skylarking

1 oz Rhum JM Gold Rhum Agricole (Clement VSOP)
1 oz Rhum JM Blanc Rhum Agricole (100°)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Don's Spices (3/8 oz Vanilla Syrup + 3/8 oz Hamilton's Allspice Dram)
1/4 oz Hibiscus Syrup
3 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Build in a Pearl Diver glass (Collins), fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Top with crushed ice and garnish with mint sprigs and an orchid (ornamental pea blossoms). Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Papaya Club at the Conrad in Orlando where I had found the Yellow Cloud, and I picked another of Paul McGee's creations, the Skylarking. That source provided the description, "This swizzle embodies all of the flavors found all around the Caribbean. Two rums made from fresh cane juice provide the backbone for this classic swizzle recipe with lots of warming spice and floral notes." I then found a photo on Scott French's Instagram in May 2025 that confimed the glassware and included the garnishes, although that drink was way more red in hue than mine. Given Paul's names many of his drinks after musical references such as the Music that Stays on for Extra Days, my guess is that he dubbed this after the 1986 album by the British indie rock group XTC. Once prepared, the Skylarking soared to the nose with mint over red fruit, floral, and grassy aromas. Next, lime and red fruit notes on the sip opened up into grassy rum, allspice, vanilla, clove, and anise flavors on the swallow.

kill devyl reef (boston rum week)

1 1/2 oz Privateer Bottled In Bond Rum
1/2 oz Privateer Navy Yard Rum
1 oz Allspice Dram (*)
1 oz Passion Fruit Puree
1/2 oz Green Tea-Honey Syrup (*)
1 1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters (amount is an estimate)
2 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters (amount is an estimate)

Shake with ice, strain over ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and spent lime shell.
(*) The result was not very allspice driven and rather green tea forward, so perhaps dropping the allspice dram completely and upping the green tea-honey syrup to 1 1/2 oz (or 1/4 or 1/2 oz allspice dram and 1 1/4 or 1 oz green tea-honey syrup) would work. My guess is that the green tea-honey syrup is a dilution of honey with green tea similar to how I made honey-hibiscus syrup for the Lupe Velez.

Two Saturdays ago, I was a panelist for the Boston Rum Week session at the South Boston Lithuanian Club entitled "The Anatomy of Rum Cocktails: Choices, Trends, and Cultures in a Glass" along with Shannon Mustipher and Katie Stryjewski and moderated by Garnett Philip. The three of us presented drinks where I served up my Shipwrecked. Shannon proffered a variation of her Kill Devyl Reef, and I copied a scaled down version from the prep sheets we were provided; however, it was different from how the recipe of the same name appears in her Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails book that I provide later in this post. She described during the session how the recipe was influenced by the Planter's Punch of rum, sugar, lime, and something aromatic. As noted above, the resulting balance tasted more green tea-forward and less allspice noted than expected given the recipe, so perhaps the final form mixed by Shannon a half hour before the presentation varied from the recipe sent in. The Kill Devyl Reef that was served at the session offered up a mint and passion fruit bouquet to the nose. Next, green tea, passion fruit, honey, and lime notes on the sip sailed into rum, green tea, and allspice flavors on the swallow. Given the allspice level, it could be solely from a strong hand of Angostura Bitters or a weak hand with the allspice dram. While the green tea element was magical here, it is lacking entirely in the original which is more allspice driven. Moreover, the rums in the book were different than served in this variation (Shannon now works for Privateer Rum).

Kill Devyl Reef (Book Version)
• 2 oz Hamilton 86° Demerara Rum
• 1/2 oz Damoiseau 100° Rhum Agricole Blanc
• 1/2 oz Hampden Rum Fire Overproof Jamaican Rum
• 1/2 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
• 1/2 oz Honey Syrup
• 1 oz Passion Fruit Juice
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
Shake with ice, strain into a mug or snifter, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint and freshly grated nutmeg.

