pineapple peat

1 1/2 oz Great King Street Glasgow Blend (Ardmore Traditional Cask)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Martelletti Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a bucket glass, and top with crushed ice. Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco that I last utilized in November with the Spice Oddity. Here, the Pineapple Peat called out to me and made me think of a Scotch Algonquin – a drink that I made a lot the summer of 2007 of rye, pineapple juice, and dry vermouth. The citrus aspect was something that I saw in the dry vermouthless Far East Algonquin by Ryan Fitzgerald of San Francisco's Beretta at a Tales of the Cocktail 2011 happy hour, but here, the pineapple aspect is amplified. As for a timeframe, Yelp has photos of the drink at the Liholiho Yacht Club as early as 2015, and a 2015 blog post has a photo and specifies the Scotch. It is unclear if it was named after a Pineapple Pete character: the two most famous ones, a Fortnight outfit and Six Flags mascot, came after 2015, but there are some instances like the restaurant in St. Marten that came before that. In the glass, the Pineapple Peat came forth with a peat and pineapple aroma true to its name. Next, lemon, malt, and pineapple notes on the sip switched into smoky Scotch, herbal, and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

mojave punch

1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum such as Coruba (Coruba)
1 oz Silver Puerto Rican-style Rum (Hamilton White 'Stache)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice (3/4+ oz) (*)
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Juice
3/4 oz Hibiscus Syrup (**)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a pilsner (collins) glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a paper umbrella skewering a cherry.
(*) Even at a heavy 3/4 oz, the drink was still a bit sweet so perhaps 1 oz would be a good lime juice amount. Over perhaps 1/2 oz lime juice + 1/2 oz lemon juice to keep the acidity where I want it but with the remainder as a more neutral citrus juice.
(**) I did a hibiscus tea bag in 4 oz boiling water for 5 minutes. After removing the tea bag, I added an equal weight of sugar and stirred to dissolve. Two Fridays ago, I returned to the 2015 set of online recipe flashcards from the Tonga Hut in Los Angeles where I had found the Bermuda Dunes and selected the Mojave Punch. I was able to find photos of the drink at the Tonga Hut in blogs from 2017 and 2022 and multiple photos on Yelp. The recipe came across like a gussied up Hurricane with extra juices (the original Hurricane had fassionola syrup which some recipes include hibiscus); however, it also read a bit sweet so I upped the lime juice a bit (but perhaps not as much as I should have (see note above)). Once prepared, the Mojave Punch proffered a cherry, passion fruit, and floral bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel, lime, and orange notes on the sip shifted into funky rum, pineapple, passion fruit, and red berry-herbal flavors on the swallow. If you made a batch of hibiscus syrup, I recommend using some of the remainder on Aaron Butler's Koki'o Punch, Brick & Mortar's Velvet Rope, and my Red Skies at Night from Loyal Nine.

silk stockings

1 1/2 oz Aged Martinique Rhum (Rhum Clement VSOP)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup

Whip shake, pour into a Zombie glass, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel and mint sprig. Two Thurdays ago, I went out shopping for a bottle of aged rhum agricole to make a few recipes that I had stored up. The first one I set off with was Justin Wojslaw's Silk Stockings from his Coconuts & Carnage book which looked like an agricole Mai Tai crossed with a Gold Frond. Once prepared, the Silk Stockings gave forth a mint and lemon aroma over a nutty, orange, and rhum funk one. Next, a creamy lemon, pineapple, and orange sip slid into caramel, grassy rhum, almond, orange, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

starward swizzle

2 oz Hamilton's Lost Voyage Rum (1 oz Hamilton's 86° Demerara River + 1/2 oz Monymusk Gold + 1/2 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Pernod (12 drop Pernod Absinthe)

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Top with crushed ice and garnish with a mint bouquet, dehydrated lime wheel (omit), and freshly grated nutmeg. Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a drink called the Starward Swizzle from Strongwater in Anaheim that I spotted in a set of online recipe flashcards. In researching the drink, I found a web-based set of recipes put out by the rum that included the spec verbatim. Since Lost Voyage Rum is described as a blend of rum from Guyana and Jamaica's Worthy Park, I tried my best to replicate the flavor profile with a trio of rums. Here, the rum, cinnamon, falernum, lime, bitters, and absinthe made me think of the Jet Pilot but with pineapple and Peychaud's instead of the classic's grapefruit and Angostura. In the glass, the Starward Swizzle emitted a woody spice, mint, and rum funk aroma. Next, pineapple and lime notes on the sip opened up into funky rums, pineapple, cinnamon, and anise 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.

