love gun

2 oz Planteray 3 Star White Rum (Hamilton White 'Stache)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Raspberry Syrup
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 tsp St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (Hamilton)

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with 1 1/2 oz soda water and a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon wheel. Two Tuesdays prior, I reached for my Death & Co.: Welcome Home book and found the Love Gun by Scott Teague in 2015. Overall, the recipe reminded me of a Knickerbocker with allspice dram instead of curaçao and lengthened by soda water. Once prepared, the Love Gun shot forward with a lemon, raspberry, and allspice aroma. Next, a carbonated lemon and red berry sip was countered by rum flavors as well as raspberry melding into allspice on the swallow.

johnny utah

2 oz Espolon Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with 1 oz soda water, fill with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Wednesdays ago, I began perusing the Kindred Cocktails database and landed on the Johnny Utah created by Carlo Caroscio at Volt in Baltimore circa 2014 around two years before he moved to Boston to work at Backbar. Carlo named the drink after Keanu Reaves' character in the movie Point Break. What drove me into making it was how well the Campari-grenadine combination works; in fact, the duo was dubbed "bittersweet" in the Freaky Tiki, and I utilized it in my Jungle Grog and Zombie Count. Moreover, the Campari-cinnamon pairing is also excellent in recipes like the Babbo's Toddy and Rum Firewalker, and I made use of in the Black Hand Society and Quetzal. Once prepared, the Johnny Utah proffered an orange, cinnamon, and agave aroma. Next, a carbonated lime and dark berry sip gave way to vegetal tequila, bitter red fruit, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

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.

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.

the hamptonian

1 oz Brisson VS Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Beefeater Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with soda water (2 oz), add ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel (lemon twist). Another soda water recipe that I had saved up was The Hamptonian at Dear Irving as a fancy Long Island Iced Tea. This drink sourced from a set of online recipe flashcards from Fall 2021 reminded me of Sother Teague's Youthful Expression with its gin, Bourbon, Ramazzotti, bitters, and soda. In the glass, The Hamptonian emitted a lemon and cola aroma. Next, a carbonated lemon and caramel sip flowed into Cognac, juniper, caramel, and herbal 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.

ross Island

3/4 oz Beefeater Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
3/4 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a collins (highball) glass with soda water (2 oz), and garnish with a lemon wheel (lemon twist). Two Tuesdays ago, since I had a fresh bottle of soda water, I decided to make the Ross Island at the now shuttered La Moule in Portland, Oregon, that I uncovered through online recipe flashcards. A GoogleMaps menu photo dates this drink to 2021 around two years before it closed. While I thought that it could be named after the island off of Antarctica, one of my Instagram friends pointed out that there is a Ross Island in the Willamette River just south of La Moule's location. As for the recipe, the only instance of Swedish punsch and Ramazzotti being used together was in the Over the Yardarm but the amaro was used in a float over crushed ice there, so I was curious to try it in this elongated equal parts recipe. Once mixed, the Ross Island gave forth lemon, pine, and root beer aromas. Next, a carbonated lemon and caramel sip opened up into pine, citrus, herbal, cola, and black tea flavors on the swallow.

highside special

1 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1 oz Amaro Lucano
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass, add soda water (2 oz), fill with ice, and garnish with cracked pepper. Two Fridays ago, I returned to my file of online recipe flashcards drinks to see what I could make with soda water. There, I was lured in by the Highside Special by Rich Boccato at Dutch Kills circa 2018; although I have never had Scotch and Lucano together before, Lucano's similarities to Ciociaro made me think of the Ciociaro-Scotch drinks like the .38 Special and the Jolly Jane. Once prepared, the Highside Special cast forth a pineapple, black pepper, and caramel-orange bouquet to the nose. Next, a carbonated lemon, pineapple, and caramel sip moved towards Scotch, creamy orange, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

colonial grog

1/2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (1 oz Coruba)
1/2 oz Gold Virgin Island Rum (1 oz Privateer New England Reserve)
1/2 oz Lime Juice (1 oz)
1/2 oz Orange Juice (1 oz)
1/4 oz Maple Syrup (1/2 oz Deer Meadow Farm)
1/8 tsp Allspice Dram (1/4 tsp Hamilton's)
1 dash Angostura Bitters (2 dash)
1/2 oz Soda Water (1 oz)