velvet rope

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/2 oz Hibiscus Tea Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain (coupe glass), and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.
(*) The drink was a touch sweet with the hibiscus as a 1:1 syrup. Perhaps making it as a 1:2 syrup, or even easier: adding 1/2 oz hibiscus tea plus 1/4 oz simple/demerara syrup would work.Another recipe that I had saved that utilized Amaro Nonino was the Velvet Rope at Brick & Mortar in Cambridge that I sourced from their ToastTab site months ago (I no longer see that webpage now). This rye-brandy Black Manhattan of sorts balanced the spirits with Amaro Nonino and a hibiscus syrup, and I was able to find a July 2017 menu photo on Yelp to get an approximate time frame; however, neither the recipe nor Yelp gave a clue as to what glassware was called for so I opted for a coupe which was more standard in those years (as opposed to old fashioned glass more common to the first year or two of the bar's existence). In the glass, the Velvet Rope let in a lemon and floral-herbal aroma. Next, a soft red berry and caramel sip witnessed rye, Cognac, caramel orange, and soft cranberry flavors on the swallow.

regent's punch

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
2 oz Brewed Green Tea, Cooled (Choice Organics Japanese Green)
1/2 oz Lemon Cordial (*)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon slice (omit garnish).
(*) Lemon cordial is a scaling of the following: the peel of 1 lemon in 1 oz sugar for 30+ minutes. Dissolve sugar in 1 oz lemon juice and strain.

One of the recipes that I had flagged in Nicola Nice's The Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home was the Regent's Punch as adapted from Eliza Leslie's 1837 Domestic Cookery in Its Various Branches. That source recipe called for "any liquor suitable for punch" and Nicola opted for Bourbon. This recipe was a much more stripped down version of perhaps more authentic versions. David Wondrich in Punch provided a history tracing the original elaborate recipe back to perhaps a Prince of Wales, namely George Augustus Frederick. Getting at an bona fide recipe is challenging for many were recorded over the 19th century. William Terrington in the 1869 Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks listed arrack, brandy, Champagne, Maraschino, pineapple syrup, lemon and orange peels, sugar, and green tea, while Eliza Acton in the 1845 Modern Cookery for Private Families dropped the Maraschino and included Jamaican rum. Regardless, this simple version felt akin to the Zombie Essence that reduced the ten part drink from 1934 to five all while keeping the feel alive (or at least undead).Regardless, I am a sucker for green tea-containing punches such as Cold Ruby and G.M. Gurton's Punches, so I was game to give this one a go. In this cup, this punch proffered Bourbon and lemon oil aromas. Next, a lemony sip succeeded into Bourbon, tea, and lemon flavors on the swallow. Overall, rather pleasant, but I can see how gussying it up with additional flavors from the more extravagant recipes would prosper.

mirtillo fresco

1 1/2 oz Citadelle Gin
3/4 oz Blueberry-Black Tea Syrup (* see below)
1/2 oz Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with 3 blueberries on a pick.
Photo by IGer @cocktails_around_bostonAnother menu item I created at Josephine was the Mirtillo Fresco. I honed in on the blueberries that the kitchen had been buying for brunch. I soon considered the Italicus bergamot liqueur that was no longer being used in a cocktail menu item (it was still in the well for use in a spritz), and with that, my mind went to black tea to recreate the flavors of Earl Grey. The combination with gin and lemon juice required some bitters with Angostura providing some depth and Peychaud's bringing out an extra berry accent. The management rather liked the combination and they named it Mirtillo Fresco meaning "fresh blueberry" in Italian.

Blueberry-Black Tea Syrup
• Brew a strong batch of black tea with 1 teabag for every 4 oz of boiling water. Steep as directed (3-4 minutes).
• Add 3 parts blueberries by weight to 2 parts black tea (cooled) to a blender. Blend and fine strain.
• Weigh blueberry-black tea liquid after straining, add an equal weight of sugar, and whisk to dissolve.

duke of suffolk

1 1/4 oz Fords Gin
6 oz Hot Sweetened Black Tea Blend (*)

Build in a preheated 8 oz mug and float 3/4 oz whipped cream on top. Recipe for the sweetened tea aspect is from Thrillist; Daiquiris & Daisies uses a cold process black tea base for a syrup.
(*) 3 parts of a 50:50 mix of English Breakfast & Earl Grey Teas to 1 part simple syrup.After helping to host a Westward Whiskey-USBG Boston event in the Financial District, I made my way over to Daiquiris & Daisies. There, bartender and co-owner Daren Swisher pointed out the special "Let It Snow" menu with a few bonus offerings. The Duke of Suffolk caught my eye for I was reminded of it recently as I had just listened to a Cocktail College podcast where host Tim McKirdy was talking to Erick Castro. Towards the end of the show, the topic came upon hot drinks, and Erick mentioned that he really loved the Duke of Suffolk that was created by Giuseppe Gonzalez at Suffolk Arms. Erick described how, "It's essentially the same build more or less as Irish whiskey except Earl Grey instead of coffee. Then gin instead of Irish Whiskey, but everything else was essentially the same. It's just an absolutely lovely drink... and I wish it was more popular." Given the weather outside, I was excited about the idea of a warm beverage. Here, the cream layer seemed to stifle aromas from escaping, but that layer added a glorious richness to the sip that was punctuated by piny juniper notes. Next, the swallow was all about the orange-y bergamot and black tea flavors.

