the decatur

1 1/2 oz Bonded Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/4 oz Peach Liqueur (Mathilde)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. I added a cherry garnish to the recipe. Two Tuesdays prior, Matt Pietrek posted a drink on his Cocktail Wonk Instagram while he was traveling in France called The Decatur that was subtitled "The Brooklyn of Georgia." His recipe read like a cross between a Bourbon Bell and a Buffalo, so it definitely caught my attention. Moreover, I thought keeping the Amer Picon (or similar bitter liqueur) and replacing the Maraschino with peach would have been an interesting riff as well, but two stone fruit liqueurs might have a curious synergy. Once mixed, The Decatur displayed rye, cherry, and peach aromas. Next, grape and red fruit notes on the sip delved into rye, nutty, vanilla, and peach flavors on the swallow.

the caretaker

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Maraschino (Maraska)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1 leaf Mint

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe (cocktail glass), and garnish with a mint leaf. Two Sundays prior, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and landed on the Caretaker by Lisa Kempen at Caretaker in Auckland, New Zealand, circa 2021. Overall, the recipe came across like a Brooklyn riff akin to the Williamsburg with Cocchi Americano and the Brooklyn Bridge with sweet vermouth instead of the dry vermouth here. The stirred with mint Manhattan aspect is actually an old concept such as in the Sirloin from the 1933 edition of Jack's Manual (and rather common with vintage Martini riffs like the Fascinator and Cooperstown). In the glass, the Caretaker offered up assistance with a Bourbon, mint, and cherry aroma. Next, caramel and a slight cherry note on the sip blossomed into Bourbon, root beer, nutty cherry, and minty flavors on the swallow.

song of the siren

1 1/2 oz Aged Rum (Privateer New England Reserve) (*)
1/2 oz Smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Grenadine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a ceramic mug or Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs.
(*) Perhaps a rum blend (or second rum) with a little funky or grassy profile might elevate this drink. I became inspired by how the Kingston Campfire took the Hotel Nacional in a smoky Scotch and falernum direction, and I wondered if the Mary Pickford could make a similar style of riff. To that classic, I added those two ingredients plus lime and bitters to bring the drink into balance, and I turned it into a more tropical serving style instead of prepared up in a cocktail glass. For a name, since Mary Pickford was referred to as "Canada's Silent Siren," I dubbed this one the Song of the Siren as a modern tribute. Once mixed, the Song of the Siren greeted the nose with a mint, nutty cherry, pineapple, and peat smoke aroma. Next, pineapple, red berry, and lime notes on the sip advanced into rum, smoke, nutty cherry, ginger, and clove flavors on the swallow. Perhaps a rum or rum blend with a little grassiness or funk might add some delightful complexity to the profile.

trophy room

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Maison Rouge Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Sundays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcard set for Club 33, the New Orleans-themed restaurant at Disneyland in Anaheim, and came upon the Trophy Room. The recipe reminded me of the Physically Forgotten which is the gin version in the same ratio but with different bitters. I was able to find a Yelp menu photo from 2022 that had the description, "Tucked away among the magic of New Orleans' Square, a secluded room once played host to all manner of festivities and celebrations, with walls adorned with talking beasts and treasures from exotic far off lands." The description made me think of Muriel in New Orleans where Andrea and I attended an absinthe soirée towards the end of Tales of the Cocktail 2009 (see photo below). Once mixed, the Trophy Room donated an orange and nutty cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, a caramel-driven sip developed into Bourbon, Cognac, herbal, nutty cherry, and anise flavors on the swallow. The Maraschino came across as a little heavy handed here, so perhaps decreasing that amount could benefit the balance; surprisingly, I did not have a similar complaint a little over two years ago for the gin-based Physically Forgotten though.

long nights, hard times

1 oz Elijah Craig Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a cherry. Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a drink that I found through online recipe flashcards called the Long Nights, Hard Times. The recipe was created at Per Diem in Lilitz, Pennsylvania, and GoogleMaps confirmed the ingredients via a menu photo. Moreover, the bar's Instagram attributed the drink to beverage manager Dan Zeiders, and he perhaps named this after a Piebald song lyric. While the combination of American whiskey, Cynar, and Maraschino made me think of the Bensonhurst, there were closer recipes that I have tried such as the combination with sweet vermouth in the Five Keys, with aquavit in the Divine Wind, and with gin in the Grand Street. In the glass, the Long Nights, Hard Times offered up a caramel, sherry, and herbal aroma to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip morphed into Bourbon, bitter herbal, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

pitter patter

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Bigallet China-China (Amer Picon)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry. Two Mondays prior, I returned to the sets of online recipe flashcards from the Patterson House in Nashville and landed on the Pitter Patter from their Summer 2024 menu. While the recipe card lacked the serving style, I was able to glean it from an Instagram reel. Overall, it was akin to a Brooklyn Cocktail with sherry instead of dry vermouth, and also similar to the Blue Collar given the two bitters as accents. In the glass, the Pitter Patter roused up a dark orange and nutty cherry aroma. Next, a semi-dry caramel and grape sip crossed into rye, nutty cherry, dark orange, and oxidized sherry flavors on the swallow.

