pineapple peat

1 1/2 oz Great King Street Glasgow Blend (Ardmore Traditional Cask)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Martelletti Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a bucket glass, and top with crushed ice. Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco that I last utilized in November with the Spice Oddity. Here, the Pineapple Peat called out to me and made me think of a Scotch Algonquin – a drink that I made a lot the summer of 2007 of rye, pineapple juice, and dry vermouth. The citrus aspect was something that I saw in the dry vermouthless Far East Algonquin by Ryan Fitzgerald of San Francisco's Beretta at a Tales of the Cocktail 2011 happy hour, but here, the pineapple aspect is amplified. As for a timeframe, Yelp has photos of the drink at the Liholiho Yacht Club as early as 2015, and a 2015 blog post has a photo and specifies the Scotch. It is unclear if it was named after a Pineapple Pete character: the two most famous ones, a Fortnight outfit and Six Flags mascot, came after 2015, but there are some instances like the restaurant in St. Marten that came before that. In the glass, the Pineapple Peat came forth with a peat and pineapple aroma true to its name. Next, lemon, malt, and pineapple notes on the sip switched into smoky Scotch, herbal, and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

cavalier

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Saturdays prior, I opened up the Bartender's Choice app and spotted the Cavalier by Sam Ross at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2017. The app described the drink as "a somewhat less bitter take on the Negroni," and it was distinct from the rye-based Cavalier already on the blog. The combination on paper reminded me of Viale's house Negroni back in 2014, the Eldridge, which split the dry vermouth in half with sweet; this is rather curious for the address of Attaboy is 134 Eldridge Street. In the glass, the Cavalier proffered a lemon, tangerine, and pine bouquet to the nose. Next, clementine and a hint of caramel on the sip blossomed into gin, orange, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

fire lily

1 1/2 oz Ford's Gin
1/2 oz Mezcal (Fosforo Ensemble)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/4 oz Triple Sec (Cointreau)
1/4 oz Crème de Violette (Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Thai Chili Firewater Tincture (3 dash my Hellfire Bitters)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Fridays ago, I turned to the Martini section of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book, and I was drawn in by the Fire Lily that was created by Eric Alperin at The Varnish in Los Angeles as perhaps a riff on the Water Lily from Little Branch. Eric converted the Sour into a smoky and spicy Martini-style drink, but given the straight spirits nature, it slightly reminded me of the White Lily too. It also gave me a reason to use my bottle of violette for the second time that week that I had not dusted off since I made the Final Say last summer. Once prepared, the Fire Lily lept off with an orange, vegetal, floral, and pine aroma. Next, a hint of orange on the sip blossomed into gin, smoke vegetal, floral orange, and pepper spice flavors on the swallow.

hillside cocktail

1 1/2 oz Junipero Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
2 dash Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Fridays ago, I spotted a reference to the Hillside Cocktail created by Chris Bostick at The Varnish. I soon uncovered a YouTube video from 2011 where Chris made the drink and provided the recipe. Back in 2011, this recipe would be notable for Elixir Vegetal had to be suitcase smuggled (although at some point Cocktail Kingdom had a stash), but now as of a few years ago, it is legally imported here. The recipe reminded me of Eastern Standard's Aprilia which is an equal parts number with Cocchi Americano accented by grapefruit bitters instead of dry vermouth and Elixir Vegetal. Once stirred and strained, the Hillside Cocktail proffered a lemon, herbaceous, and pine aroma. Next, light caramel notes on the sip tumbled into pine, herbaceous, and caramel-herbal flavors on the swallow.