lupe velez

2 oz Convite Mezcal
3/4 oz Honey-Hibiscus Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 dash Dr. Sours Manganero Bitters (sub other spicy bitters or a little hot sauce)

Shake with ice, strain into a glass, and garnish with a sprinkling of chili powder.
(*) A strong 4 minute steep of hibiscus flowers in boiling water. Strain into an equal volume of raw honey, and stir until integrated.For my two shifts at the Convite Mezcal bar, I needed to proffer two recipes to serve that utilized more market ingredients than liqueurs. I took that as a challenge to not use any liqueurs (although I opted for them in on-the-fly requests the second night). For one of them, I selected the mezcal version of the Gilded Paloma; this was a recipe that I crafted on the fly at Drink as a Paloma variation that was a mashup with Death & Co.'s Gilda (tequila, pineapple, lime, and cinnamon). For the other, I was inspired by two Milk & Honey family recipes: the Red Grasshopper at the Everleigh with tequila, lime, honey, and garnish cayenne powder, and the Dahlia's Revenge at the Varnish with mezcal, lemon, honey, and garnish cayenne powder (via a podcast and not the Unvarnished book). I figured that I could opt for mezcal and lime which had not been tried in those drinks and split the honey with another ingredient that I spotted at the market akin to the honey-ginger of the Penicillin. That ingredient was hibiscus flower that they call Jamaica that would add an elegant berry-floral note and a beautiful red hue. Its slightly drying nature required me to add an additional bit of regular honey syrup for balance (see above for syrup instructions). The mix seemed a bit flat, so I opted for something spicy – namely a semi-local (Mexico City) bitters company's mango, habañero, and tamarind bitters – as inspired by the spice element in the similar in structure Mexican Razor Blade. I was in a bind for a name, I decided to recycle the Lupe Velez from the 1934 edition of Boothby; that drink is better know as the Kingston Heights anyways.

koki'o punch

2 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum (El Dorado 5 Year)
1 oz Hibiscus Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1 dash Bittermens Burlesque Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a glass with crushed ice. I strained into a Zombie glass with cracked ice and garnished with a lime wheel.
(*) A strong steap of hibiscus flower for 5 minutes to make a tisane or "tea". Combine with an equal volume of sugar and stir to dissolve.

Two weeks ago, I caught the news that Boston bar legend Aaron Butler had passed away. I met Aaron when he was on the opening staff for Drink in 2008; moreover, he helped to open Russell House Tavern as its bar manager in 2010. Those two locations are very dear to me for Russell House Tavern was where I got my start as a bartender in 2013, and Drink is my currently bar home as of November 2021. In fact, two weeks before Aaron's passing, we were chatting online about Drink's past and present and catching up on each others' lives. Aaron's passing was in the same week as Junior Ryan in Portland, Oregon, who I had met at Portland Cocktail Week 2012 and attended his Demystifying Vermouth class.

The longest legacy cocktail that Aaron had was the Battle of Trafalgar that was on the opening menu in 2010 and lasted on the menu for the two years that I was there and a few years past my leaving in 2015. That recipe with a half ounce of Batavia Arrack made Russell House Tavern the largest account for that spirit in the United States. After Aaron's passing, I made this recipe for guests at Drink, and the combination still held up; even without explanation of why I suggested it, they were recommending it to others in their party or to others at the bar around them. Later that week, bartender and musician Randy Wong posted a recipe, the Koki'o Punch, that Aaron had crafted for an Opus Affair event in 2011 where Randy's band, the Waitiki 7, performed. The recipe struck me as a parallel creation stylistically to the Battle of Trafalgar with the Pimm's base and St. Germain accent being substituted for the red and floral combination of rum, hibiscus, and Burlesque Bitters and with the honey swapped for falernum. That might be a stretch, but both had the three quarters ounce lime and the trademark half ounce of Batavia Arrack.

