near enough to reach

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1 dash Allspice Dram (1/16 oz Hamilton's)

Build in a Julep cup, add crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Top with crushed ice and garnish with a lemon twist and an umbrella. Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for The Violet Hour and opted for the Near Enough to Reach from the Summer 2021 menu. Banana liqueur and Oloroso last appeared on the blog as accents to a Kingston Negroni in the Tropicale, and the rye, banana, and sherry combination prospered in the Mr. Manager. In the glass, the Near Enough to Reach conjured up a lemon, rye, and ginger bouquet for the nose. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip transformed into rye, banana, nutty sherry, and ginger flavors on the swallow with allspice and ginger on the finish.

cupid deluxe

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Shake with ice, serve tall (old fashioned glass, ice, 1 oz soda water), and garnish with a piece of candied ginger. Two Sundays ago, I returned to online recipe flashcards from Dutch Kills in Long Island City and selected the Cupid Deluxe. The drink for their Spring 2019 menu was attributed elsewhere on the web to bartender Jose Cardenas, and it was perhaps named after the 2013 album by the group Blood Orange. Scotch and banana worked so well in the Holy Molé! that I utilized it in my Artists and Models at the Cocktail Lab at Earl's, and I was curious to try it here. Once prepared, the Cupid Deluxe offered up a pineapple and ginger aroma. Next, a carbonated caramel, lemon, and pineapple sip flowed into Scotch, pineapple, banana, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

torreador del diablo

1 1/4 oz Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/8 oz Honey Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Fridays prior, I began perusing The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and happened upon the Torreador del Diablo by José Manuel Alvarez Gonzalez at London's Milk & Honey in 2013. The Campari, apricot liqueur, and lemon juice trio has worked well in the Juniper #3 and in my St. Botolph's Club, so I was curious to taste it with the ginger-honey-lemon of a Penicillin Cocktail. Once mixed, the Torreador del Diablo showcased a vegetal tequila, apricot, and ginger aroma. Next, lemon with a hint of honey on the sip stepped aside for tequila, bitter orchard fruit, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

scarab

3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with candied ginger on a pick. Two Tuesdays ago, I fired up the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app, and the Scarab by Chris Hughes and Jon Nutter at Attaboy in Manhattan circa 2022 caught my attention. The Scarab is another part of the insect series of equal parts spirit, amaro, ginger syrup, and citrus that includes the mezcal-Campari Mosquito, applejack-Nardini Yellow Jacket, and mezcal-Braulio Dragon Fly. Moreover, I first experienced Smith & Cross paired with Fernet in my Bartender on Acid that was later served as a punch of the day at Drink in Boston back in 2010, so I was curious to see it in this format. Once shaken and strained, the Scarab opened up with a ginger, rum funk, and menthol aroma. Next, lime and caramel notes on the sip delved into ginger, rum funk, gentian, bitter herbal, and minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.

tell me more

1 oz Bertoux Brandy (Courvoisier VS Cognac)
1 oz Russell's Reserve Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 spray Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur (20 drop Russo Nocino)

Build in a Julep cup, add crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Top with crushed ice and garnish with mint and more Nux Alpina (10 drop Russo Nocino). Two Sundays ago, I ventured back to online recipe flashcards for Chicago's The Violet Hour and spotted a good use of mint in the Tell Me More from their Winter 2022 menu. With the sherry, ginger, and walnut aspect, I could see why it would be a more cold weather-styled Julep, but I figured that it could work in early July as well. On the bar's website advertising their Bartender's Manifesto book, there is a photo labeled Tell Me More of a drink served in a Julep cup garnished with a dried lime wheel (said recipe is not in that tome though). I know from Toby Maloney's second book, The Classic Cocktail Sessions, that he does not see the point to dried garnishes but it might have been for the photo shoot. Nutty oxidized sherries like Amontillado and Oloroso have been paired with walnut liqueur with great success in recipes like the Bamboozled and Towser the Mouser and I utilized it in my Folly Ruins, so I set off to crush some ice. Once prepared, the Tell Me More shared a mint and walnut aroma. Next, a grape-driven sip wandered towards brandy, Bourbon, ginger, nutty grape, walnut, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