casting spells

3/4 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Strega
3/4 oz Maraska Maraschino
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass (coupe), and garnish with a cherry. Recently on the Reddit Cocktail forum, user Mekmaann (same handle on Instagram) posted an intriguing drink called Casting Spells as a Final Ward-Last Word family member of sorts. I assumed that the name is a reference to Strega meaning "witch" in Italian. Up until this point, Strega and Maraschino have only been paired in two drinks that I have tried – one was Chris Hannah's 'Round Midnight and the other North of Sunset that I created mirroring Chris' drink making and naming style. In the glass, the Casting Spells put forth a nutty cherry and star anise aroma. Next, lime and cherry notes on the sip transfered into rye, anise, minty pine, cherry, and vanilla 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.

the kipling cocktail

1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2 oz Orgeat
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (3 dash Strongwater Mountain Elixirs Walnut)

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe), and garnish with a lime leaf (omit). Two Mondays ago, I spotted my copy of Shawn Soole's Great Northern Cocktails book, and I honed in on The Kipling Cocktail by Aisha Fleming at Clive's Classic Lounge in Victoria, British Columbia. The structure reminded me of White Chapel's Genever Daisy with (besides a different spirit) lemon instead of lime and bitters. With rum and absinthe for gin and walnut bitters, the recipe also shares a similarity with the 1962 tropical classic, the Gold Cup. Here, The Kipling Cocktail gave forth a pine, nutty, and cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, a creamy lime sip with a hint of cherry opened up into juniper, almond, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

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.

chasing ghosts

1 oz Ilegal Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Luxardo Mararschino
1/2 oz Avua Amburana Cachaça (Salinas Umburana)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the Bardtenders' folder on the Spec App and spotted the Chasing Ghosts listed without attribution. With a little searching, I found the recipe on the podcast's Instagram page in 2025 listing the creator Audrey Ludlam. Audrey was on the show in 2023 when she was at the Black Sheep in Bellingham, Washington, that served up tacos and agave drinks, which makes sense given the ingredients. Here, the split base with mezcal accented by Maraschino and a vermouth reminded me of the 1910 Cocktail. Moreover, the mezcal and aged cachaça have worked well together in drinks like the Veldt and the Adorable Bartender, so I was curious to give this one a go. In the glass, the Chasing Ghosts offered up orange, nutty cherry, amburana wood spice, and smoke aromas to the nose. Next, a semi-sweet sip with a hint of cherry blossomed into vegetal, grassy, cherry, and cinnamon-like spice flavors on the swallow.

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.

saints & sinners

2 oz Sainte Louise Brandy (Courvoisier VS Cognac)
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with Herbsaint, and garnish with an orange peel basket holding a star anise. Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make that a Sazerac riff called the Saints & Sinners by Craig Eliason, a home enthusiast from St. Paul, Minnesota, for Reddit Cocktail's December 2025 cacao and anise recipe challenge. I have previously had the cacao-Maraschino combination in a few drinks such as the Savage Detectives and Tropical Cocktail and enjoyed the resulting chocolate cherry note. Here, the Saints & Sinners marched down to the nose with an orange, anise, nutty cherry, and Cognac bouquet. Next, a semi-sweet sip led into Cognac, chocolate, nutty cherry, and anise 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.

tuxedo no. 3

2 oz Probitas Rum (1 3/4 oz Hamilton's White 'Shache + 1/4 oz Wray & Nephew)
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Lazzaroni Maraschino Liqueur (Maraska)
1 tsp Pineapple Oleo Saccharum (Pineapple Syrup)
21 drop Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal
3 drop Salt Solution

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe. Two Mondays ago, my Instagram friend Darren Marks posted a recipe called the Tuxedo No. 3 that he created in 2025. It is also what he made for writer Robert Simonson when Robert visited Ruby's Lagoon Bar, Darren's home bar in Kansas City. Darren took the gin and absinthe of the Tuxedo No. 2 and replaced it with rum and Elixir Vegetal, and he added pineapple oleo akin to the Velvet Tuxedo No. 2 adding sloe gin. Once prepared, the Tuxedo No. 3 addressed the senses with a cherry and white rum with a hint of funk aroma. Next, white wine with a touch of pineapple and cherry on the sip opened up into rum with a little Jamaican funk, nutty cherry, pineapple, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow.