chasing ghosts

1 oz Ilegal Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Luxardo Mararschino
1/2 oz Avua Amburana Cachaça (Salinas Umburana)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the Bardtenders' folder on the Spec App and spotted the Chasing Ghosts listed without attribution. With a little searching, I found the recipe on the podcast's Instagram page in 2025 listing the creator Audrey Ludlam. Audrey was on the show in 2023 when she was at the Black Sheep in Bellingham, Washington, that served up tacos and agave drinks, which makes sense given the ingredients. Here, the split base with mezcal accented by Maraschino and a vermouth reminded me of the 1910 Cocktail. Moreover, the mezcal and aged cachaça have worked well together in drinks like the Veldt and the Adorable Bartender, so I was curious to give this one a go. In the glass, the Chasing Ghosts offered up orange, nutty cherry, amburana wood spice, and smoke aromas to the nose. Next, a semi-sweet sip with a hint of cherry blossomed into vegetal, grassy, cherry, and cinnamon-like spice 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.

lower west side

1 3/4 oz Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 pinch Sea Salt (4 drop 20% Saline)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a cherry. Two Sundays ago, I found a recipe by Kenneth McCoy at Ward III in New York City in a 2019 Imbibe Magazine article called the Lower West Side. Historically, the Lower West Side of Manhattan was a major center for Irish immigrants that intensified with the famine in Ireland during the 1840s-50s, and many found work on the nearby docks as longshoremen and congregated around waterfront taverns in the area. The combination of Irish whiskey and Lustau's cream sherry reminds me of Eastern Standard-related recipes like the Goonight Irene at the Hawthorne and Velveteen at Equal Measure. In the glass, the Lower West Side channeled a grape, nutty red cherry, and clove aroma to the nose. Next, grape and plum notes on the sip transformed into soft whiskey, oxidized nuttiness, and herbal flavors on the swalllow. Overall, the soft Irish whiskey gently blended into the background giving the sherry, vermouths, and bitters a much larger stage than in a classic rye Manhattan.

tuxedo no. 3

2 oz Probitas Rum (1 3/4 oz Hamilton's White 'Shache + 1/4 oz Wray & Nephew)
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Lazzaroni Maraschino Liqueur (Maraska)
1 tsp Pineapple Oleo Saccharum (Pineapple Syrup)
21 drop Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal
3 drop Salt Solution

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe. Two Mondays ago, my Instagram friend Darren Marks posted a recipe called the Tuxedo No. 3 that he created in 2025. It is also what he made for writer Robert Simonson when Robert visited Ruby's Lagoon Bar, Darren's home bar in Kansas City. Darren took the gin and absinthe of the Tuxedo No. 2 and replaced it with rum and Elixir Vegetal, and he added pineapple oleo akin to the Velvet Tuxedo No. 2 adding sloe gin. Once prepared, the Tuxedo No. 3 addressed the senses with a cherry and white rum with a hint of funk aroma. Next, white wine with a touch of pineapple and cherry on the sip opened up into rum with a little Jamaican funk, nutty cherry, pineapple, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow.

radio cocktail

50% Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Tanqueray)
30% Dry Vermouth (1 oz Dolin)
10% Lemon Juice (1/4 oz)
10% Honey (1/4 oz Honey Syrup)
1 bsp Vanilla Syrup (1/8 oz)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

I shook but I do not feel that stirring would be out of place here. Strain into a cocktail glass or coupe and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Sundays, I opened up the 1936 book 1000 Misture and became curious about the Radio Cocktail. It appeared like a Martini with a touch of lemon and sweetener structure previously seen in the Journalist and Cat's Eye and that I utilized in my Siege of Havana. Once prepared, the Radio Cocktail broadcast a lemon, allspice, pine, and vanilla bouquet to the nose. Next, honey and lemon notes on the sip flowed into gin, clove, honey, and vanilla flavors on the swallow. Overall, the citrus and vanilla aspects here reminded me of Licor 43.