It took a bit of effort to find hibiscus tea for most stores sell it as part of an herbal blend. Andrea was able to find it in the ethnic aisle for it is big in Caribbean cultures. Once prepared, the Koki'o Punch donated a lime, berry, floral, and rum funk aroma to the nose. Next, lime and tart berry on the sip flowed into rum, Batavia Arrack funk, and clove flavors on the swallow.

the gryffindor common room

1 oz Rooibos Tea-Infused Bourbon-Mezcal (*)
1/2 oz Los Vecinos Mezcal
1/2 oz Elijah Craig Bourbon
1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1/2 oz Aveze Gentian Liqueur
1/2 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.
(*) Working off the Earl Grey MarTEAni, 4 tablespoons of rooibos should be infused in a 750 mL bottle of Bourbon-mezcal for 2 hours before straining. 1 tsp per ~2 oz would be the scaled down version. Again, this is only an estimate.Two Thursdays ago, I headed over to Backbar after my day time bar shift to experience their Harry Potter Week menu. The drink I selected was the Gryffindor Common Room; according to the Harry Potter Wikipedia, it was named after the cozy common room at the Gryffindor House at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where students could rest after a long day of studying. In the glass, the cocktail that bartender Rachel Kopelman mixed up for me greeted the nose with orange, vegetal, and smoke aromas. Next, caramel notes on the sip launched into Bourbon, orange, bitter, and smoke flavors on the swallow with a gentian and cinnamon finish.

black river punch

3 oz Smith & Cross Rum
2 oz Black Tea (Lychee Black, cooled)
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Demerara Syrup
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)

Flash blend with 3/4 cup crushed ice for 5 seconds (whip shake), pour into a Tiki mug or tall glass, top with crushed ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted a recipe from the 5 Minutes of Rum blog on Kindred Cocktails. This tropical drink posted by Kevin Upthegrove in 2013 called the Black River Punch seemed like an elaboration on Jeff Berry's Planter's Punch (Improved) given the rum, black tea, and citrus elements, but this contained falernum and allspice liqueurs as well. Once prepared, the Black River Punch donated woody spice from the nutmeg along with a hint of rum funk and black tea to the nose. Next, lemon and caramel on the sip flowed into funky rum, black tea, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

cigar box

2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
1/4 oz Lapsang Souchong Tea Syrup (*)
3 dash Scrappy's Lavender Bitters
3 dash Smoky Bitters (Crude's "Pooter" Smoke & Salt)

Build in a rocks glass, add ice, and stir. Garnish with an ignited cinnamon stick next to the drink.
(*) Strong 5 minute steep of tea mixed with an equal volume of sugar. Stir until dissolved.
Two Saturday nights ago, my phone died right before the cocktail hour which put me in a bit of a funk. So Sunday, I purchased a new cell phone and doubled up on the drinks to make up for the lost evening. The first drink that I made that evening was the Cigar Box from Brian Bartels' The United States of Cocktails. The recipe was crafted by Jason Lavenue of the Roosevelt Room in Austin, and it was originally made with tobacco bitters that the author replaced with a suggestion for bitters with a smoke element; my "Pooter" bitters from Crude was one of Bartels' recommendations. Once prepared, the Cigar Box gave forth a vegetal, smoke, and floral aroma to complement the dancing smoke trails from the smoldering cinnamon stick. Next, a roasted vegetal note on the sip led into mezcal and black tea on the swallow.

volcano house hot buttered rum

1 jigger Myers' Rum (2 oz Plantation Original Dark)
1/2 jigger Sirop (1/2 oz Simple Syrup)
1/2 jigger Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
A few dashes Maraschino (1 scant bsp Luxardo)

Build in a large Fizz glass (pre-heated single old fashioned). Fill with very hot tea (5-6 oz Japanese green tea), float a small piece of butter, and add a lemon twist and 3-4 cloves.

