serpiente

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Pastis (1/4 tsp Pastis d'Autrefois)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a ceramic mug, and top with crushed ice. Two Tuesday prior, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted on Instagram called the Serpiente by Rob Giuffrida that he posted on his tiki_after_midnight account. I met Rob around 16 years ago at work when I was still pursuing a career in science, and we bonded over our interests in beer, spirits, and later tropical drinks. The recipe reminded me of the Tequi la Banana from the Easy Tiki book with the added touches of pineapple, mezcal, and pastis but no passion fruit. Rob served this in a LowTiki snake mug, so perhaps that along with the Mexican spirits is why he named it after the Spanish word for snake. In the my non-reptilian mug, the Serpiente slithered to the nose with a smoky, earthy, vegetal, and anise bouquet. Next, a creamy lemon and caramel sip opened up into smoky agave, pineapple, almond, banana, and anise flavors on the swallow.

orange moon

2 oz Brandy (Courvoisier VS Cognac)
1/2 oz Orange Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/2 oz Ginger Liqueur (Barrow's)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with pastis (Pastis d'Autrefois), and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays prior, I reached for Cole Newton's Cocktail Dive Bar book where I discovered Jeff Schwartz's Orange Moon. Jeff created this Sazerac riff at 12 Mile Limit in New Orleans in 2013, and Cole helped to name the drink after an album by a local indie folk duo Alexis & the Samurai. Once assembled, the Orange Moon rose with a lemon, anise, orange, and ginger bouquet. Next, the orange notes continued on into the sip where they entered the swallow as well along with brandy, ginger, and anise flavors.

kingslayer

2 oz Eagle Rare Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1 bsp Pastis (1/8 oz Pastis d'Autrefois)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays prior, I reached for my copy of Seattle Cocktails by Neil Ratliff and came upon the Kingslayer. The recipe was crafted by Jesse Cyr at the Fairmont Olymic Hotel as a mashup of a Sazerac and a Manhattan. Once stirred and strained, the Kingslayer attacked the senses with a lemon, licorice, caramel, and orange aroma. Next, caramel on the sip from the amaro led into Bourbon, orange, licorice, and anise flavors on the swallow.

21st century

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass rinsed with Pernod (Butterfly Absinthe).While writing up the Golden Phone, Jim Meehan's 21st Century was cited as the inspiration. Having not made that recipe from the PDT Cocktail Book before, I decided that it was time. Meehan's 20th Century riff breaks from tradition by not having an aromatized wine in the mix but counters with an addition of pastis. The book provided 2007 as its creation date at the Pegu Club with guidance from Audrey Saunders. In the glass, the 21st Century gave forth a lemon, black licorice, and chocolate aroma. Next, lemon on the sip advanced into tequila, cacao, and anise flavors on the swallow.

3, 2, 1 contact!

1 1/4 oz Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad 114°)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Grenadine
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass pre-rinsed with pastis (Herbsaint), and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, I replaced my empty bottle of Punt e Mes so I could make a recipe that I had spotted in T. Cole Newton's Cocktail Dive Bar called the 3, 2, 1 Contact! The cocktail was created at Twelve Mile Limit as a signature drink for the birthday event held in honor or one of the regulars named Tung. The party's theme was "3, 2, Tung, Contact!", but Cole thought naming the drink that would be too embarrassing to say ("tongue contact") to the bartender which could effect its sales. Grenadine and Punt e Mes was a curious pairing to me, and it only appears three other times on the blog including the Coup d'État and Rome is Burning, but it was the Sazerac treatment was what sold the idea to me.The 3, 2, 1, Contact! launched an orange oil and anise aroma to the nose. Next, grape, berry, and orange notes on the sip reached a Bourbon, bitter herbal, and pomegranate swallow with a licorice finish.

cou-cou-comber

1 1/2 oz Vodka (Barr Hill)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 tsp Pernod (Herbsaint)
1 tsp Simple Syrup (1/4 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a hollowed-out cucumber placed into a receptacle to hold it vertical. Drink with a straw and eat the cucumber as you go.