dream of the lava beds

1 3/4 oz London Dry Gin (Fords)
1/4 oz Pineapple Rum (Planteray)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Fridays ago, I thought about the next drink to make for a regular who I hooked on Martini variations and as a follow up to the Portorico, a Martini with Jamaican rum and banana liqueur, that I had just served them. Here, I took the Poet's Dream and merged it with a Madame Lou (gin, dry vermouth, pineapple syrup) but with pineapple rum in place of the syrup. Plus a dash of Angostura was added to the equation for a little depth. I originally tried a 3:1 gin to pineapple rum ratio but that was a bit distracting, so I toned it down. For a name, I dubbed it the Dream of the Lava Beds with the first part of the name from the Poet's Dream and the second part from Madame Lou's nickname, the Queen of the Lava Beds. In the glass, the Dream of the Lava Beds erupted with an orange, pineapple, and allspice aroma. Next, white wine and caramel notes on the sip relaxed into pine, pineapple, herbal, orange, and clove 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.

hillside cocktail

1 1/2 oz Gin (Treehouse Percy's)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino
1 tsp Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Fridays ago, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion by Michael and Zara Madrusan, and I landed on the Hillside Cockail by Chris Bostick at The Varnish in Los Angeles. The Hillside had a similar structure of gin, white vermouth, and Nonino of the Walk on the Wild Side and Alpine Cocktail but with an herbaceous instead of fruity direction. In the glass, the drink showcased a lemon and herbaceous bouquet. Next, white wine and caramel notes on the sip descended into gin, orange peel, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

banana bamboo

1 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane
2 dash Scrappy's Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)
1 dash Scrappy's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.The excitement about the Bamboo aperitif that was rekindled with Backbar's special menu where I enjoyed the Bamboo Tyrant carried on when I spotted the Banana Bamboo by Joshua Perez. Josh entered this recipe he created at Bar Tram in Tokyo circa 2023 into the KindredCocktails database. It utilized Death & Co.'s Amontillado-containing Bamboo recipe (instead of the more common Fino one) that I also opted for in the Tiki-driven Chief Bamboo Bamboo that I crafted two days after the Backbar event. Once mixed, the Banana Bamboo gave forth a lemon, raisin, and caramelized fruit bouquet to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip blossomed into nutty grape, caramelized banana, and orange flavors on the swallow.

fairy tale story

1 1/2 oz Broker's Gin (Fords)
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Cointreau

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I got home late and was in the mood for something easier and quicker to make than the previous evening's Tiki-for-two, and I soon landed on the Fairy Tale Story. This stirred gin drink that I sourced from online recipe flashcards was created at the Good Neighbor Bar in Los Angeles, and I spotted it on a recent menu on Yelp. Overall, it reminded me at first a little of the Franken Jack but with Aperol instead of apricot liqueur, and later of No. 9's Negroni riff the Contessa with gin, dry vermouth, and Aperol crossed with their other Negroni riff the Patrician with gin and Cointreau. Once stirred and strained, the Fairy Tale Story opened up with lemon oil and orange aromas. Next, a semi-sweet orange and white grape sip transformed into juniper, orange, and a hint of fruity and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

chief bamboo bamboo

1 1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Funky High Ester Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)
2 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (*)
2 dash Absinthe (16 drop St. George)

Whip shake with crushed ice, pour into a Tiki mug, top with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs. I regret not adding freshly grated nutmeg on top as a garnish to complement the nutty and spice notes.
(*) For a Difford's Guide competition, I swapped out 1/4 oz of passion fruit syrup for orgeat to complement the nuttiness of the sherry. After attending Backbar's Bamboo Cocktail-themed menu two Tuesdays ago, I was inspired to create my own to add to the Improved Bamboo, Bamboo Crusta, and Bamboo Flip that I had crafted over the years. My mind went tropical and I originally wanted to riff on the Zombie, but I felt that the Bamboo core would be lost there. I soon decided on riffing on the classic Chief Lapu Lapu especially since I had a twist-free orange waiting to be utilized for juice. In addition, I was lured in with the name play of dubbing it the Chief Bamboo Bamboo. Instead of the more common call for Fino Sherry, I opted for Death & Co.'s Amontillado-containing Bamboo recipe as the core. In the mug, Chief Bamboo Bamboo gave forth a mint aroma from the garnish bouquet. Next, orange, passion fruit, and grape on the sip incanted nutty, funky, passion fruit, anise, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

