fat cat

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS) (*)
3/4 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
3/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Orange Blossom Water (10 drop)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist (include the peel).

(*) Originally an equal parts drink (save for the orange blossom water) that included the twist in the glass.
Two Tuesdays prior, I spied the Fat Cat by Yoann Tarditi at Satan's Whiskers in London circa 2023 via the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app. I later found a post on the bar's Instagram that had it as an equal parts recipe and included the peel as garnish. Overall, the concept reminded me a little of the Charlie Chaplin (and Frank Caiafa's comment that they sometimes added gin to the classic at the Waldof Astoria for backbone and balance similar to the Fat Cat's structure). While I generally think of sloe gin mixed with gin, whiskey, rum, and agave spirits, Cognac is a rarity, and the only one with brandy that I have tried was the Manhattan Exposition at Deep Ellum. Once shaken and strained, the Fat Cat gave forth an orange, apricot, and dark fruit aroma. Next, lemon and dark berry notes on the sip subsided into Cognac, apricot, and red fruit flavors on the swallow.

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.

pistolero

1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.My search for more information about the Gypsy led me to a set of online recipe flashcards for Bourbon & Branch from 2017, and for the night's drink, I returned to the contents and selected the Pistolero that was created nearby at Lolinda in San Francisco. Yelp has the Pistolero being on the Lolinda menu as early as 2015, and the bar still has it on their most recent menu. Overall, the combination read like a dryer and smokier version of Phil Ward's Lipspin. Once prepared, the Pistolero shot forth with a grapefruit, smoke, caramel, and red fruit aroma. Next, caramel and plum notes on the sip rode off towards smoky, vegetal, plum, dried fruit, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

caught in a cabaret

1 oz Blanco Tequila (Olmeca Altos)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Tuesdays ago, I spotted a reference to Ted Haigh's Millionaire variation that reminded me of a Charlie Chaplin with its apricot, sloe, and lime. That got me motivated to riff on that trio of ingredients, and I latched onto the sloe gin aspect and decided to mash the Charlie Chaplin up with Phil Ward's Lipspin that complements the sloe gin with tequila and Cynar. For a name, I dubbed this after one of Charlie Chaplin's films and called it Caught in a Cabaret. Once prepared the Caught in a Cabaret welcomed the senses with vegetal, lime, salinity, and orchard fruit aromas. Next, lime and red fruit on the sip danced into funky, vegetal, cherry, and apricot flavors on the swallow.

house call

3/4 oz Laird's Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
3/4 oz Benedictine
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Saturdays ago, I began scanning the Kindred Cocktails database when I landed upon the House Call by John Stanton at Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago circa 2011. The apple brandy-lemon juice-based equal parter featured the duo of sloe gin and Benedictine that worked so well in Peter Cipriani's Christmas Goose and that I utilized (albeit with the Benedictine as only an accent) in the Gin Gin Carré. The House Call welcomed the nose with a plum and raisin bouquet. Next, a lemon sip with dark fruit notes flowed into apple, plum, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

sleepy hello

3/4 oz Famous Grouse Scotch
3/4 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
3/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to that online recipe flashcard set that I had uncovered and came across the curiously named Sleepy Hello with the Scotch and sloe gin combination that worked well in the classic Modern Cocktail #2 and newer Post-Modern. I was able to track down the recipe to an older Clover Club menu where it was in their "Bracers & Pick Ups" section along side the Clover Club drink for $10 (the Clover Club drink in comparison is now $16 there). Once prepared, the Sleepy Hello met the nose with a lemon, plum, and floral bouquet. Next, lemon and dark fruit on the sip flowed into Scotch, cranberry, and pink grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

various positions

3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
4 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an Herbsaint (or absinthe) rinsed double old fashioned glass, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Fridays ago, I was inspired to tinker again with Phil Ward's Lipspin with its Cynar-sloe gin combination that previously led to my Perverted by Language. Here, I utilized a split rye-mezcal base and took things in a Sazerac direction. While crafting this number, a song from Leonard Cohen's Various Positions album was playing, and that ended up being the name. The Various Positions welcomed the nose with lemon, anise, smoke, red berry, and caramel aromas. Next, caramel and red fruit notes on the sip progressed into rye, vegetal, herbal, anise, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