jackson square swizzle

1 1/4 oz Pernod Absinthe
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Falernum (Velvet)
3/4 oz Lime juice

Build in a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig. Two Tuesdays prior, I went back to the online recipe flashcards for Club 33, the New Orleans-themed establishment at Disneyland in Anaheim, and found the Jackson Square Swizzle that would utilize my garden's mint bounty. I found a Yelp menu photo in 2022 that declared, "Jackson Square is the historic center of the French Quarter. Legend has it that in an apartment around the corner was hidden a collection of absinthe deep enough to quench the thirst of local politicians during its 100 year drought." Overall, the combination and general ratios reminded me a lot of the Chartreuse Swizzle, so I was indeed curious to try this one. I wish that I still had my absinthe fan regulars from when I bartended at Drink who wanted cocktails with an ounce or more of the stuff (ranging from the 1922 Yellow Parrot to the Absinthe Painkiller that I crafted on the fly for them) so I could surprise them with this one the next time they came in. Once swizzled, the drink proffered mint and licorice aromas to the nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip gave way to licorice, anise, pineapple, and clove flavors on the swallow.

yellow cloud

2 oz Probitas Rum (1 3/4 oz Hamilton White 'Stache + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a pineapple crescent (omit) and a flower (ornamental pea blossom).
(*) A second set of online recipe flashcards and a magazine article about the bar's opening had this as Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur instead of syrup. Two Mondays ago, I felt in a tropical mood, so I found the recipes that I uncovered that Paul McGee created for the Papaya Club at the Conrad Orlando resort. The Papaya Club along with Seaworthy were projects that Paul consulted for after Lost Lake closed but before he opened his own spot, Echo Lake. MarketWatch in 2024 had a photo and description of the drink in their article about the Papaya Club, and they listed it with Chinola liqueur for the passion fruit element, so perhaps they changed to syrup to save on cost if my 2025 recipe flashcards are correct. Here, the lime, passion fruit, and falernum trio reminded me of the Mai-Kai's Last Rights that inspired by mezcal-Ancho Reyes The Missing. Once prepared, the Yellow Cloud floated to the nose with a passion fruit, rum funk, and pineapple nose. Next, lime, pineapple, and a hint of tart passion fruit on the sip transformed into funky rum, pineapple, ginger, and clove flavors on the swallow.

second fiddle

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Sundays ago, I returned to the same online recipe flashcards for Dear Irving in Manhattan that I found the Slow Drift. There in the same "Island Hop" section of their 2026 menu, I selected the Second Fiddle that read like a split spirits Gilda Cocktail; tequila and Cognac have worked well together in the Lobo Saldado (mezcal and Cognac is a much more common pairing though such as in the 1910 Cocktail or my Bucking the Tiger). Once prepared, the Second Fiddle launched off with a pineapple and cinnamon nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes on the sip slid into Cognac, vegetal, pineapple, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

kingston campfire

2 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1/4 oz Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/4 oz BG Reynold's Falernum (Velvet)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Zombie glass (ceramic mug), and garnish with a lime wheel (omit) and mint sprig. Two Saturdays ago, I reached for my copy of Justin Wojslaw's Coconuts & Carnage book from Wonk Press to make a follow up to the inaugural Demerara Dream Daiquiri. For a second recipe, I selected his Kingston Campfire. Smoky Scotch accents to rum have been a rather effective technique that I saw last in the Smoke Along the Crescent Bend and I utilized in my Doomscroller, so I was curious to see it in this expansion of the Hotel Nacional Special along with a little falernum for spice. In the bamboo mug, the Kingston Campfire smoldered with a mint, pineapple, apricot, and peat smoke aroma. Next, pineapple and lime on the sip ignited rum, peat smoke, apricot, and clove flavors on the swallow.