noon

1 oz Gin (1 1/2 oz Treehouse Hildegard Von Bingen)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Giacomo Speroni)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with 1 dash bitters (Angostura).Two Fridays ago, I doubled up on my recipes since we had a power outage the night before and I decided not to make a drink in the dark. The drink I wanted to do had a large amount of orange juice, so I decided to doubledown on that ingredient with a drink that I had spotted a reference online for called the Noon. I found the recipe in my copy of Stan Jones' 1977 Complete Barguide, and it read like a Bronx with egg white and bitters garnish (or an abstracted Income Tax Cocktail with egg white). Green Street used to have a classic egg yolk variation called the Bronx Golden on the menu, so the idea of adding eggs did not seem all that unusual. Once shaken and strained, the Noon gave forth an allspice and clove aroma from the Angostura Bitters garnish. Next, a creamy orange sip developed into juniper and grape flavors on the swallow.

bamboo tyrant

1 1/4 oz Lo-Fi Dry Vermouth
1 oz Lustau Fino Sherry
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Amaro Braulio

Stir with ice and strain into a Nick & Nora glass spritzed with Alice & The Magician's Autumn Bonfire (perhaps sub in Islay Scotch or smoky mezcal here?).Two Tuesdays ago, Jesse Lane and Sam Treadway were hosting a Bamboo-sday event of Bamboo Cocktail riffs at Backbar while the rest of the crew was at Brooklyn Bar Convent. For a drink, I asked Jesse for the Bamboo Tyrant created by Backbar alumni Anthony Brocatto; the menu item was subtitled, "Hemitriccus diops – look it up, nerd", and when I did, it turned up the bird "Drab-breasted Bamboo Tyrant". In the glass, the Bamboo Tyrant ascended to the nose with a pine, smoky, and bright bouquet. Next, dry grape countered by caramel sweetness on the sip soared into nutty sherry, herbal. and minty-pine flavors on the swallow.

never ask what a painting means

2 oz Famous Grouse Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
4 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with orange oils from a twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I came upon a collection of online recipe flashcards for Good Neighbor Bar in Los Angeles, and the Never Ask What a Painting Means spoke to me in both name and ingredients. Over all, it reminded me a little of the Casualty but without the depth of Byrrh Quinquina, and I was able to find a mention of it in a 2025 post on the Grimy Goods site. Once stirred and strained, the Never Ask What a Painting Means started off with an orange, Scotch, and hint of smoke on the nose. Next, white grape with a hint of caramel on the sip unfolded into Scotch, chocolate, clementine, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

the cheerful charlies

1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Orange Liqueur (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.After someone at work requested a drink called The Final Say, a Last Word riff with crème de violette in place of the Chartreuse, I uncovered that it was a recipe from the Downtown Abbey Cocktail Book. When I learned that Lou Bustamante who penned The Complete Cocktail Manual had ghostwritten that book, I ordered a used copy off of eBay since it had a some decent sounding drinks in there. The one I started with was The Cheerful Charlies as an Old Pal riff with shades of the Lucien Gaudin Cocktail (via the Campari, orange liqueur, dry vermouth trio) that was named after the character Charles Grigg. In the glass, The Cheerful Charlies offered up Cognac and orange aromas. Next, a semi-dry orange sip led into rye, brandy, orange, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

flew the coop

1 oz Gin (Fords)
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Giacomo Sperone)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Fridays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the menu-less speakeasy Idlewild in Charlotte, North Carolina, and landed on the Flew the Coop. On paper, it reminded me of Carlo Caroscio's White Light that used blanc vermouth instead of sweet, and the Cocchi Americano plus sweet vermouth reminded me of how elegantly it works in the 1930 Hoots Mon. In the glass, the Flew the Coop showcased lemon, pine, pear, and grapefruit aromas to the nose. Next, grape and pear notes on the sip roosted until juniper, herbal, and red fruit flavors came through on the swallow.