elected official

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
3 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Tuesdays ago, my Instagram friend Tim Kirkland posted a drink called the Elected Official. At first, I figured it was an election day thing until he described how it was a tribute to me. He explained that when I post drinks on Instagram that he wants to remake, he jokes with comments like "Frederic Yarm for President." Here, I felt like he was imitating my style a bit sort of like how I ripped off Jason Alexander's style in my 2020 election night drink the Doomscroller or studied my Secret Santé 2022 pick's favorite ingredients to craft The Phrasemaker. Indeed, the 3:1 rye to mezcal with 2 dashes of mole bitters is one that I use a lot such as in the Vaquero, and I definitely love Maraschino especially in stirred drinks. While I do not reach for Nonino much in my own creations, everything else is very much in my wheelhouse. Once assembled, the Elected Official cast out an orange, caramel, smoky, vegetal, and nutty cherry aroma. Next, caramel and a hint of cherry on the sip led into rye, smoke, nutty cherry, orange, vegetal, and chocolate flavors on the swallow. This combination definitely yielded a good number of layers of flavor.

velvet tuxedo no. 2

1 3/4 oz Fords Gin
1/2 oz Fords Sloe Gin
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Blanc Vermouth
2 dash Orange Bitter

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass, garnish with spritzes of absinthe and a cherry. For the drinks served in class, the batch bottles were rinsed with absinthe before being filled and chilled, and we were allowed to pour and garnish our own drinks (I chose an orange peel and cherry that appeared on the presentation's photo). Two Wednesdays ago, I attended a six hour class called "Hospitality by Design" sponsored by Fords Gin. In between the morning and afternoon sessions was a three-Martini lunch that began with a classic Gin Martini and Gibson and ended with one of the most elegant drinks of the week, the Velvet Tuxedo No. 2. The presentation's slide read, "Our final martini is a riff on the Tuxedo No. 2, made with Fords Gin, Fords Sloe Gin, dry vermouth, Maraschino liqueur, orange bitters, and a kiss of absinthe. Named after the Tuxedo Club in New York, it's a Martini dressed for evening. Elegant, aromatic, slightly sweet, with a touch of sloe and stone fruit notes, it finds its match in a rich chocolate dessert. The cocktail's floral notes lift the dessert, while the gin's structure cuts through its cocoa richness." In my glass, the Velvet Tuxedo No. 2 offered up orange, berry, nutty cherry, and pine aromas. Next, a semi-sweet, red and purple fruit, and hint of cherry notes on the sip gently slid into juniper, semi-bitter tannic fruit, and anise flavors on the swallow. For those wishing to make this as accurately as possible, Fords Sloe Gin is a seasonal limited release, so keep an eye out for it.

evil hemingway

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Jeppson's Malört
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 peel Grapefruit ~1"x2" (omitted here, see note (*))

Shake with ice (*), strain into a coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
(*) Optional: Adding in a grapefruit peel into the shake might balance the Maraschino better and round out Malört's grapefruit notes. When I posted my 2019 Swedish Paralysis on Reddit's Tiki forum after it won 3rd place in the Boston Malört competition, someone mentioned that they liked making that recipe with some Smith & Cross in the mix "as the funk and extra alcohol adds a nice punch and works well with the Malört." I replied that the duo played well in the Whistler's Lightning Swords of Death, so I could see why. Therefore, two Thursdays ago, I was inspired to sub in Malört for grapefruit juice in a Smith & Cross Hemingway Daiquiri given Malört's grapefruit notes. The drink that I dubbed the Evil Hemingway offered up grapefruit, nutty cherry, and rum funk aromas to the nose. Next, lime and a hint of caramel on the sip opened up into funky rum, bitter grapefruit, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow. In discussion with an Instagram friend, I mentioned that I thought that a "regal shake" with a grapefruit peel in the tins might balance mesh with the Maraschino better and round out Malört's inherent grapefruit notes.

williamsburg

1 1/2 oz Old Forester Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Fridays ago, I began perusing the KindredCocktails database, and I came across the Williamsburg created in 2015 by user OldFashionedWhiskey who self-describes as Ray, a cocktail enthusiast from Philadelphia. Overall, it had the Ramazzotti-Maraschino combination of the Brooklyn Bridge and Front Street combined with the Ramazzotti-Cocchi Americano duo of the There is No Spoon, so I was curious to give it a try. In the glass, the Williamsburg donated a lemon, root beer, and nutty cherry aroma to the nose. Next, caramel and pear notes on the sip welcomed Bourbon, root beer, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow.

happy/sad girl

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Tequila Arette)
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice (coupe), top with a splash of soda water (omit), and garnish with a lime wheel and/or candied ginger (candied ginger only). Two Tuesdays ago, Carey Jones' Brookyln Bartender book caught my eye, and I soon found the Happy/Sad Girl by Katherine Pangaro at No. 7 in Brooklyn. The recipe has the same amazing combination of ginger syrup-Maraschino liqueur that I learned about in the New Rider from that same book (technically, first in the One for Jimmy that used a housemade ginger beer years before that) and that I utilized in my Who Killed Mr. Moonlight? as a result. In the glass, the Happy/Sad Girl welcomed the senses with a nutty cherry, ginger, and tequila aroma. Next, lime and cherry notes on the sip transformed into agave and nutty cherry-ginger flavors on the swallow.