Blend with 3 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds and fine strain into a glass with a thin ice shell (shake all but the soda water, and strain into an old fashioned glass with ice and the soda water). When I made was the Samoan Grog from the Mai-Kai, I learned that it was perhaps inspired by Don the Beachcomber's Colonial Grog. The circa 1944 Colonial Grog details were uncovered by Jeff Beachbum Berry in the notebooks of Mariano Licudine who worked for Don between 1939 and 1956. Berry published the recipe in his Potions of the Caribbean book and described it as a Tiki-fied Planter's Punch. Don's bartenders were some of the few using maple in tropical drinks before the cocktail revival with the most famous recipe being the Volcano Bowl from 1970 that showcased how well maple works with grapefruit (which inspired my Vagalume Bowl). Although I skipped the ice shell built into the inner circumference of the glass and doubled up the volumes, I kept true to the recipe save for using a local amber rum instead of a Caribbean one. In the glass, the Colonial Grog displayed dark rum, maple, and lime aromas. Next, maple, orange, and lime notes with a hint of carbonation on the sip unwound into dark rum, allspice, and lime flavors on the swallow.

happy/sad girl

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Tequila Arette)
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice (coupe), top with a splash of soda water (omit), and garnish with a lime wheel and/or candied ginger (candied ginger only). Two Tuesdays ago, Carey Jones' Brookyln Bartender book caught my eye, and I soon found the Happy/Sad Girl by Katherine Pangaro at No. 7 in Brooklyn. The recipe has the same amazing combination of ginger syrup-Maraschino liqueur that I learned about in the New Rider from that same book (technically, first in the One for Jimmy that used a housemade ginger beer years before that) and that I utilized in my Who Killed Mr. Moonlight? as a result. In the glass, the Happy/Sad Girl welcomed the senses with a nutty cherry, ginger, and tequila aroma. Next, lime and cherry notes on the sip transformed into agave and nutty cherry-ginger flavors on the swallow.

gunshop fizz

2 oz Peychaud's Bitters
3 swath Grapefruit Peel
3 swath Orange Peel
2 Strawberries, Hulled
3 slice Cucumber
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup

Muddle the cucumber slices, citrus peels, and strawberries in the Peychaud's Bitters. Let steep for 2 minutes before adding in the lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice, top with Sanbitter soda, and garnish with a fresh cucumber slice.

Two Mondays ago, I attended the book launch party for Neal Bodenheimer's Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em at Chickadee. After checking in, I was greeted with a welcome punch of the Gunshop Fizz. It is a recipe that I have had in my possession since July 2009 when I bought the Rogue Cocktails book, but I never made it for Sanbitter became rather hard to find in Boston and the hefty slug of Peychaud's threatened to kick the 4 ounce bottle of bitters rather quickly. The new book attributed the recipe to Kirl Estopinal and Maks Pazunkiak, and it described how it was the impetus for the Rogue Cocktails concept. It came about when the duo uncovered the Angostura Fizz in Charles H. Baker Jr.'s 1939 Gentleman's Companion, and it led them to riff on the Pimm's Cup with Peychaud's. The 2009 recipe source attributed the name to the current store occupying Antoine Amadee Peychaud's apothecary location in New Orleans, and it declared that this cocktail is "an example of what is possible when you throw out the rule book."This Gunshop Fizz met the nose with cucumber and anise aromas. Next, a carbonated cherry sip flowed into cherry, cucumber, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, it was one of the most surreal Pimm's Cup riffs I have ever tried. A close second is No. 9 Park's Park Street Cup that took a similar bitters-heavy approach.

unicorn fizz

1 1/2 oz Hayman's Old Tom Gin
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 oz Heavy Cream
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and on round with ice, strain into a Highball glass with 2 oz soda water, and garnish with a long, thin orange twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, Andrea and I ventured down to Backbar for Rachel Kopelman's last night, and she was joined by alumni Kat Lamp for moral support. On Rachel's "Final 50" cocktail list, besides many classics and some of her own creations were a few of Kat's. While I opted for a Sidecar since I had been hankering for one after hearing the episode on that drink on the Cocktail College podcast, Andrea selected the Unicorn Fizz which lacked a description (although the name reminded me of this one). It ended up being a Ramos riff akin to the Sureau Fizz but with St. Germain and Amaro Nonino as modifiers. When I asked Kat for a back story, she provided that it was a drink of the day, and it became a prank between her and bar manager Sam Treadway since it appeared on a few menus with a different set of ingredients each time. She said that this was the original way that it was concocted though.The Unicorn Fizz welcomed the nose with an orange-herbal aroma. Next, a creamy citrus sip flowed into caramel and floral flavors on the swallow.