courting disaster

1 oz Zacapa Rum (Privateer Navy Yard)
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/4 oz Maple Syrup (Pure BS Maple Shack)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a pineapple wedge (orange twist). Two Sundays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcards for Teardrop Lounge in Portland and became inspired by the Courting Disaster from the "Friends" section of their menu. The drink was mentioned in a Yelp review in 2013, but I was not able to identify what bar or bartender it originated from. The rum, pineapple syrup, curaçao, and citrus combination reminded me of my Daiquiri-like Painkiller riff Old Painless is Waiting, so I got to mixing. Here, the Courting Disaster gave forth an orange and aged rum aroma. Next, maple, lemon, and orange notes on the sip slid into rum, maple, and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

flamingo

1 oz Cuban Rum (2 oz Havana Club 7 Year)
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice (1 oz)
1 dash Grenadine (1/2 oz)
Juice 1/2 Lime (1/2 oz)

Blend with fine ice, pour into a coupe, and serve with straws (shake with ice and strain into a coupe). Two Mondays ago, I decided to make the Flamingo that been making the rounds after being picked up by Madrusan's recent cocktail book. I turned to the source which was Ted Saucier's 1951 Bottoms Up book as provided by the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. While the Madrusan adaptation seemed a bit too sweet for my palate, the original as written was a bit too tart, so I split the difference. With the call for Cuban rum (and Madrusan asking for dark rum), I figured that this was a great way to use the second to last pour of my Havana Club 7 Year bottle I got in the Jalisco airport duty-free shop a decade ago. The bird name and color made its way into the 1939 Just Cocktails' Flamingo, but that one had gin and brandy instead of rum and pineapple juice. This Flamingo's combination appeared like the Santiago Julep from Trader Vic's 1947 Bartender's Guide if mint were added. Here, the Flamingo conjured up red berry, caramel, and pineapple aromas. Next, lime, pineapple, and dark caramel notes waded into dark rum, hint of molasses, pineapple, and red fruit 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.

shaken hands

1 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks or coupe glass. Two Wednesdays prior, I spotted the Shaken Hands in a recent Imbibe Magazine article. The drink was created by Aurele Berdoz at The Rhymer's Club in Manhattan as a tropical take on Audrey Saunder's Intro to Aperol. The gin and simple syrup from Audrey's recipe was swapped to tequila and ginger syrup with pineapple juice added, and perhaps one day I will get around to making the original. Here, the Shaken Hands gave forth an orange, agave, and clove aroma. Next, pineapple, lemon, and orange notes on the sip reached for vegetal, orange, ginger, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

best friend

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Convite Especial)
1/2 oz Campari
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a dehydrated pineapple wheel (omit). Two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make the Best Friend by Karl Steuck for the opening menu at the Condor Bar in the Hotel El Roblar. I found the recipe in a set of online recipe flashcards for the bar, and my search uncovered the recipe in a 2025 article in Food & Wine. The Best Friend read like a Gilda Cocktail meeting a mezcal Jungle Bird, so it seemed worthy of a try. As I mentioned in my Palenque Punch yesterday, my trick of swapping the simple syrup for cinnamon in the mezcal version of the parallel Mr. Bali Hai (to add depth of flavor lost in transitioning to an unaged spirit as well as adding complementary notes) was also something that Karl figured out as well. Once prepared, the Best Friend greeted the nose with a pineapple, cinnamon, and vegetal aroma. Next, pineapple and lime notes on the sip blossomed into smoky vegetal, bitter orange-pineapple, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

palenque punch

1 oz Convite Una Mezcal
1 oz Luxardo Bitter Bianco
1/2 oz Luxardo Espresso Liqueur
1/2 oz Acidified Pineapple Juice (*)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup (1:1)