With the second cucumber from my garden, I decided to make a classic Tiki drink that had always caught my eye. The recipe did not call for cucumber juice like the Irma La Douce, cucumber syrup like the White Buddha, or muddled cucumber like in the Hole in Cup, but it utilized the cucumber as the drinking vessel. That drink was the Cou-Cou-Comber created by Joe Scialom of Suffering Bastard fame while at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, circa 1959. Otherwise, the drink inside was a simple Vodka Gimlet elevated by herbal notes from pastis as laid out in Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari.
The cucumber certainly contributed to the nose along with the anise from the Herbsaint and mint and peppery floral aromas from my garnishes. Next, the lime dominated the sip, and the swallow followed along with the aroma (minus the garnishes) with cucumber and anise flavors. I could not help but think that a white rum, gin, or agave spirit would work wonders here, but I kept true to the recipe with the vodka and let the other flavors sing out.

beachcomber's punch

1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Apricot Brandy (Combier)
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 1/2 oz Demerara Rum (El Dorado 5 Year0
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 drop Pernod (Butterfly Absinthe)

Blend with 6 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds and pour into a flute glass (whip shake and pour into a Tiki mug). Top with ice (crushed) and garnish with a mint sprig.
Two Fridays ago, I ventured into Beachbum Berry's Remixed and spotted the Beachcomber's Punch crafted by Donn Beach at his original Hollywood bar back in the 1930s. The combination seemed like a more fruit-driven and less spice precursor to the 1950s Jet Pilot, so I was curious to give it a whirl. Once prepared, the Beachcomber's Punch displayed a mint aroma over apricot and rum notes. Next, a rich lime, caramel, and grapefruit sip slid into rum, apricot, and clove-anise spice flavors on the swallow.

holiday in the sun

1 oz Blended Scotch (1 oz Famous Grouse + 1 bsp Laphroaig 10 Year)
1 oz Averna Amaro
1/4 oz Pastis (Pastis d'Autrefois)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 pinch Salt

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed (cracked) ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel (omit) and a cinnamon stick.

After the Pisco Punch, I decided to continue on with the pineapple theme with a recipe that I had bookmarked on ShakeStir. That drink was the Holiday in the Sun by Brian Dressel then of Austin, Texas, and now bartending in Athens, Georgia. Besides being drawn in by the quirky Tiki-inspired combination, the drink's name reminded me of a Sex Pistols song. I soon realized that the song title is plural as "Holidays," so perhaps it was inspired by the 2001 movie starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? Regardless, Brian described the concept as, "Drawing inspiration from both classic Tiki drinks (pineapple, anise, aromatic spice) and holiday flavors (smoke, baking spice, orange peel), the 'Holiday in the Sun' is for those of us who choose to (or may wish to) spend our winter holidays in somewhere a bit more tropical." Regardless of the fact that we were in the middle of a heat wave, I committed to making the drink in August.
The Holiday in the Sun welcomed the nose with a cinnamon and anise bouquet. Next, caramel from the Averna danced with the pineapple on the sip, and the swallow offered smoky Scotch accented by herbal notes. Indeed, Andrea commented at how well pastis works with Scotch here and in other drinks.

yamashiro's zombie

1 oz Dark Jamaican 151° Rum (Smith & Cross 114°)
1 oz Myer's Dark Rum (Gosling's Black Seal)
1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Don Q Añejo)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Juice (1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup)
1 tsp Sugar (omit, combined into passion fruit syrup)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1 dash Grenadine (1 bsp)
1 dash Pernod (1/2 bsp Kübler Absinthe)
1 dash Bitters (Angostura)

Shake with ice and serve in a stemmed tumbler (Tiki mug) with cracked ice. Garnish elaborately with mint.