the flower room

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1 bsp Lemon Juice (1/8 oz)

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with 2 oz soda water, and fill with ice cubes.Two Wednesdays ago, after doing the books at work, I reached for the "Drinks of Drink" binder and selected the Flower Room. This embittered Highball had no other information besides the recipe such as hints to the date, creator, and rationale for the name, but a Gin-Ferrari Highball sounded like a solid way to wrap up the evening. Once prepared, the Flower Room wafted to the nose with bitter orange and pine aromas. Next, a carbonated orange sip bloomed into gin, menthol, and minty flavors on the swallow. Overall, it delivered as expected and there were no great surprises here flavor-wise.

gilded paloma

2 oz Arette Blanco Tequila
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with ice and ~2 oz soda water, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.One of the drinks that I serve to guests at Drink called the Gilda has become popular enough that other bartenders picked up on it and began offering it too. The Gilda was created at Death & Co. in New York and is a great combination of blanco tequila, pineapple, lime, and cinnamon, and when someone requested a drink something like a Paloma on night, I decided to mash up that classic with that delightful combination. Soon the name "Gilda Paloma" morphed into "Gilded Paloma," and I finally got around to posting it here.

yeoman's grog

1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Bacardi 4 Year)
1 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Coruba)
1 oz Demerara Rum (El Dorado 5 Year)
1 1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4oz Honey Syrup 2:1 (1 oz 1:1)
1/2 tsp Donn's Spices #2 (1/4 tsp Vanilla Syrup + 1/4 tsp Hamilton's Allspice Dram)
1/2 oz Soda Water

Pulse blend in a top-down mixer with 1 cup crushed ice for 5-7 seconds (shake all but soda water with ice), and strain into a double old fashioned glass with an ice cone-straw (plus the soda water).Two Sundays ago, I made use of my first night off in a bit to make a more involved recipe. That led me to look through the Atomic Grog Blog's articles for something tropical, and I was drawn in by a tribute to one of Mai Kai's guarded recipes, the Yeoman's Grog, as interpreted by Steve Wahlin. The fruit, honey, and perhaps vanilla elements in the mix helped to conjure up a passion fruit and grapefruit aroma to the nose despite no passion fruit purée, syrup, or liqueur being present in the mix. Next, the passion fruit note continued on into the sip where it was joined by grapefruit, lime, and honey flavors, and the swallow sailed in with rum, honey, and allspice.

sokka's cactus juice

1 oz Ming River Baijiu (a strong aroma style)
1 oz Avua Cachaça Plata
3/4 oz Prickly Pear Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice

Short shake with ice, pour into a Collins glass with ice cubes and 3 oz Jans Sparkling Soursop Soda/Juice, and garnish with lemon and lime oil from a twist.At the Boston Baijiu Bar hosted at Backbar two Sundays ago, I selected from the Avatar-themed menu Sokke's Cactus Juice (subtitled with the element "Water"). Read yesterday's post to learn more about the class we took and the spirit itself; moreover, that post will describe why these two cocktails work in regards to matching baijiu's funky notes. Here, the Sokka's Cactus Juice crafted by bartender Nick Lappen greeted the senses with a lemon and lime oil aroma. Next, a carbonated and fruity sip transferred into a funky overripe fruit-flavored swallow.Andrea's drink choice from Nick's list was the Twinkletoes subtitled with the element "Air," and it featured a Campari cheese foam. This one proffered an orange and persimmon bouquet before leading into a creamy nectarine noted sip. Finally, Cognac, cinnamon, and funk flavors rounded out the swallow.