plain sailing

3/4 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Tio Pepe Fino)
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/4 oz Cane Syrup (JM Sirop de Canne)
2 drop (*) Saline Solution (1 pinch Salt)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass pre-rinsed with absinthe (Butterfly), garnish with a lemon twist.
(*) Punch says 2 dashes but two drops is more standard.A little over two weeks ago, I decided to make a recipe that I found in a search for sloe gin drinks on Kindred Cocktails. That one was called the Plain Sailing by Chicago bartender Paige Walwyn via Punch Drinks. Once prepared, it proffered a lemon and red fruit aroma. Next, the red fruit note continued on into the sip where it was chased by gin, raisin, and berry flavors on the swallow. Moreover, I attribute that raisin aspect on the advanced age of my sloe gin bottle.

post modern

1 1/2 oz Blended Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Honey Syrup 2:1 (3/8 oz 1:1)

Shake with ice and strain into an absinthe-rinsed (Kübler) cocktail coupe.Two Mondays ago, I was perusing Kindred Cocktails when I spotted Tom Richter's Post Modern that was published in Punch Drinks. Tom described how he based it "on a spirit combination of oft-overlooked sloe gin and Scotch, rinsed with absinthe." Given the name, I have to believe that he based it off of the Savoy Cocktail Book's Modern Cocktail #2 with the lemon juice aspect from the Modern #1:

Modern Cocktail (No. 2)
• 2/3 Sloe Gin
• 1/3 Scotch Whisky
• 1 dash Grenadine
• 1 dash Absinthe
• 1 dash Orange Bitters
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Modern #1 over time has won out though in part thanks to Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails book, and I have had variations like the Modern Cocktail based off of Ted's Modernista. Here with sloe gin, the Post Modern began with a berry and anise aroma. Next, lemon, honey, and dark red fruit on the sip leapt into smoky Scotch, plum, and raisin flavors on the swallow with a hint of anise. Some of those oxidized flavors are most likely due to the age of my sloe gin bottle -- it has not seen enough love over the years, so perhaps Tom's comment about sloe gin being overlooked rings true.

rive droite

1 oz Hayman's Royal Dock Gin (Alchemy Dry)
3/4 oz Fords Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Wednesdays ago, I was excited to try a recipe that David Wondrich posted in his Twitter called the Rive Droite. This tribute to the River Seine in Paris is a riff on the Parisian (gin, dry vermouth, crème de cassis) from The Savoy Cocktail Book and takes things in a sloe plum instead of currant direction. Once prepared, the Rive Droite proffered a plum and lemon bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and red oxidized fruit on the sip flowed into gin, plum, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

guns of brixton

3/4 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
3/4 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1 oz Bonal Gentiane Quina
1/4 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/4 oz Cynar

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

Two Mondays ago, I wanted to utilize my new bottle of Bonal as well explore the combination of Cynar-sloe gin that I had first learned about in the Transatlantic Giant and the Lipspin. I had previously tinkered with mezcal in this combination in the Lips Like Sugar and knew that the spirit complemented Bonal, and I recalled that applejack worked wonderfully with sloe gin in the Persephone as well as partnering with tequila and mezcal. For a name, I was listening to a Pandora radio station, and The Clash's Guns of Brixton was playing as I was making the drink. When I realized that sloe plums are grown in Brixton, the name stuck.The Guns of Brixton welcomed the nose with apple, smoke, and fruity aromas. Next, grape and berry notes on the sip shimmied into apple, berry, chocolate, and vegetal flavors on the swallow with a smoke and berry finish.

