electric circus

1 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1 oz Pineapple Rum (Planteray Stiggins' Fancy)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Cynar
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. After spotting a rye drink on a menu that had Cynar and Montenegro as modifiers, I realized that it was similar to what I enjoyed in the Tio Amargo with Demerara rum. I was inspired to swap the base to a split of mezcal and pineapple rum which I discovered in the Hunter Thompson and utilized a few times before such as in the Cannibal Cove last Fall. For a name, I dubbed this one the Electric Circus after the 1960s New York City nightclub with a variety of performers often associated with Andy Warhol that I read about in the St. Marks Is Dead book. From 1967 to 1971, the Electric Circus incorporated the big top aspect with everything from jugglers, mimes, trapeze artists, and body painting, and added in other performances like psychadelic multi-projector audiovisual shows and bands like The Velvet Underground, The Grateful Dead, and Sly & the Family Stone. One quote about the establishment caught my curiosity with, "Like Woodstock, if you remembered much of what happened at the E.C., you weren't really there." In the glass, the Electric Circus sprang forth with an orange, tropical, and smoke aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip evolved into rum, pineapple, tangerine, vegetal, smoke, and clove 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.

last one standing

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/2 oz Jamaican Gold Rum (1/4 oz Smith & Cross + 1/4 oz Appleton 8 Year)
1 tsp Giffard Crème de Peche (Mathilde)
6-8 leaf Mint

Muddle mint leaves in liqueurs. Add rest of ingredients, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a peach slice (omit) and a mint bouquet dusted with confectioner sugar (no sugar). Two Thursdays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and found the Last One Standing by Natasha David at Nitecap in 2014. My research uncovered a defunct Ask A New Yorker article from that year which mentioned that the bar used Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac and Hamilton Jamaican Rum as the spirits. The name made me think of the Last Man Standing from Brad Parson's Last Call book, but this one is an embittered Julep instead of a bitter bomb of an evening ender. In the silver cup, the Last One Standing gave forth a mint bouquet to the nose. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the amaro opened up into Cognac, minty, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow with a mint and peach finish.

blood sacrifice

1 oz Dark Overproof Rum (Planteray OFTD)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Amaro Nardini
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet, orange slice (omit), parasol, and cinnamon (freshly grated). With my new purchase of the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app, I sought out something with mint served in a ceramic mug. The recipe that called out to me was the Blood Sacrifice by David Ebert at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2025 as a riff on his tropical Fix, the Blood Moon, which lacks the rum. Nardini and Campari have paired well together in a number of drinks including the Klaus Kinski and the Host Body, so it seemed like an intriguing duo to star in a tropical number. Here, the Blood Sacrifice generated a cinnamon and mint aroma. Next, lime, caramel, and tropical notes on the sip blessed funky rum, bitter orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a passion fruit finish.

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.

wicked wench

1 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1 oz Aperol

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the New Orleans-themed Club 33 at Disneyland in Anaheim and selected the Wicked Wench as a curious equal part stirred drink. I was able to find a Yelp drink photo from 2019, and a Yelp menu photo in 2018 that explained, "The Wicked Wench sailed the seas under Captain Barbossa laying waste to all those dared challenge her. Strike yer colors, ye bloomin' cockroachers! Then let me celebrate with me glass of killdevil!" The last time I had the sweet vermouth-Aperol combination was in the Proof of Heart also from Club 33, but the combination reminded me the most of the Kingston Contessa with Smith & Cross and perhaps the Bless Up with Appleton (and the addition of small amounts of Averna and cacao) both at Eastern Standard. Since I am a sucker for OFTD Rum and how its burliness can reshape a cocktail, I gave this one a go. In the glass, the Wicked Wench welcomed the senses with a dark rum, orange, and funky molasses aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip lured in funky rum, roast, herbal, and orange flavors on the swallow.

slow drift

1 1/2 oz Santa Teresa 1796 Rum (Zaya)
1/2 oz Drouin Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/4 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Amaro Meletti
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a big cube. No garnish was specified. Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcards for Dear Irving, and I selected the Slow Drift from their current menu at their Gramercy location from the Island Hop section. Its Meletti-banana duo occurred before in the DK Old Fashioned with Bourbon and the Kon'Nichiwa!!! with Japanese whiskey and crème de cacao, so I was curious to try it with a dark rum-apple brandy base that reminded me of the spirits in the Sky Pilot. Once served, the Slow Drift gave forth a caramel, violet-floral, chocolate, and apple aroma. Next, caramel on the sip blossomed into dark rum, apple, herbal, banana, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

continental julep

2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 Strawberry, halved
6-8 leaf Mint