Twinkletoes
• 1 1/2 oz Vinn Baijiu (a rice aroma style)
• 1/2 oz Hine H Cognac
• 3/4 oz Persimmon Liqueur
• 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz Orgeat
• 1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
Shake with ice, and strain into a cocktail coupe. Top with a Campari cream cheese foam (cream cheese, milk, gum arabic as a stabilizer, sugar, Campari, and a NO₂ charger).

the ernesto

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Herbstura (1 light dash each Angostura Bitters and Herbsaint)

Shake with cracked ice, pour into a double old fashioned glass with 2 oz Ting grapefruit soda, and garnish with a lime wheel (omit) and an edible orchid (nasturtium).Two Sundays ago, my nasturtium border on my vegetable garden was beginning to impress me with its blooms, so I searched for a Tiki drink to make. In The Smuggler's Cove book, I came across the Ernesto created by Martin Cate that was doable since we had Ting soda in the house to make Palomas. The text was very short on backstory, and all I was able to determine that it was created in or before 2010 when it was published in a magazine article on tequila recipes. Once assembled, the Ernesto shared a peppery, floral, and tequila aroma. Next, lime, grapefruit, and honey on the sip fell aside to tequila and apricot on the swallow with a grapefruit and anise finish.

the redemption

3/4 oz Jagermeister
3/4 oz Averna
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
6 drop Bittermens Burlesque Bitters
12 drop Bittermens Orange Cream Citrate (Doc Elliot's Orange Bitters)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with two ice cubes, garnish with 2-3 drop more orange citrate, and add a splash of soda water (omit).

Two Tuesdays ago, I made a drink from the Bittermens website that I had spotted mentioned elsewhere earlier in the week called the Redemption. Avery Glasser described how shortly after he helped to open Amor y Amargo in Manhattan, Jagermeister brand ambassador at the time Todd Richman stopped in with a bottle, and Avery created this to serve to him. I assume that the drink name was a reference of how the spirit was redeemed from being a frat boy shooter into something that could stand toe-to-toe in cocktails alongside Italian bitter liqueurs, and the recipe was featured in the Wall Street Journal soon after in 2011.The Redemption began with a bright orange oil aroma over caramel and licorice notes. Next, the caramel continued into the sip where it swirled with the vermouth's grape, and the swallow donated apple, cinnamon, and root beer flavors to round out the drink.

barcelona fizz

1 1/2 oz jigger Gin (1 1/2 oz Maine Craft Distilling's Alchemy)
1 jigger Sherry (1 oz Lustau East India Solera)
1 spoon Lime Juice (1/2 oz)
1 spoon Simple Syrup (1/2 oz)

Shake with ice, strain into a goblet, and fill with soda water (shake with ice and strain into a Fizz glass with 2 oz soda). I added a lime twist garnish.Two Thursdays ago, I perused the Fizz section in William Boothby's 1934 World Drinks & How to Mix Them and spotted the gin and sherry recipe called the Barcelona Fizz. Once prepared, the Fizz proffered a lime, pine, and red grape bouquet to the nose. Next, a carbonated lime and grape sip gave way to gin, raisin, and a hint of nuttiness on the swallow. While I was quite pleased with how the cream sherry performed in this recipe, in retrospect, a Fino or Manzanilla would probably be rather delightful here.

cannibal cooler

3/4 oz Plantation Original Dark Rum
3/4 oz Plantation 3 Star White Rum (Santa Teresa Claro)
1/2 oz Plantation OFTD Rum
1 1/2 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Hasty Fassionola (1/2 oz Grenadine + 1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Flash blend (whip shake) all ingredients with crushed ice, add 1 1/2 oz soda water, pour into a tall glass (Tiki mug), and top with crushed ice. I garnished with mint. Note: their hasty Fassionola was 3:1, but I was both lazy and hasty for my single serving and made it a la minute 2:1.

Two Saturdays ago, I was excited to try a drink posted by El Nova on the Tiki Recipes group on Facebook called the Cannibal Cooler. This was a collaborative effort between El Nova and Jason Alexander that shared little similarity with the other Cannibal Cooler that I made around two years ago. Once assembled, this Cannibal Cooler attacked the senses with mint notes over caramel, cinnamon, and tropical fruit aromas. Next, a carbonated orange, lime, caramel, and berry sip was chased by rum, cinnamon, and hints of passion fruit on the swallow.