lips like sugar

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.While working at Drink two Saturdays ago, I had made a guest or two Phil Ward's Lipspin. Later, another guest requested a mezcal drink with bitter notes but with citrus, and I decided to convert the Lipspin into a Sour especially after recalling a comment on Kindred Cocktails where someone thought the drink could use some acid. Therefore, I reduced the two liqueurs from 3/4 to 1/2 oz, and since the Lipspin is pretty well balanced as a stirred drink, I countered the lime juice with simple syrup. When I got home, I tried out the recipe for myself and dubbed this Lipspin riff after the Echo & the Bunnymen song Lips Like Sugar. Here, the Lips Like Sugar proffered a smoke, berry, and lime bouquet to the nose. Next, berry, caramel, and lime notes on the sip jumped into vegetal, smoke, and cranberry-cherry flavors on the swallow.

charlie chaplin

1/3 Sloe Gin (1 oz Plymouth)
1/3 Apricot Liqueur (1 oz Rothman & Winter)
1/3 Lime Juice (1 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Note: splitting this into four equal 3/4 oz parts with the final element being gin was recommended by bartender-author Frank Caiafa (see text below).
Two Thursdays ago was our re-opening night at Drink. Our consultant who returned back to the bar to assist was Will Thompson who asked me to make a Scofflaw for a guest in another section and mentioned that they would probably want to follow that up with a Charlie Chaplin. The Charlie Chaplin was one where I sort of knew the ingredients but had never made tried before; therefore, when I got home, I selected The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book which has the earliest recipe for this libation. I then found Frank Caiafa's 2016 The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book to see if he had any commentary; his bar staff would sometimes add gin to the recipe as a variation to add backbone and to balance the sweeter notes. They used that version was utilized as an alternative to the Cosmopolitan (and via personal correspondence, it was his personal favorite version). Here, I stuck with the gin-less version to appreciate the original, and it began with a berry and apricot bouquet. Next, lime, cherry, and cranberry notes on the sip flowed into cherry, apricot, lime, and berry flavors on the swallow.

lawrence

30% Dry Gin (1 oz Bombay Dry)
20% Sloe Gin (3/4 oz Averell Damson)
30% Dry Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat)
20% Regular Vermouth (3/4 oz Lacuesta Rojo)
3 dasy Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Thursdays ago, I delved back into my 1933 reprint of Jack's Manual and spotted the Lawrence which came across like a gin-sloe gin Perfect Martini of sorts. Once prepared, the Lawrence proffered a pine, anise, and berry bouquet to the nose. Next, tart berry and grape notes on the sip traversed into gin and berry flavors on the swallow.

sloe loris

1 oz Sloe Gin (Averell Damson)
1 oz Fino or Manzanilla Sherry (Lustau Fino)
3/4 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
1/4 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry.

Two Sundays ago, I spotted a curious drink on Kindred Cocktails called the Sloe Loris by Leslie Craven, a home bartender in New Zealand. This circa 2015 tribute to the arboreal primate utilized the sloe gin-Swedish punsch combination that worked well in the 1930s Mabel Berra and the 2011 Ticket to Paradise. Moreover, it had the excellent duo of sloe gin and Cynar chosen by Phil Ward in the Lipspin and myself in Perverted by Language.
The Sloe Loris climbed to the nose with berry and rum funk aromas. Next, cherry, caramel, and crispness from the sherry summed up the sip, and the swallow delivered berry, rum, and bitter herbal flavors with a tea tannin finish.

negroni futurista

1 oz Sloe Gin (Averell Damson Gin)
1 oz Fino Sherry (Lustau)
1 oz Campari

Build in a double old fashioned glass, add ice, and stir to mix and chill (stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube). Garnish with a lemon twist.
My cocktail thirst two Friday nights ago led me to Gary Regan's The Negroni book. There, I came upon the two page spread of recipes from the Negroni Club in Munich, and I latched onto Mauro Mahjoub's Negroni Futurista with its sloe gin to work with the Campari. It was very similar to the Sharon with the Fino/Manzanilla sherry and Campari, but the Sharon opted for the more traditional sweet vermouth component instead of sloe gin. The Negroni Futurista proffered a bright lemon oil over darker notes from the Damson plum to the nose. Next, berry with a crisp white grape sip sprung forward into plum melding into bitter orange flavors on the swallow with a savory finish.