Two Mondays ago, I kept on the Tiki train with another "Tiki the Snow Away"-worthy drink that I had spotted in the Zombie Horde book. That Zombie recipe was from Yamashiro's restaurant in Hollywood that was first published in 1971. Author David Montgomery suggested that the restaurant may have acquired some Don the Beachcomber alumni since the recipes for the Donn Beach 1934 Zombie and this one are so similar; indeed, the Yamashiro's recipe added passion fruit and orgeat to the mix but left out the original's cinnamon component.
The Yamashiro's Zombie proffered dark notes from the aged rums to the nose. Next, lime, grapefruit, and a creaminess from the orgeat on the sip led into funky rum, nutty orgeat, tropical fruit, and a hint of spice on the swallow.

tiki bowl

3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Lemon Hart 151 Proof Rum
1 oz Gold Puerto Rican Rum (DonQ Gold)
1 1/4 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Coruba)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 drop Pernod

Blend with 6 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds (shake with ice and strain), pour into a Tiki bowl, and fill with crushed ice.
Two Fridays ago, I returned from my bar shift in a Tiki mood. Therefore, I reached for Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari for a scratch to my itch. The Tiki Bowl from the Portland's Kon-Tiki Restaurant circa 1960 reminded me somewhat of the feel of the Volcano Bowl that I had made earlier in the night for a guest, so I was game. Once built, the Tiki Bowl gave forth mint and Demerara rum aromas. Next, the rums' caramel joined lime and orange notes on the sip, and the swallow presented funky and smoky rums along with honey and a finish offering clove and allspice from the bitters.

colonel beach's plantation punch

1 oz Lime Juice
2 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Coruba)
1 oz Gold Puerto Rican Rum (Don Q Gold)
1/2 oz Gold Barbados Rum (Plantation 5 Year)
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 drop Pernod (Pernod Absinthe)

Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass (Tiki bowl) with 2 oz ginger beer (AJ Stephans). Fill with ice, and garnish with a pineapple chunk and mint sprig (crushed ice with mint sprigs, lime twist, and borage flowers).
With ginger beer in the house, I began looking for other uses for it and my wanderings led me to Beachbum Berry's Remixed. There, I spotted the Colonel Beach's Plantation Punch from Don the Beachcomber in the 1950s, and it was very different flavor-wise from the Don's Beach Planter that I made a few years ago but with a similar recipe backbone. Once prepared, the Colonel Beach's Plantation Punch gave forth a rum funk, pineapple, mint, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, lime, pineapple, and the rum's caramel filled the sip, and the swallow proffered dark rum, pineapple, ginger, and spice notes. Overall, with the flavorful ginger beer, it came across more like a Rum Mule than a Planter's Punch.

cobra

1 oz Lemon Hart 151 Rum
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 drop (1/8 tsp) Pernod (Herbsaint)

Blend 5 seconds with 4 oz crushed ice, pour into a tall glass, and fill with crushed ice (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a lime peel snake, mint, and sage blossoms).

Two Wednesdays ago, I went looking for the forefather of the Snake Pit from two nights ago, namely the Cobra's Fang. Beachbum Berry's books do not offer a recipe for that drink, and various recipes that I spotted online seemed like interpretations of the vague recipe. Instead, I opted for one that Berry does present: the Cobra from Chicago's Kon-Tiki circa 1962. The Cobra was created as a stream-lined version of Don the Beachcomber's circa 1940s Cobra's Fang. Overall, the Cobra reminded me of an overproof-rum laden (but not boozier overall) and slightly differently spiced South Pacific Punch.
The Cobra began with a bouquet inspired by the mint, sage, and lime garnishes. Next, tropical flavors from the fruit juices and syrups mingled with the rum's caramel on the sip, and the swallow offered dark rum, passion fruit, and clove notes.

corpse reviver

1/4 part Dry Gin (3/4 oz Bluecoat)
1/4 part Cointreau (3/4 oz)
1/4 part Swedish Punsch (3/4 oz Kronan)
1/4 part Lemon Juice (3/4 oz)
Dash Pernod (1/8 oz Butterfly Absinthe)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist here.

Two weeks ago, my bar ran out of Lillet Blanc and we were faced with either removing the Dose, a very popular mezcal Corpse Reviver #2 riff, for a few days until the liquor order arrived or figuring out an alternative. I decided that we would swap out the Lillet for Swedish Punsch which I first spotted in Crosby Gaige's 1941 Cocktail Guide & Lady's Companion. This recipe was repeated a few times during that decade including in 1940s  Trader Vic cocktail books; however, soon after, most books returned to the Lillet standard. So why did this variation come about? Well, the early 1940s would have found France with a bigger concern than producing and shipping out Lillet to the United States, for World War II was upon them as well as trans-Atlantic shippers. Drink makers in the United States must have gotten crafty and figured out what had a citrussy note as well as a moderately low sweetness level to substitute to make their beloved Corpse Reviver #2s. While I am not sure how many bars were serving drinks like this in the United States after Prohibition killed off most bar programs in addition to decimating desire for these drinks, it only takes a single bartender to craft a variation like this for a cocktail book author for it to gain notoriety. My explanation does not deal with whether Cointreau was still available, but perhaps liquor shelves had a bigger stockpile than European aromatized wines back then; moreover, other orange liqueurs certainly existed.
The change for those two or three days at work did allow for a lot of discussion with guests over history, availability, and necessity when mentioning the temporary variance in the menu item. Hard to compare a foul-up in ordering with World War II, but the end result to the well bottles was the same. Two Sundays ago (which was the last shift without Lillet), I decided to have my nightcap drink be Gaige's Corpse Reviver (despite having plenty of Cocchi Americano at home -- and I am guessing that Italy had bigger concerns during the early 1940s than shipping out that Lillet alternative). With a lemon twist added to the drink, the aroma was full of floral and citrus notes. Lemon and orange on the sip led into gin, rum funk, orange peel, tea, and anise on the swallow. Overall, this Corpse Reviver had a similar balance to the classic #2, but the Swedish Punsch donated a delightful complexity that increased my enjoyment of the cocktail.

unisphere

1 1/2 oz Gold Rum (2 oz Don Q Gold)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 tsp Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1/2 tsp Benedictine (1/4 oz)
1/2 tsp Pernod (1/2 barspoon or 1/16th oz Herbsaint)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Sundays ago after my bar shift, I reached for a book that I rarely flip through, the 1971 Playboy's Host and Bar Book. My search for rare gems from this cocktail book written during the dark ages of mixology was indeed successful when I stumbled upon the Daiquiri variation called the Unisphere. The drink namesake Unisphere was built for the 1964-1965 World's Fair held in Queens, NYC, and this 12 stories high structure had the theme of "peace through understanding." Once built, the cocktail Unisphere presented an anise aroma from the Herbsaint. Next, the sip was fruity with crisp lime and hints of pomegranate, and the swallow proffered rum and herbal notes with a lingering anise finish.

the jerk

1 oz Old Monk Rum
1/2 oz Coconut Milk
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Root Liqueur
1/2 oz Pernod Pastis

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass with 2 oz soda water. Garnish with an orange twist and add a straw.
For a first drink at Backbar, Andrea asked bartender Kobie Ali for The Jerk described as, "childish and delicious; tastes like a root beer float from a dapper soda jerk." Kobi mentioned that the menu item had been created by bartender Melinda Johnson-Maddox. Once prepared, it offered an orange oil and anise aroma. A carbonated, creamy coconut-laden sip preceded the root beer flavors tempered by the pastis' anise on the swallow.

test pilot

1 1/2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Coruba)
3/4 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Caliche)
1/2 oz Falernum (BG Reynolds)
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 drop Pernod

Blend with 1 cup crushed ice for 5 seconds and pour into a Double Old Fashioned glass (shake with ice and strain into a Tiki mug filled with crushed ice). Garnish with a cherry speared to a wooden oyster fork (mint and flowers).

Two Thursdays ago after my shift, I reached for my copy of Beachbum Berry's Remixed. There, I spotted the Test Pilot which appeared like a gussied up Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. The Test Pilot was created by Don the Beachcomber circa 1941; while Don could have known about the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, it was published that same year in Crosby Gaige's Cocktail Guide & Ladies' Companion (perhaps well known in the Caribbean before that point though). Don's drink split the rum element and added spice from Angostura Bitters and pastis. The Test Pilot was later used as a template to create the Luau Room's Jet Pilot a decade later in the late 1950s.
Once prepared, the Test Pilot gave forth a mint aroma with hints of floral elements. Caramel and lime on the sip preceded funky rum, orange peel, clove, and brightness from the absinthe on the swallow with hints of spice on the finish.

archipelago

2 oz Privateer Silver Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
6 drop Pernod Pastis