For a cocktail suggestion two Sunday nights ago, I picked out Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up and spotted a hot drink recipe that seemed perfect for the chilly weather. That drink was the Hot Buttered Rum created at the Volcano House in Hawaii by Bob A. Ida. I came to love Hot Buttered Rum when I tasked myself to create the house recipe at Loyal Nine for the inaugural winter season, and I have enjoyed the other Tiki-style ones that I have found in the literature such as the Pub & Prow's Hot Buttered Rum, Hot Tiger's Milk, and the Hot Zombie. This Hawaiian recipe was closest to the Hot Zombie for it contained citrus juice in the mix.The Volcano House's Hot Buttered Rum was subtitled in the book with "A welcome drink on cold rainy days" which sounded more delightful than the weather we were experiencing in the Northeast. On the nose, butter, lemon, and dark rum aromas greeted the senses. Next, lemon with a slickness from the butter filled the sip, and the swallow came through with dark rum, lemon, green tea, and a hint of nuttiness from the Maraschino.

right handed planter

2 oz Aged or Dark Jamaican Rum (Plantation Xaymaca)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz Black Tea, a strong steep, cooled (Lychee Black Tea)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Sugar
3 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Dissolve the sugar in the lime juice and cooled tea. Shake with ice, strain into a rocks or Collins glass with fresh ice (cracked ice), and garnish with a mint sprig and freshly grated nutmeg.

Two Mondays ago, I was pondering Lemon Hart Rum's Colonel A.R. Woolley's Improved Planter's Punch presented by Jeff Berry in his Potions of the Caribbean book where the traditional drink was augmented by cooled tea as the weak element. My mind drifted to figure out a good riff on that, and I landed on a mashup of the Rum Negroni-like Right Hand as the second recipe point. Merging together the two concepts and including my choice of mint and nutmeg garnishes that I opted for in the Improved Planter's Punch, the Right Handed Planter was born.
The Right Handed Planter reached the nose with a woody spice and mint bouquet. Next, lime and grape mingled on the sip, and the swallow launched into dark rum with a hint of funk, tea, bitter orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow with a tea tannin-tinged finish.

bombay government punch

25 oz Batavia Arrack (2 oz Von Oosten)
25 oz Cognac (2 oz Courvoisier VS)
12 oz 2:1 Demerara or Turbinado Sugar (1 oz 2:1 Demerara)
Juice 12 Limes (1 oz Juice)
2 quart Water or Cooled Black/Green Tea (5 1/4 oz Green Tea)

Build in a bowl, chill with ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Two Thursdays ago, I was in the mood for a punch, so I reached for David Wondrich's book on the subject. The one that caught my eye was the Bombay Government Punch based off of the classic Bombay Presidency Punch. The original was described in 1676 to involve the imbibers "besotting themselves with drunkenness... to the shame, scandall, and ruine of our nation and religion." Wondrich adapted this formula in 2003 to a variety of rum and brandy combinations as Batavia Arrack was rather hard to source at the time. He specified 10 Cane Rum (which is now no longer produced) and a VSOP Cognac with the option of swapping the water component for cooled tea; by the time he was writing Punch, Arrack was being imported into the country once again, and he suggested it as an option instead of rum.
The Bombay Government Punch proffered a wood spice, floral Cognac, and funky Arrack bouquet to the nose. Next, a rich lime and caramel sip led into grassy Arrack, Cognac, and green tea flavors on the swallow.

planter's punch (improved)

2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Plantation Xaymaca)
1 1/2 oz Black Tea chilled (English Breakfast)
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Sugar

Dissolve sugar in the lime juice and tea. Add the rum and crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and garnish as you see fit (mint sprig and freshly grated nutmeg).
Two Saturdays ago, I read a reference for an improved Planter's Punch recipe that included tea in the mix. I soon found the recipe in Jeff Berry's Potions of the Caribbean with the history that it was Colonel A.R. Woolley of Lemon Hart's 1957 revision of Fred Myer's 1920 recipe that swapped in tea for the water in the "parts of weak" aspect. Once prepared, this Planter's Punch welcomed the nose with mint and woody spice aromas. Next, a semi-dry lime and caramel sip glided into rich rum dried out by elegant black tea notes.

tchoupitoulas punch

750 mL Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon (3 oz)
1/2 cup Benedictine (1/2 oz)
1 2/3 cup Sweet Vermouth (1 1/2 oz Cocchi)
1 1/2 cup Orange Juice (1 1/2 oz)
1 1/2 cup Lemon Juice (1 1/2 oz)
2 cup Earl Grey Tea, strong and cooled (2 oz)
1/2 cup Rich Simple Syrup (3/4 oz 1:1)
1 tsp Peychaud's Bitters (2 dash)
3 Peach or 1/2 Pineapple, sliced as garnish (1/2 Peach)