Muddle the strawberry and mint leaves in simple syrup. Add Cognac, fill with crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and top with crushed ice. Float 1/2 oz dark Jamaican rum (1/4 oz Smith & Cross + 1/4 oz Appleton 8 Year) and garnish with a mint bouquet. Continuing on with the mint recipes, I decided to find one in The Madrusan Cocktail Companion called the Continental Julep. That recipe was first published in the 1934 Jayne's Bartender's Guide, a book that Dr. Jayne and son published after the repeal of Prohibition to help revive cocktail culture. Dr. Jayne was not a bartender but a patent medicine manufacturer in Philadelphia, and he used this book to market his pills, tonics, and beauty products. Back in the day, Juleps were often Cognac-based if you had wealth and rum-based if you did not (see also the Cognac-based Corn 'n' Oil), and once the American whiskey distilling tradition took off, the Julep became associated with Bourbon. The first Julep that I had with Cognac was the Prescription Julep that I was served in 2009 at Tales of the Cocktail and later made at home in 2017. With fresh strawberries on hand, I set to work. The Continental Julep broadcast a mint and rum funk bouquet to the nose. Next, a berry note came through on the sip, and the swallow rounded things off with Cognac, strawberry, and mint flavors.

demerara dream daiquiri

1 oz Aged Demerara Rum such as El Dorado 12 Year (Hamilton's Demerara River)
1 oz Aged Jamaican Rum such as Appleton 12 Year (Appleton 8 Year)
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry. Two Sundays ago, I finally got around to opening up my copy of Justin Wojslaw's Coconuts & Carnage book published by Wonk Press. Since my mint was not ready to harvest, I opted for the author's Demerara Dream Daiquiri which had the passion fruit, vanilla, and lime structure of the Apocalypto but with two aged rums and Angostura Bitters in place of pisco. Once shaken and strained, the Demerara Dream Daiquiri gave forth a woody rum, allspice, and vanilla bouquet to the nose. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip subsided into rum, passion fruit, vanilla, and clove flavors on the swallow.

stiggins' ruin

3/4 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
3/4 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
3/4 oz Crème de Poire (3/4 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear + 1/8 oz Simple Syrup)
3/4 oz Gran Classico (Campari)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice. After having enjoyed the Smoke Along the Crescent Bend, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Club 33, the New Orleans-themed restaurant at Disneyland in Anaheim. There, I latched onto the Stiggins' Ruin as perhaps a fruity Right Hand riff. A Yelp drink photo dated this to at least 2023, and a 2024 Yelp menu photo provided the description, "Reverend Stiggins was a well-known character among the Crescent City. He would often enjoy a cocktail or two... or three, which ultimately led to his ruin." While I do not have Gran Classico, I had found Campari to be a decent substitute in a pinch, and I have had good luck pairing Campari and pear liqueur before in the Life on Mars. In the glass, the Stiggins' Ruin opened up with rum funk, pineapple, and pear aromas. Next, caramel and pear notes on the sip descended into funky rum, pineapple, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

the king's shilling

1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Aged Rum (Doorly's 12 Year)
1/4 oz Coffee Liqueur (Borghetti)
1/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
2 dash Aromatic Bitters (Angostura)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist and pineapple frond (omit the latter). Two Wednesday ago, I received my copy of the Let's Do Drinks book by Elliott Clark who runs the Apartment Bartender account on Instagram. There, I selected the King's Shilling by Sean Traynor, now a bar owner in Phoenix, when he was at a bar called Counter Intuitive. Overall, the recipe reminds me of Shore Leave's Dawn of Hospitality that took the coffee-pineapple syrup concept in a Sazerac direction. In the glass, the King's Shilling served up an orange, caramel, and roast bouquet to the senses. Next, pineapple and roast notes on the sip shuffled into Bourbon, rum, coffee, tropical fruit, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

the blade runner

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
1/2 oz Hamilton Jamaican Rum (1/4 oz Smith & Cross + 1/4 oz Appleton 8 Year)
1/2 oz Carpano Bianco Vermouth (Servito)
2 dash Bitter Cube Cherry Bark-Vanilla Bitters (1 dash King Floyd's Cherry-Cacao + 1 dash Savoy Society Orange-Vanilla)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with several drops of apple-infused olive oil (7 drop Dashfire Spiced Apple Bitters). Two Mondays ago, I reached for the Pittsburgh Drinks book which I had only utilized once before years ago with the Brooklyn Bridge. There, I spotted the Blade Runner by Fred Sarkis that I passed over years ago for I lacked Amaro Abano at home until 2022. Fred was inspired by the idea of what the detective-bounty hunter in Ridley Scott's movie would drink, and he commented on my Instagram post, "I always feel like the harden detectives in works of fiction would drink something stirred, brown, and bitter." Amaro Abano and Bourbon did work well together in a stirred drink before, namely the Forgetful Elephant (and a few others where the amaro was a minor component), so I was curious to give my best Voight-Kampff test of it. Once prepared, the Blade Runner conjured forth a caramel, rum funk, and apple aroma. Next, caramel and hints of molasses on the sip ventured into Bourbon, peppery, herbal, and rum funk flavors on the swallow.