rest in pieces of eight

1 1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
>1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/4 oz Licor 43
>1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice. Strain into a Collins glass with ice (double old fashioned with a large ice cube) pre-rinsed with Cruzan Black Strap Rum. After making a fresh batch of ginger syrup, I perused Kindred Cocktails and spotted the Rest in Pieces of Eight by Doug Monroe at Nashville's The Patterson House that he entered into the database in 2012. The name seems to be a play on the pirate phrases "rest in peace" and "pieces of eight." Given that aspect, I expected some overlap with the tropical classic Pieces of Eight, but there was only rum and lemon in common. Once mixed, the Rest in Pieces of Eight put forth a molasses aroma from the black strap rum rinse. Next, a creamy caramel and lemon sip subsided into funky rum, funky herbal, ginger, and vanilla 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.

doctor's orders

2 oz Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/4 oz Raspberry Syrup
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a raspberry and piece of candied ginger on a pick (omit raspberry). Two Mondays ago, I opened up my copy of Cocktails in Color Book by Sammi Katz and Olivia McGiff and spotted their Doctor's Orders perhaps named after it appearing like a fruity Penicillin riff. This makes the third unique Doctor's Orders that I have had that joins the Dead Rabbit's and Eastern Standard's on this blog. Once mixed, the Doctor's Orders prescribed a Scotch, ginger, and orchard fruit aroma to the nose. Next, lemon and fruity notes on the sip ushered in Scotch, ginger, raspberry, and apricot flavors on the swallow. The ginger and raspberry combination reminded me of how I used to make the Florodora with both those syrups at Drink and how there was an amazing flavor synergy when freshly made ingredients were combined in that recipe (instead of ginger ale).

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.

testarossa collins

1 1/2 oz Rhum Barbancourt Blanc (110°)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup 2:1 (1/2 oz Ginger Syrup 1:1 + 1/4 oz Simple Syrup)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with 1 oz soda water, fill with ice, and garnish with a pineapple wedge (lime wheel). Two Wednesdays ago, I reached for my copy of the Cuban Cocktails: 100 Classic and Modern Drinks book from the Cienfuegos crew of Alla Lapushchik, Jane Danger, and Ravi DeRossi, and I happened on the Testarossa Collins by Tom Chadwick of Cienfuegos and Dram Bar. The book claims that Tom was inspired by the French house musician Kavinsky who crashed his Ferrari Testarossa in 1986 and then "mysteriously came back to life as a Zombie" with the Fernet representing the Italian sports car. Wikipedia declares that "The concept behind OutRun [Kavinsky's 2013 debut album named after a video game featuring a Ferrari] follows Kavinsky's backstory of a young man who crashed his Testarossa in 1986 and reappeared in 2006 as a zombie who produces electronic music." Overall, the recipe read like a rum and soda instead of completely Fernet-driven Cure for Immorality, so it seemed worthy of a go. In the glass, the Testarossa Collins opened up with a lime, grassy rhum funk, and ginger aroma. Next, a carbonated lime and pineapple sip drove into grassy rum, ginger, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

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.

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.

iroc-z

1 1/2 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a highball glass with soda water (2 oz), add ice, and garnish with a piece of candied ginger. Continuing on with my backlog of recipes elongated with soda water, I decided to make the Iroc-Z from Attaboy two Wednesdays ago. This recipe that I found in online flashcards reminded me of the CIA crossed with a Buck. Once assembled, the Iroc-Z accelerated to the nose with an apple and ginger aroma. Next, a carbonated lime and caramel sip switched gears into an apple, ginger, and herbal swallow.

cactus fly

3/4 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
3/4 oz Amaro Sfumato
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass. The recipe said no garnish, but I opted for a piece of candied ginger on a pick like this drink's siblings. Two Saturdays ago, I ventured back to the online recipe flashcards for the Long Island Bar in Brooklyn where I sourced the Electric Mayhem. The drink I selected was the Cactus Fly that was akin to the Mosquito with Campari and the Dragonfly with Braulio, but here with Sfumato. Since mezcal and Sfumato are a great pairing such as in the Oakland, Tarantula, and other cocktails, I prepared this one right away. In the glass, the Cactus Fly gave forth a vegetal, roast, smoke, and ginger aroma. Next, lemon and roast notes on the sip slid into vegetal, ginger, roast, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a smoky finish.

blackjack

1 1/2 oz Famous Grouse Scotch
1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Maple Syrup
1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Fridays prior, I selected a recipe from The Rose in Jackson, Wyoming, called the Blackjack that I found in a set of online recipe flashcards. The name could be an allusion to how gambling was made illegal in Wisconsin in 1901 yet Jackson was "so far removed from the eyes of any federal law enforcement, it happened in the basements of several downtown drinking establishments" until mid-century. The duo of maple and ginger syrups appeared in the Mountain Man with Bourbon and peach liqueur instead of Scotch and apple brandy. Once dealt, the Blackjack showed a lemon, maple, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Lemon and an amber note on the sip revealed Scotch, apple, maple, ginger, and clove 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.

the noble experiment

1 1/2 oz Casa Noble Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Orgeat
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I spotted an interesting looking tequila drink called the Noble Experiment in a set of online recipe flashcards for Roxanne's in Long Beach, California. While the recipe set was from 2015, it was older than that for I soon found a 2012 Yelp drink photo; moreover, perhaps their choice of tequila brands spurred on the reference to Prohibition in the name. The ginger-orgeat combination was one that I last saw a few weeks ago with the Set Sail, but that duo has only accented sugar cane spirits, gin, and amari but never agave distillates from what I have written about on the blog. In the glass, the Noble Experiment proposed a lemon, vegetal agave, and ginger bouquet for the nose. Next, a creamy lemon sip advanced into tequila, almond, and ginger flavors on the swallow with a cherry and anise finish.

set sail

1 1/2 oz Rhum Barbancourt 8 Year
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with candied ginger. Two Saturdays ago, I found the Set Sail in a set of online recipe flashcards for Dear Irving in Manhattan from their Spring 2019 menu. I was able to find Yelp menu photos in May, September, and October 2019 which confirmed the time frame. Indeed, I was surprised to discover that there were only five recipes on the blog that have an orgeat-ginger syrup pairing, and the two that rock it out without other syrups in the mix were the Rough Seas and Pressgang Swizzle. Once shaken and strained, the Set Sail wafted to the nose with funky rum, pineapple, ginger, and almond aromas. Next, a creamy lime sip drifted into funky rum, pineapple, nutty, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

hank scorpio

1 1/2 oz Zacapa Rum (Coruba)
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain (into a Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a pineapple leaf (pineapple swizzle stick). Two Fridays ago, I searched the Kindred Cocktails database and spotted the Hank Scorpio created by New York city bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2014. Given the curious name, my search uncovered that Rafa named the drink after a character who made a one time appearance in season 8 of The Simpsons. Once prepared, the Hank Scorpio donated a caramel, pineapple, vanilla, and ginger bouquet to the nose. Next, lime, caramel, and pineapple notes on the sip retreated towards dark rum, vanilla, ginger, and clementine flavors on the swallow.

tico tico

2 oz Silver Cachaça (Novo Fogo Bar Strength)
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1 oz Ginger Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a pineapple leaf and orange slice (orange twist only). Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Nicole Schaefer's Portland Cocktails book, and I turned to the Hale Pele section in search for something tropical. There, I found the Tico Tico by Tara McCarron, and the book described how "tico" is a term for the natives of Costa Rica. However, Tara corrected that on my Instagram, "I actually got the inspiration for the name from the Brazilian song 'Tico-Tico no Fubá (sparrow in the cornmeal)'. It was featured in an old Donald Duck cartoon where he visits Brazil and meets a parrot named José Carioca who teaches him how to dance the samba and drink cachaça!" The parrot who first appeared in 1942 has its own Wikipedia page that elaborates how he was created by the Brazilian cartoonist José Carlos de Brito and shown to Walt Disney on Walt's trip to Rio de Janeiro in 1941; José Carioca has been used on and off by Disney for the last 80 years in cartoons, video games, and theme parks. Once prepared, the Tico Tico danced to the nose with orange, ginger, and cachaça's grassy funk. Next, lime, pineapple, and orange notes on the sip transitioned into funky cachaça blending into ginger and orange peel flavors on the swallow.