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Mondays ago after my DJ gig, we walked down the street to get a late dinner at Eastern Standard. There, we found seats in front of bartender High Fiore. Off of their new Spring menu I requested the Archipelago which had the subtitle, "Take a time out where the Kodiaks live." I recognized that this Daiquiri Time Out honors Eastern Standard alum Kevin Martin (a/k/a Kodiak for his big bear-like stature) who now works at Privateer. I was correct that this was Bob McCoy's recipe for his love of including 6 drops of pastis or absinthe, such as in the Wildwood, Elixir Alpestre, and Mount Orohena, gave it away, but I did not understand the name since the distillery was not on a chain of islands. Hugh explained that the Kodiak Archipelago in Alaska is where all of the Kodiak bears live; however, with the Tiki-esque feel, it could easily be any tropical island chain.
The Archipelago greeted the nose with a lime and cinnamon aroma that gave way to a lime-driven sip. The white rum began the swallow that ended with cinnamon, allspice, and anise complexity. After successive swallows, the rather small amount of pastis in the drink began to become rather prominent.

leo special

1/2 Gin (2 oz Cascade Mountain)
1/4 Cointreau (1/2 oz)
1/4 Lime Juice (1/2 oz)
2 dash Pernod (1 scant barspoon Henri Bardouin Pastis)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

A few Saturday nights ago, I opened up my 1975 edition of Patrick Duffy's The Official Mixer's Manual and spotted the Leo Special. The drink was tempting for it reminded me of a Pegu Club crossed with a Corpse Reviver #2, and I was quite curious to follow the directions to stir instead of shake the mixture. I decided to adapt the recipe to the Drink 2:1/2:1/2 standard ratio and treated the absinthe like a Corpse Reviver #2. My specs ended up falling somewhere between the one Duffy proposed and the one Stan Jones did in the 1977 Complete Barguide. I did check Leo Engel's American and Other Drinks as a possible identity of the Leo, but this did not seem to be one of his specialties.
The lime juice aromas worked rather well with the pastis' anise on the nose. Lime and orange flavors combined on the sip; it was not as identifiable as either, but with the absinthe instead of Angostura Bitters, it was certainly not the grapefruit note generated in a Pegu Club. Finally, the swallow displayed more of the citrus flavors along with the gin, and it ended with a pastis finish.

pastis fizz

1 1/2 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ricard Pastis
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a Fizz glass and top with 1 oz soda water.
Two Mondays ago, we headed over to Eastern Standard for dinner after my DJ set was over. There, I asked bartender Kevin Martin for the Pastis Fizz off of the egg section of their menu. Despite being called the Pastis Fizz, it seemed more like a Sloe Gin Fizz given the dominant ingredient in the recipe; however, pastis does have some flavor potency. Moreover, it reminded me a little of Eastern Standard's Berry Fizz from several years ago. Once mixed and presented to me, I was impressed that Eastern Standard had acquired proper Fizz glasses instead of trying to make the drink style in Highballs or Collins glasses twice the size (or more); so cheers to that attention to detail! Next, an anise-scented nose preceded a creamy, berry, and lemon sip. The anise returned on the swallow along with a lingering lemon note.

red dwarf

2 oz Rye
1 oz Campari
1/2 barspoon Henri Bardouin Pastis
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist an orange peel over the top.

After Brick & Mortar, I headed across the street to Rendezvous to meet up with Andrea for dinner. There, bartender Scott Holliday wanted to make me the Red Dwarf - a drink I had read about in Luke O'Neil's article in the Boston Globe. The article describes how Scott took several classics including the Cocktail à la Louisiane, Boulevardier, and Sazerac and invented something inspired by these drinks. Scott was quoted as saying, "What we've done with the Peychaud's and pastis or absinthe is replace the aromatics of the vermouth in those cocktails with less sweetness, as you'd hoped, all while tipping the glass in the direction of New Orleans and Father Sazerac."
The orange oil from the twist played pleasantly with the herbal aromas of the Campari. Next, the rye's malt on the sip transitioned into its barrel notes on the swallow; afterwards, the Campari's complexity came through and things ended with the pastis' anise and other herbal flavors.