cross-eyed and painless

3/4 oz Tequila (Lunazul Blanco)
3/4 oz Sloe Gin (Atxa Pataxaran)
3/4 oz Dry Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
3/4 oz Lillet Rouge (Dubonnet)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe pre-rinsed with Herbsaint, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Fridays ago, I reached for Sarah Baird's New Orleans Cocktails book, and there I spotted the Cross-Eyed and Painless. The recipe was crafted at the Ace Hotel in New Orleans and was named after a Talking Heads song. The combination of tequila and sloe gin made me think of Phil Ward's Lipspin, and agave and sloe gin have also worked well together in the Gail Collins, Ticket to Paradise, and a few other drinks.
Once prepared, the Cross-Eyed and Painless met the nose with lemon, tequila, anise, and sloe plum aromas. Next, berry, plum, and cherry notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow shared tequila, orange, coffee, and allspice flavors. I most likely skipped over this recipe before since it reads as though it has a high sugar content; when someone on Instagram asked if it was sweet, I replied, "Surprisingly drinkable although definitely a touch on the sweeter side."

mary astor

1 oz London Dry Gin (Beefeater)
1 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Atxa Pataxaran)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, I got back from work and decided to make one of the recipes that I had saved from Imbibe Magazine by Church Cummings at the Josephine Estelle within the New Orleans Ace Hotel. The drink was the Mary Astor which had little to do with the obscure classic the Astor or the modern bitter Aster Family Sour, but was closer to the Trellis with dry oxidized sherry pairing with sloe liqueur in a Sour format and to the Barbara West with its gin, dry sherry, and lemon. The name is most likely a tribute to the actress born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke who appeared under her stage name of Mary Astor and starred in movies such as The Maltese Falcon.
Once prepared, the Mary Astor introduced herself with a lemon oil nose over nutty and dark berry notes. Next, lemon and grape danced on the dry sip, and the swallow closed out the show with gin, nutty, and berry flavors.

it's not me, it's you

1 oz Fernet Branca (1 1/2 oz)
1/2 oz Dry Curaçao (3/4 oz Pierre Ferrand)
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (3/4 oz Atxa Patxaran)
5 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass or coupe (coupe), and garnish with a grapefruit twist (lemon twist).
Two Wednesdays ago, I was in the mood for a nightcap after my work shift and turned to Clair McLafferty's Romantic Cocktails for the answer. There, I selected the It's Not Me, It's You by San Francisco bartender Christina Mae Henderson that was subtitled, "A little dry, a little bitter, a little citrusy: just like a breakup." I was drawn in for the combination of sloe gin and Fernet Branca in that drink was one that worked so well in the Sloe & Unsteady. In the glass, the It's Not Me offered up a lemon, caramel, and menthol nose that set up a caramel and orange sip. Next, minty, berry, orange, and menthol flavors on the swallow rounded out this complex sipper.

fireside flip

1 oz Honey-style Scotch (1 1/2 Famous Grouse)
1 1/4 oz Sloe Gin (1 oz Atxa Patxaran)
1 Tbsp Honey (1/2 oz Honey Syrup)
1 coin Ginger
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Whole Egg

Muddle ginger in the honey (in the Scotch), add rest of the ingredients, and shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a sherry glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Two Mondays ago, I was the midst of reading Ryan Chetiyawardana's Good Things to Drink with Mr. Lyan & Friends when I spotted his Fireside Flip. The recipe reminded me of Scott Holliday's Penicillin Flip with sloe plum flavors added to the mix. Once prepared, the Fireside Flip gave forth a woody spice from the nutmeg along with cherry-like berry aromas to the nose. Next, a rich, creamy honey-tinged sip gave way to Scotch and dark fruit on the swallow along with ginger and hints of clove and allspice on the finish. Moreover, there was something lemony going on in both the sip and the swallow that perhaps could be attributed to the ginger component. Indeed, when the drink was freshly made and cold, it yielded these lemony notes, and as things warmed up over time, the distinctly ginger flavors came forward with reduced contributions from the sloe plum and lemony element.