smoke along the crescent bend

3/4 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
3/4 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum (Hamilton's Demerara River)
3/4 oz Carpano Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Wednesdays ago, I returned home from my trip to Philadelphia for the USBG Bar Summit to a house with no electricity. When I learned that power would not be back until 3am, I decided to go to bed and double up my efforts on Thursday. The first drink I made then was from a set of online recipe flashcards that I found for Club 33 which is a restaurant in the New Orleans Square part of Disneyland in Anaheim. The drink was called Smoke Along the Crescent Bend as a Vieux Carré riff, and a Yelp menu photo from 2025 provided the description, "Aromas of campfire smoke and tobacco fill the air as riverboats travel along the mighty Mississippi. Goods are bought and sold by travelers at each stop along the way." While I have had rum-based Vieux Carré riffs like the Rhum with a Vieux and a Scotch-based De la Louisiane riff called Islay Louisiane, I have not had the combination in a single glass. Once mixed, the Smoke Along the Crescent Bend paddled to the nose with peat smoke, grape, and anise aromas. Next, caramel and grape on the sip unloaded smoky Scotch, woody rum, herbal, allspice, and anise flavors on the swallow.

21st century

1 1/2 oz Jamaican Dark Rum (1 1/4 oz Coruba + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Blanco Vermouth (Servito)
1/2 oz White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I opened up my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and spied the 21st Century. This was not the tequila one created by Jim Meehan at Pegu Club from the PDT Cocktail Book that I had already written about, but a rum one by Brandon Bramhall at Nashville's Attaboy. This riff stuck to the classic 20th Century structure more, and it swapped the gin and Lillet for Jamaican rum and blanc vermouth. In the glass, the 21st Century dawned upon the senses with a lemon, molasses, chocolate, and rum funk aroma. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip turned into dark rum, hint of funk, and chocolate 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.

st. stephen's sour

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Aged Rum (Dos Maderas 5+5)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a glass filled with crushed ice (big cube), and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays ago, I came across the St. Stephen's Sour by Jeffrey Morgenthaler at Portland's Clyde Common in 2014 via Imbibe Magazine. Overall, the concept reminded me of the Cameron's Kick, but instead of Scotch and Irish whiskey, it features the punch duo of rum and brandy. Moreover, it also came across like a Between the Sheets with orgeat instead of that classic's orange liqueur. Once shaken and strained, the St. Stephen's Sour showcased a lemon and nutty aroma. The sip mirrored the nose with creamy and lemon notes, and the swallow revealed rum, Cognac, and nutty flavors.

fantastico

1 1/2 oz Gosling's Black Seal Rum
1/2 oz Varnelli Punch Fantasia
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Highball glass with soda water (2 oz), add ice, and garnish with a piece of candied ginger. Another soda water recipe that I had saved up resided on the Bartender's Choice app called the Fantastico. The drink was crafted by Brandon Bramhall at Nashville's Attaboy in 2018, and the app described it as "A Dark 'N Stormy with some added amaro bitterness." After finding a way too cheap liter bottle of Punch Fantasia a little over a year and a half ago, I have been looking at ways of using it past the ounce and quarter to date poured thanks to the Bumbo and the Last King of Scotland. Here with another half ounce, the Fantastico offered up a caramel, hazelnut, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, a carbonated caramel and lime sip delved into rum, nutty, ginger, herbal, and allspice 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.

7 seminole avenue

1 oz Laird's Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
10 drop Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Mondays ago, I returned to my notes from the online recipe flashcards from the Patterson House in Nashville and found the bitter, brown, and down number the 7 Seminole Avenue to fit the evening's calling. The recipe dated back to their Fall 2024 menu, and I was able to find an old menu online to confirm its placement and ingredients; however, I could not determine what that address corresponds to. Apple brandy and Cardamaro have paired up elegantly before in drinks like the Trenton and Euthanasia, and I have utilized the duo in recipes like the Wooden Shoe and Runaway Horses, so I was curious to try it here in this Old Fashioned meets Black Manhattan style drink. In the glass, this nightcap revealed orange, caramel, peppery, and root beer aromas to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip opened up into rum, apple, herbal, and black pepper flavors on the swallow.

fredo corleone

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Jamaican Dark Rum (3/4 oz Coruba + 1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
3/8 oz Amaro Nonino
1 tsp Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Lustau)
2 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I selected my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and landed on the Fredo Corleone by Lorenzo Antinori at Bar Leone in Hong Kong circa 2023. Lorenzo named his creation after the incompetent middle son of Mafia Don Vito Corleone in the movie The Godfather. Overall, it reads like The Velvet Touch with the rye split here with Jamaican rum, and it would make a good pairing with Lorenzo's other tribute to that movie, the Luca Brazi. Once mixed, the Fredo Corleone gave forth an orange, caramel, and raisin bouquet to the nose. Next, dark grape and caramel notes on the sip slid into rye, funky rum, raisin, caramel orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow.