fort de france

1 oz Agricole Rhum (Rhum JM 100° Blanc)
1 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
Absinthe Rinse (20 drop St. George in mix)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint bouquet and freshly grated nutmeg. Two Saturdays ago, I looked to The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and landed upon the Fort de France by Michael McCollum at Nashville's Attaboy in 2024. Two combinations of interest stood out with the first being the Suze-rhum agricole duo that I have enjoyed in drinks like the Tour le Carbet, Pennington Daiquiri, and Is that All there Is?. The other is the Suze-orgeat pairing that worked well in the Little Oaxacan, Inna di Yard, and Frightened Tiger. Once prepared, the Fort de France began with a wood spice and mint bouquet. Next, a creamy lemon sip expanded into grassy rum, herbal, almond, anise, and ginger flavors on the swallow.

dahlia

3/4 oz Gin (Tree House Hildegard von Bingen)
3/4 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Absinthe (20 drop St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist (included the twist). Two Thursdays ago, I opened up The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and selected the Dahlia by Michael McCollum at Nashville's Attaboy. The recipe appeared like a Corpse Reviver riff that was a step closer to Sam Ross' Sunflower. Elderflower and gentian have paired well in drinks like the Terrible Love and Tulip Thief, so I figured that this could work. Once mixed, the Dahlia offered up lemon, gentian, and some floral aromas. Next, a lemon-driven sip blossomed into pine, floral, gentian-herbal, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow. I did find that the Suze dominated my choice of elderflower liqueur, and I would perhaps adjust the quantities accordingly if I made it again.

pisco! pisco!

1 1/2 oz Pisco (Macchu Pisco)
1/3 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 wheel Cucumber

Muddle cucumber in the syrup, add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cucumber wheel. Two Sundays ago, I went to the index of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book to search for cucumber drinks, and I found the Pisco! Pisco! by Bianca Wendt at Bar Que Sera in Sawtell, Australia. I was drawn in for pisco and Suze have worked well in Backbar's Frightened Tiger, and gentian liqueur and cucumber have paired well in the Little Oaxacan. In chatting with Bianca on Instagram, I discovered that she was the manager at Michael Madrusan's The Everleigh from 2018-2020, and now is at a small beachtown around three hundred of miles north of Sydney. Once shaken and strained, the Pisco! Pisco! came across with a vegetal aroma with bright cucumber balanced by bassy gentian. Next, lime with a cucumber freshness on the sip swapped into pisco, floral, and gentian-herbal flavors on the swallow. I commented to Bianca that, "I really liked the interplay of cucumber and Suze, and my pisco choice supported the earthy and floral aspects."

bouchot

1 1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Suze Gentiane Liqueur

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays ago, I spotted a reference to a drink that Sother Teague created for the podcast Sauced called the Bouchot to complement the episode's mussels dish. This fruity White Negroni riff was named after the fence posts for farming intertidal mussels. Overall, the flavor concept reminded me a little of my Tin Can Telephone with apple brandy and gentian liqueur that utilized sweet vermouth and a touch of Benedictine instead of Cocchi Americano. Once prepared, the Bouchot gave forth a lemon and gentian herbal aroma. Next, pear notes on the sip opened up into apple, herbal, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

bad date

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
2 dash Absinthe (20 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail or coupe glass, and garnish with a lime twist. Two Sundays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion and spotted the Bad Date by Alastair Walker at Caretaker in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2021. The Suze-Yellow Chartreuse duo reminded me of the gin-lemon Yellow Cocktail that I have been meaning to make; however, I have had that combination with citrus in other drinks like the Revenge. Checking my recipes, I have tried a gin-Genever version of the Bad Date in the A Bouquet of Parentheses and a gin one sans absinthe in the You Is or You Ain't. Moreover, the name pleasantly reminded me of the Last Date at the Citizen Public House. In the glass, the Bad Date conjured up lime, agave, floral, and gentian herbal aromas for the nose. Next, a semi-sweet honey and white wine sip escaped and left behind agave, herbal, mint, pine, and anise flavors on the swallow.