Build over ice and stir. I batched and poured over ice. While developing the recipe, it actually tasted rather good undiluted at room temperature too.
(*) Pineapple juice was acidified with 6% citric acid (94 grams pineapple to 6 grams citric). Skipping the acidification and replacing with 1/2 oz regular pineapple juice + 1/2 oz lemon juice would work well. In late February, the Hotaling Company reached out to see if I would represent Convite Mezcal and Luxardo at Speed Rack in late March. I was asked to create the drink and run the booth as I was one of the lucky bartenders to spend several days down in Oaxaca with the Convite team where I gave a master class to local bartenders, answered questions, and did guest bartending shifts during my session in January 2023. For a recipe that I presented two weeks ago, I utilized the Convite Una Mezcal (that also benefits breast cancer charities like Speed Rack does) as well as their suggestion of using Luxardo Bitter Bianco. When they sent me some samples including Luxardo's Espresso Liqueur, I became inspired to make something akin to the Mr. Bali Hai. When I have done mezcal variations of that tropical drink, I have utilized cinnamon instead of plain simple syrup to provide complementary flavors and add a bit or roundness to the unaged spirit. As I was batching 150 full-sized portions at just shy of 16 liters, I went with an acidified pineapple juice instead of sourcing fruit and preparing 75-80 ounces of fresh lemon juice. It also made the mix shelf stable at room temperature so I could prep it a day in advance and not worry about refrigeration. Overall, it was a success. Midway through the event, folks were coming up to the booth by way of word of mouth that they needed to try this, and one patron even returned to tell me that my drink was the best of the night and asked for a second helping. Since I had a little left over from the event, I decided to make it my nightcap and prepared tasting notes. In the glass, the Palenque Punch began with a cinnamon, espresso roast, and pineapple aroma. Next, the roast and pineapple elements continued on into the sip where they were chased by smoky vegetal flavors blending into bitter herbal ones that lead into coffee and cinnamon notes on the swallow.

bow & arrow

1 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. Two Fridays prior, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and spotted the Bow & Arrow by Scott Teague at Dutch Kills circa 2015. The recipe reminded me of a split base Gilda Cocktail from Death & Co.; Scott would have been familiar with the Gilda from having worked at Death & Co. a few years after Brian Miller created it in 2009. In the glass, the Bow & Arrow shot forth with a vegetal, cinnamon, pineapple, and smoke aroma. Next, a lime-driven sip landed on Bourbon, vegetal agave, pineapple, and cinnamom flavors on the swallow.

los saicos

3/4 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Planteray 3 Star White Rum (Hamilton White 'Stache)
1/4 oz Planterayrum OFTD Rum
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Orgeat
5 drop St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (Hamilton)

Whip shake with ice, pour into a ceramic mug, and fill with crushed ice. Two Tuesdays ago, I searched for online recipe flashcard sets that included drinks with Planteray OFTD Rum and found Los Saicos at Cvi.che 105 in Miami. I soon found a Yelp review mentioning the drink in November 2018 and menu photos from May 2019 and March 2021, so it has been successful enough to survive a few menu turns. Matching the Peruvian restaurant theme, the drink was named after a band formed in Lima in 1964 that is considered one of the first garage rock bands and one of the pioneers of punk music. In the mug, the Los Saicos strummed aromas of pineapple and almond to the nose. Next, creamy lime and pineapple notes on the sip led into rum, pineapple, almond, and spice flavors on the swallow.

the belafonte

1 1/2 oz Angostura Rum (Monymusk Classic Gold)
3/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. I added a lime wheel garnish. Two Thursdays ago, I looked through the recipes that I had marked down from online flashcard sets for the Wilson & Wilson Private Detective Agency, a speakeasy connected to Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco. There, I was lured in by the Belafonte from a 2017 menu. There is already one other Belafonte from The Hawthorne on the blog as well as the Stack Banana from the Baldwin Bar making reference to Belafonte's most famous song. Moreover, at the tail end of my tenure at Russell House Tavern in 2015, we had a Belafonte on the dessert menu of black strap rum, banana liqueur, allspice dram, and housemade coffee bitters. Regardless, this combination called out to be made. In the glass, the Belafonte offered up pineapple and banana aromas to the nose. Next, lime, pineapple, and caramel notes on the sip opened up into rum, banana, pineapple, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

winterbird

1 1/2 oz Dark Rum (Coruba)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
4 dash Angostura Bitters

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Collins glass or ceramic mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with an orange quarter wheel (half slice) and a cherry. Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a drink that I spotted on Facebook's Tiki Recipes group called the Winterbird. I was able to trace it back to a Liquor.com which attributed this winterized Jungle Bird riff to Randy Hayden at Nine Mile Station in Atlanta. To me, it seemed more like a 1941 Here's How Zombie with a stripped down rum base plus orange juice and Fernet more than a Jungle Bird proper. In the mug, the Winterbird flitted to the nose with a caramel, menthol, and apricot aroma. Next, caramel, lime, and orange notes on the sip landed on funky dark rum, minty-menthol, pineapple, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

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.