:: a slight change ::

I swapped one feminine archetype for another in this blog's title; clearly, I've moved into another role.

Carry on.

wicked kiss

1 1/2 oz Rye (Rittenhouse 100)
1/2 oz Calvados
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura bitters

(Misty @ Green Street)

A take on the Widow's Kiss, made even yummier by the addition of Rye whiskey. The Rittenhouse cuts through the somewhat sticky nature of the other ingredients and made for a perfectly delightful, herbalicious drink.

cocktail à la louisiane

3/4oz Rye (Michter's US1)
3/4oz sweet vermouth (Vya)
3/4oz Benedictine
3 dashes Absinthe (Jade 1901)
3 dashes Peychaud's bitters

Stir well with ice, garnish with a Luxardo cherry. Recipe from Gumbo Pages.

We had the silly idea to mix up a couple of these in honor of a friend's birthday toast we were forced to miss -- and to take a photograph of said toast. I present to you perhaps the most awesome photo of Husband and myself ever taken.

And by "most awesome" I actually mean "kinda retarded". Happy birthday, Q!

Oh, the drink? Yummy but somewhat sweet for me and a sticky mouthfeel; the absinthe cuts through and adds a nice nose-buzz.

saratoga cocktail

1oz Brandy (Hine H Cognac)
1oz Whiskey (Weller Bourbon)
1oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes aromatic bitters (Fee Bros Whiskey-Barrel Aged)

Garnish with a lemon twist. Recipe from pg. 255 of Imbibe! by David Wondrich.

Notations above as prepared by Hugh @ES for Husband and surrogate-husband (I was sticking with gin for the evening, for whatever reason). I'm always skeptical of Bourbon but in this context, it was actually quite good -- for me, in that "oh, I'll drink that" way versus "oh, I'll order that". The recipe as printed called for Rye whiskey instead of Bourbon, and Angostura bitters by name.

hearst (variant)

2oz Gin (Beefeater)
1 1/2oz sweet vermouth
dash Angostura bitters
dash Angostura Orange bitters

I've been anxious to try something new: I've been out at least weekly for this past month yet as you can see, my blog entries would not seem to indicate that fact! I've been sticking to things I've had before -- enjoying myself quite a bit of course! But not ranging too far from a grouping of drinks -- and so I was psyched when Hugh @ES suggested this drink last night because I thought it was new to me! I'd forgotten I'd had it before... This was a little bit different in proportions and I really rather enjoyed it. And once the hot weather comes, I'm sure I'll be even more enthusiastic to tread new ground.

This month was all about rye whiskey for whatever reason! Hardly a terrible thing.

prospect park (variant)

2oz Michter's US1 Rye
1/2oz Punt e Mes
1/2oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2oz Aperol

Stir over ice, garnish with proper cherry.

My partner-in-cocktail-crime is going away for the summer (bastard gets to visit all those delicious-sounding Bay Area cocktail joints), and had scrawled this recipe in my notebook during one of our last jaunts to the Standard. I did not have the proportions for the Prospect Park in my previous entry, so here you go. Perhaps I'll remember to ask for the classic proportions next time...

brandy crusta

1 1/2oz cognac
1/4oz maraschino
1/4oz Cointreau
1/4oz lemon juice
dash Angostura bitters
sugared rim
curl of lemon peel

Another recipe I found is here.

Kevin @ES brought this over for Husband and I to try -- you can definately taste that this is a Sidecar precursor. Very pretty presentation, and had a Lemonhead-y sort of aftertaste: not a bad thing in my book! God, I used to eat those things until my teeth hurt... perhaps that explains my current citrus problems. :/

:: note to self: ::

Don't keep wondering why you feel so afflicted by a couple of drinks when the rye whiskey in all of them is Rittenhouse 100.

Because that is why.

diamondback cocktail

1 1/2 oz Rye
3/4 oz Applejack
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse (*)

Several recipe variants can be found in this blog entry.

On our way to Ladies Night, we came across F&A waiting for a bus: apparently it was so crowded that they'd been unable to order drinks at all and were bailing to go to Green Street. So, they climbed into the backseat and we all went off to Cambridge to the very uncrowded Green Street and hung out with Andy for a few drinks.

I was on a rye thing last night, so for my second drink I went for this guy. Yummy bite to it, still smooth enough to sip. Interesting color as well.

(*) Postnote 05/30/18: The Diamondback is traditionally a Yellow Chartreuse drink as first published in Ted Saucier's 1951 Bottoms Up where it was listed as the "Diamondback Lounge" from the Lord Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore. The drink was also served over crushed ice with a mint sprig, although these days, it is often served up or down without ice or garnish. Green Chartreuse is a swap supported by Murray Stenson while at Seattle's Zigzag circa or before 2005. --Frederic