day for night

1 oz Barr Hill Gin
1 oz Avèze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz St. Elder Elderflower Liqueur
1 dash Bitter Truth Cucumber Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a cucumber slice on a pick. Two Mondays ago, I ventured down to Coolidge Corner to visit Corey Campbell who was bartending at Bar Lunette. For a first drink, I requested the Day for Night that Corey described as a White Negroni variation created by Nick Mallia, one of the owners of Paris Creperie and Bar Lunette. In the glass, the Day for Night offered up cucumber, gentian herbal, and floral aromas to the nose. Next, white grape and grapefruit notes on the sip transformed into juniper and cucumber herbal flavors on the swallow. Indeed, cucumber and gentian liqueur flavors paired rather elegantly here as they did in the Little Oaxacan.

black dog serenade

1 1/4 oz Brandy (Marie Duffau Napoleon Armagnac)
3/4 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Scrappy's)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass pre-rinsed with Laphroaig Scotch, and garnish with a lemon twist. Another one of the cocktails that I had spotted in the online recipe flashcards for Valkyrie in Tulsa was the Black Dog Serenade that was most likely named after an episode of Cowboy Bebop. On paper, it reminded me of something between a classic Vieux Carré and the (apple) brandy-gentian-Benedictine Tin Can Telephone. Once stirred and strained, the Black Dog Serenade conjured up lemon and peat smoke aromas. Next, a hint of caramel on the sip expanded into brandy, rye, gentian, herbal, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

garden park swizzle

1 1/2 oz Bombay Dry Gin (Treehouse Hildegard von Bingen)
1/2 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Ginger Syrup
1/4 oz Velvet Falernum
6-8 leaf Mint

Muddle the mint leaves at the bottom of a Pilsner glass (Collins). Add the rest of the ingredients, add crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Fill with crushed ice, top with dashes of both Angostura and Peychaud's Bitters, and garnish with a mint bouquet.Two Sundays ago, I utilized my Death & Co. Excel sheets for their first and third books to find recipes that call for ginger syrup. In their Welcome Home book was the Garden Park Swizzle by Jon Armstrong in 2014 as a riff on the Hyde Park Swizzle with added bitter elements. The gin, Suze, and spice elements swizzled up reminded me of the Sinnerman Swizzle that went in an allspice direction instead of ginger-falernum. Once swizzled, things began with a mint, clove, and allspice bouquet. Next, a lemon-driven sip opened up into gin, ginger, gentian herbal, and mint flavors on the swallow.

a serious man

25 mL Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (1 oz Peloton de la Muerte)
25 mL Suze (1 oz)
25 mL Lillet Blanc (1 oz Cocchi Americano)
2.5 mL Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal (1/2 tsp)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays prior, I returned to the Instagram account for Satan's Whiskers in London and selected A Serious Man from a 2023 posting. The drink read like a mezcal White Negroni with a dose of herbaceousness, and it seemed like a good use of our Elixir Vegetal that we only used one other time in the Prodigal Son since we acquired it as a gift at the launch party in November 2023. If the Elixir Vegetal were a larger amount of Green Chartreuse, the drink would read like the pineapple rum-based Pirate Radio, so I was game to see it with mezcal. Once prepared, A Serious Man showboated an orange, vegetal, and smoke aroma. Next, a vaguely fruity sip opened up into mezcal and Suze's vegetalness that melded into herbaceousness and smoke notes on the swallow.

looking glass

1/2 oz Green Spot Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1 oz Don Amado Rustico Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Tio Pepe Fino)
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/4 oz Aveze Gentian Liqueur (Suze)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora(Manhattan) glass, and garnish with grapefruit oil from a twist (include the peel).Two Sundays ago, I returned to the Paddy Drinks: The World of Modern Irish Whiskey Cocktails book and selected the Looking Glass by Greg Buda at Dead Rabbit in Manhattan; I later found the drink on their Spring 2015 menu from the bar's web archive. The gentian-apricot combination reminded me of the Seconds In with mezcal at Dutch Kills and of how well Canon used it in drinks like the Nymph and Shrouded Roulette. Once prepared, the Looking Glass cast out a grapefruit and gentian herbal aroma. Next, a semi-sweet grape sip streamed into whiskey, vegetal, smoke, apricot, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

pipe dreams

2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Strega
1/2 oz Suze
1/8 oz Honey Syrup
1 dash Peach Bitters (Fee's)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I had noted a recipe from Parla in Boston that was a curious stirred gin drink called the Pipe Dreams that I found in an online set of recipe flashcards and later confirmed on the bar's Instagram. The drink was crafted by Pat Panageas (as described on their social media) as part of the Dungeon Master list of twenty drinks. The idea is that imbibers roll a 20-sided die to pick a drink and slowly work their way through the list to make it to the next level. The Pipe Dreams reminded me of the original 1920s Yellow Cocktail of gin, Yellow Chartreuse, and Suze (later adapted to include lemon juice) especially considering how close Yellow Chartreuse and Strega are as shown by the history of The Eulogy. Once prepared, the Pipe Dreams flowed out to the nose with lemon, gentian herbal, and floral aromas. Next, a honey-laden sip opened up into gin, bright, earthy, and pine flavors on the swallow with a honey-peach finish.

seconds in

1 1/2 oz Yolo Mezcal (Banhez)
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
3/4 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)

Stir with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed coupe (Butterfly), and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays, I made another drink from the Dutch Kill's online recipe flashcards called the Seconds In from their Spring/Summer 2024 menu. The combination of gentian and apricot liqueurs has worked well in the past for two cocktails at Canon, namely the Shrouded Roulette and Nymph, so I was curious to try it here with mezcal and blanc vermouth. The name made me think of the call for "seconds out" in boxing and MMA fights where the referee is asking the cornermen and coaches to exit the cage or ring so the next round can begin, but perhaps this is more time related. Once prepared, the Seconds In offered up lemon, licorice, and herbal aromas. Next, white grape notes on the sip expanded into mezcal, gentian, apricot, and anise flavors on the swallow.

barley & gold

2 oz Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1/2 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
1/2 oz Carpano Bianco Vermouth (Dolin)
1/8 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane
1/8 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Saline (4 drop 20%)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Another drink that I had spotted in the 2020 Community Cocktails book put out by the Seattle bartending community was the Barley & Gold by Adam Aly at the Stampede Cocktail Club. The Irish whiskey, vermouth, and gentian liqueur combo was one that I have enjoyed since the Second Wife at Local 149 back in 2013, so I was game to give one with blanc vermouth and light accents of banana and Yellow Chartreuse a go. In the glass, the Barley & Gold showcased a herbal and floral bouquet. Next, a semi-sweet sip flowed into whiskey and gentian herbal flavors on the swallow with a hint of banana on the finish.

susie q

1 1/2 oz Suze
1 oz Ten to One White Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Hamilton's Allspice Dram
1/4 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (1:1 passion fruit puree to simple syrup)

Build in a Collins glass, add crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and garnish with a float of 1/4 oz Green Chartreuse.Two Tuesdays ago, I was invited to attend an Suze liqueur educational event at Backbar, and for drink options, there were four choices that fell into theme with their current Mix Tape menu. The one I selected was the Suzie Q by Iruma Shibuya named after the Creedence Clearwater Revival song and only overlapped with Trina's Starlite Lounge's Suze-E-Q with the Suze and lemon juice. This Suzie Q reminded me of the Saturn with the lemon, orgeat, passion fruit components as well as the Sinnerman (and my Sinnerman Swizzle inspired by it) with the Suze and allspice dram ingredients. In the glass, this Swizzle showcased an herbaceous aroma from the Green Chartreuse float. Next, a lemon and slightly creamy sip gave way to rum, passion fruit, and earthy herbal swallow with an allspice finish.

bae of biscay

1 oz Arette Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Fino Sherry (Tio Pepe)
1/2 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/8 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/8 oz Sirop (Sirop JM)
2 dash Tonka Bitters (my Abbott's Bitters that include Tonka)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I uncovered a small set of online recipe flashcards for Billy Sunday in Chicago, and I opted for the Bae of Biscay that I found posted on their Instagram in July 2021. This tequila drink was named after popular culture and the bay between northern Spain and France and contains a pair of sherries and a gentian liqueur to perhaps mirror that. In the glass, the Bae of Biscay began with a lemon and vegetal aroma. Next, a slightly crisp sip showcased raisin and caramel notes and was chased by tequila, gentian, herbal, and root beer flavors on the swallow.

pollinator

2 oz Banhez Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Honey-Ginger Syrup (3/4 oz 1:1 Honey Syrup + 2 coins Ginger, muddled)
1/4 oz Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
1/4 oz Aveze Gentian Liqueur (Suze)

Shake with ice, strain into a single old fashioned glass, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.Two Thursdays ago, I opened up an online recipe flashcard set for Deep Ellum when they were back in Allston. There, I was drawn in by the Pollinator that was created circa January 2020 or before, and it reminded me of a gentian-embittered mezcal Penicillin; moreover, it seemed like a step further from the bar's tequila-based Little Branch but with smoke and gentian liqueur in the mix. Once prepared, the Pollinator landed on the nose with orange, floral, vegetal, and smoke aromas. Next, honey and lemon on the sip flew off to smoky, vegetal, bitter herbal, and ginger spice flavors on the swallow.

prizefighter

1 oz Wild Turkey 101 Rye (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Banhez Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Amaro Lucano
1/4 oz Suze
3 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I decided to make a recipe that I spotted on KindredCocktails called the Prizefighter that was different from the one that Nicholas Jarrett created. This one was crafted at the Berkshire Room in Chicago, and it was dated to a Winter 2016-2017 menu by a Drinking Society blog post and their YouTube video. In the glass, this Prizefighter squared up to the senses with an orange and vegetal aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip slipped into rye, smoke, vegetal, dark orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow. Overall, the Suze was a bit strong in the mix which was suprising at a quarter ounce, but I rather enjoy gentian flavors.

tijuana pipe dream

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Aveze Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
1/4 oz Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
1/4 oz Bank Note Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Fridays ago, I found my evening's libation called the Tijuana Pipe Dream in the online recipe flashcard set for Portland's Shift Drinks bar. The recipe by Alise Moffatt posted there was confirmed via a 2016 Paste Magazine article; however, the article lacked the orange bitters listed in the flashcard. Alise was quoted in the article describing the cocktail as, "The wood notes from the reposado tequila play with the high, bright herbs from the Avèze and almost create the taste of a dewy wooden morning... The cocktail starts off big, bright and herbaceous, and then finishes with a subtle, warm vanilla kiss." Once prepared, the Tijuana Pipe Dream led off with a lemon and gentian vegetal bouquet. Next, a semi-sweet sip gave way to tequila, herbal-bitter gentian, coffee, and hints of smoke on the swallow.

gentian's companion

1 oz Plymouth Gin (Beefeater)
1 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
3/4 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1/8 of Crème de Peche (Mathilde)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I purchased a new bottle of Dolin Blanc to make a drink from Raines Law Room called the Gentian's Companion. The name made me think of Charles H. Baker Jr.'s cocktail book titles, and I found the recipe via online flashcards from the bar and spotted it listed on their 2017 menu. The combination of gentian liqueur and allspice dram reminded me of the Sinnerman than inspired me to create the Sinnerman Swizzle, and the gin, aromatized wine, and gentian liqueur aspect was reminiscent of the White Negroni. Once prepared, the Gentian's Companion proffered a lemon and herbal bouquet to the nose. Next, white fruit notes on the sip flowed into gin, gentian, and peach flavors on the swallow with an allspice finish. Overall, the gentian-peach combination impressed me as a great one that I had never been exposed to before.

la trinité

1 1/2 oz Rhum JM VSOP (JM Gold)
1/2 oz Clear Creek 2 Year Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Suze
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 dash Scrappy's Celery Bitters (1 dash Bitter Truth)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and spied the La Trinité by Tyson Buhler in 2019. The combination reminded me of his Pennington Daiquiri that he created with grape brandy instead of apple, so I was game to try another version of this motif. Here, La Trinité proffered honey, gentian herbal, and grassy rum on the nose. Next, honey and lemon notes on the sip led into funky rum, apple, and honey-herbal flavors on the swallow.