Combine in a bowl with a large ice block. Garnish with the peach or pineapple slices.
Two Tuesdays ago, I was in the mood for something refreshing, so I turned to Dan Searing's The Punch Bowl book. There, I was lured in by the Tchoupitoulas Punch that Scott Baird and Josh Harris of the Bon Vivants created for their yearly charity event at Tales of the Cocktail called Pig and Punch. The charity is two pronged with an early part bringing bartenders to do manual labor to fix up a school in New Orleans and the second part being a fundraiser bash held out in a park in the Marigny district where this punch was served. In the cup, this punch proffered Bourbon, orange, and cherry aromas to the nose. Next, grape, orange, and lemon notes on the sip led into Bourbon, black tea, and peach flavors on the swallow.

three treasures

1 1/2 oz Unaged Cachaça (Cuca Fresca)
1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Lunazul)
1/2 oz Byrrh Quinquina
1/2 oz Black Tea Honey Syrup (equal parts strong Oolong Tea and Honey)
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
5 dash Absinthe (1 bsp Pernod Absinthe)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist, edible flower, and plastic mermaid (omit).
Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the Minimalist Tiki book and spotted the Three Treasures by Jeanie Grant. The drink name most likely refers to the concept of Chinese and Taoist philosophies that the body is made up of three substances or energies, although there are other cultures that have similar three treasures or jewels concepts. In the glass, the Three Treasures proffered a lemon, herbal, and anise bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon, pineapple, and plum notes on the sip morphed into funky cachaça melding into tequila on the swallow along with tannin black tea and minty anise accents.

greyscale

1 1/2 oz Cognac (Camus VS)
3/4 oz Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1 1/8 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Earl Grey Tea
3/4 oz Honey (not syrup)
1 pinch Salt

Stir the honey until dissolved, add rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, strain into a cup or rocks glass with ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel.
Two Wednesdays ago, I turned to Maggie Hoffman's Batch Cocktails for another recipe that could be adapted to single size. The one that spoke out to me was Anna Moss' Greyscale that she crafted at La Moule in Portland, Oregon. Once built, this punch donated a lemon, black tea, and floral aroma to the nose. Next, lemon and honey swirled on the tongue, and the swallow tossed in Cognac, peat smoke, and black tea flavors with bergamot coming through on the finish.

old rogue

250 mL Pot Still Jamaican Rum (2 oz Appleton Signature + 1/2 oz Smith & Cross)
100 mL Cognac (1 oz Camus VS)
50 mL Batavia Arrack (1/2 oz von Oosten)
50 mL Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao (1/2 oz)
125 mL Green Tea Syrup (1 1/4 oz)
50 mL Pineapple Juice (1/2 oz)
100 mL Lemon Juice (1 oz)

Build in a punch bowl, add ice, stir, and garnish with citrus wheels and edible flowers (omit flowers). My recipe was scaled down a little over three fold (each 25 mL became 1/4 oz).
Sunday two weeks ago, I ventured back to Shannon Mustipher's new Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails for another of her recipes. The one that called out was a classic style punch called the Old Rogue which was convenient since I already had left over green tea syrup in the refrigerator from another drink project. Once assembled, the Old Rogue proffered Cognac, funk from the Batavia Arrack and Jamaican rum, and citrus notes from the lemon and curaçao. Next, lemon and pineapple mingled on the sip, and the swallow displayed rum, funk, green tea, and orange flavors to make for a great and refreshing punch.

john wayne movie translated into french and back into english cocktail

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt)
1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Green Tea Syrup (Choice Organic Green Tea, strong steep, 1:1 with sugar)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Wednesdays ago after getting home from my bar shift, I selected the Stir Your Soul book that collected all of the recipes from the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail event. There, I was lured in by Eben Klemm's John Wayne Movie Translated into French and Back into English that he crafted for a spirited dinner that week; one part of the allure was the intriguing 10-11 word name (which is still shorter than the 12 word Van Hagen and 13 word Every Dream) and the other was the elderflower for honey similarity to my Viceroy. In a few minutes, I was able to generate a small batch of green tea syrup, and then I set to work on the build. Once in the glass, the John Wayne partnered up with rye, lemon, and floral aromas that were modified by the green tea notes. Next, lemon and a pear-like element from the elderflower liqueur on the sip duked it out with rye flavors along with floral blending into grassy, slightly tannic tea on the swallow.