brunch drink (we had the Seelbach on the brunchtails list back at Russell House Tavern for a season or two), so I did not wait until the night to enjoy this creation.
The Every Dream shared a citrus aroma of lemon and orange along with darker notes from the Madeira on the nose. Next, a carbonated grape and orange sip escaped into an elegant red wine merging into bitter orange swallow. Indeed, the Madeira-orange liqueur duo seen in drinks like the 91st Division, Brotherly Advice, and Come Sail Away made this fortified wine for whiskey swap sing delightfully.

brotherly advice

2 oz Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum
3/4 oz Rare Wine Company Verdelho Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/4 oz Cointreau
1 bsp Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)
2 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters (Bittermens Burlesque Bitters)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a wide orange peel swath.

For the cocktail hour two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make a recipe that I had spotted on the BarNotes app called Brotherly Advice. The drink was crafted by Peter Bodenheimer, the app's creator, who began working on a rum and Madeira cocktail. The name stemmed from his needing help to round out the ingredients, so he asked his brother Neal who co-owns Cure and Cane & Table in New Orleans. In the end, the Verdelho Madeira's chocolate undertones (as described in this post on Madeira) were accented by crème de cacao; moreover, orange flavors are complementary to many Madeiras so I can understand the orange liqueur and bitters added here.
The garnish's orange oil aromas accented the sweet grape notes on the nose. Next, a semi-dry caramel and grape sip led into a rum, chocolate, and orange swallow with a spice-laden finish.

68 guns

1 1/2 oz Barbancourt 8 Year Rhum
1/2 oz Blandy's 5 Year Malmsey Madeira
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
10 drop St. George Absinthe

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lime twist.
Two Thursdays ago for drink of the day at Loyal Nine, I was inspired by No. 9 Park's Declaration while looking for Madeira drinks. Instead of gin and demerara syrup, I opted for rum and cinnamon here, and I also included some absinthe since the format reminded me of a Test Pilot. The name Declaration made me think of a song by the Celtic rock group The Alarm who was my first rock show back in the mid-late 1980s; one of my favorite songs from them is "68 Guns," so I went with that for a drink name.

hell in the atlantic

1 1/2 oz Blandy's 5 Year Sercial Madeira (*)
1/2 oz Blandy's 5 Year Malmsey Madeira (*)
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz Bittermens Grenadine
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake briefly with a few ice cubes, strain into a tulip glass, and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with Tiki intent and add a straw.
(*) 2 oz of Bual or Verdelho would sub here for both Madeiras.
For drink of the day at Loyal Nine two Sundays ago, I wanted to do a low proof riff on a classic Tiki drink by substituting the rums for Madeiras as I have done for my Zombie riff The Island of Lost Souls and other drinks. Since Madeira often pairs rather well with Maraschino liqueur, I honed in my search that way and selected the Hell in the Pacific as my starting point. I also included some of the spice elements from Randy Wong's riff Helen the Pacific. Since the island of Madeira is off the western coast of Africa, it made sense to change the name to Hell in the Atlantic. Overall, the end result was a complex fruit combination with nutty and spice notes from the Maraschino and allspice dram, respectively.

esquivel daiquiri

1 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum
1 oz Blandy's 5 Year Malmsey Madeira
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
For drink of the day at Loyal Nine, I was inspired by No. 9 Park's Declaration that was in turn inspired by Brick & Mortar's Two Caravels. Keeping the Declaration's citrus and Madeira backbone, I added in some funky Jamaican white rum and cinnamon syrup to round out the combination. For a name, I dubbed this one the Esquivel Daiquiri after Juan de Esquivel who settled Jamaica in 1509 as well as the other Esquivel, the 20th century space-age lounge music artist. While I did not take detailed tasting notes, the drink's Madeira was rather forward and balanced by rum funk, cinnamon spice, and tart lime.

treasurer

2/3 Brandy (1 1/2 oz Cooper & Kings American Brandy)
2 dash Dry Vermouth (1/2 oz La Quintinye)
2 dash Madeira (1/2 oz Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1 dash Picon or Boker's Bitters (1/4 oz Amer Picon)
(1/4 oz Simple Syrup)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
After my work shift two Thursdays ago, I sought a nightcap and my desires led me to Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. There, I honed in on the Treasurer in the brandy section, for a straight spirits drink seemed to be just what I was needing. Since both the vermouth and my choice of Madeira were dry, I supplemented a dash of sugar syrup to get the balance to where I wanted it. Once spot on in that regard, my nose was filled with grape aromas probably most from the Madeira. Next, the grape continued on into the sip where it mingled with the Picon's caramel, and the swallow shared brandy, smoky, chocolate, and dark orange flavors. Indeed, the Verdelho's candied citrus notes worked rather well here with the Amer Picon's orange ones.

provocateur

1 1/2 oz Rhum Barbancourt 8 Year
3/4 oz Blandy's 5 Year Sercial Madeira
3/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Bittermens Molé Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a (button-shaped) orange twist.
For the tail end of Rhum Barbancourt week for drink of the day at Loyal Nine, I wanted to do a rum and Madeira cocktail, so I began thinking about the Madeira recipes that I have had recently. One that stood out was Thomas Waugh's Scotch-based Prospector that sweetened the mix with Benedictine. Besides swapping the base for Haitian rum, I also change the bitters first to Peychaud's Bitters; after test driving the recipe for the servers, Erica recommended that I try mole bitters and the results were perfect. I also offered up a few 'p' drink names to play off of the Prospector and the resounding winner was the Provocateur. To complement that, I added a floated button-shaped twist to the mix.

malmsey flip

2 oz Blandy's 5 Year Malmsey Madeira
1/2 oz Maple Syrup
1/2 oz Angostura Bitters
1 Whole Egg

Shake once without and once with ice, strain into a large coupe glass, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

After spotting Jacob Grier's PX Flip in the blog archives, I was curious if the same could be done with a sweet Madeira. Looking over the sugar content of the various fortified wines, I realized that Pedro Ximenez sherry has more than twice the sugar content of Malmsey Madeira (not to mention Madeira being balanced by a high acid content), so I figured that it needed to be sweetened somehow. For a first pass, I made this drink with demerara syrup and either Angostura or Peychaud's Bitters; the results were that demerara was not sweet enough and Angostura's Christmassy spice was superior here to Peychaud's absinthe-like feel. Instead of opting for a sweeter sugar syrup like simple, I selected maple syrup with the Fort Washington Flip in mind.
The Malsey Flip presented a nutmeg, clove, and maple bouquet to the nose. Next, the sip was a delightfully creamy grape and maple combination, and the swallow continued on with the maple flavors along with allspice, clove, and cinnamon notes.
Update: I discovered in November 2017 that the Livestock Tavern in Honolulu put this Flip on a short list of borrowed recipes along with ones from George Kappeler and Giuseppe Gonzalez!