[vespertina]

1 oz Milagro Blanco Tequila
1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1 oz Cocchi Americano

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a grapefruit peel over the top and discard.

Last Monday I headed down to Drink and found a seat at the center section where California Gold was tending bar. For my first drink, we got on the topic of tequila and mezcal, and Cali wondered how the two would work in a Vesper variation using Cocchi Americano in place of the Lillet. She originally proposed the standard 3:1:1/2 proportions; however, I did not think that the Cocchi Americano flavors would stand up as well to the agave spirits as it would in a gin and vodka drink. The proportions eventually morphed into an equal parts recipe (the other option was a 3 tequila:2 Cocchi: 1 mezcal which would have the same amount of Cocchi Americano as the equal parts recipe but with less smokiness).
The drink started with a robust grapefruit oil nose that worked well with the Cocchi Americano's citrus notes and with the agave spirits' flavor. Midway through the drink, the aroma shifted to mainly mezcal as the grapefruit oils dissipated and the alcohol volatized. Cocchi's fruit began each sip, tequila resided in the middle, and the mezcal's smoke predominated on the swallow. I was impressed at how the tequila's sharpness did a good job accentuating the citrus elements in the Cocchi Americano.

[chantico]

a) 1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1 oz Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

b) 1/6 Jalapeño Pepper (De-veined, De-seeded)
3-4 leaf Mint
1 cube Demerara Sugar
1 splash Water

Muddle ingredients in (b). Add to that the ingredients in (a) and ice, shake, and double strain into a rocks glass containing a large ice cube.

For my second drink at Craigie on Main, bartender Ted Gallagher wanted to make me a follow up to the Bird Bath. When he asked whether I was in the mood for mezcal or rum, my reply was that either was fine. His response was to choose both and he set to work after he cleared with me that a little heat would be alright.
The drink's nose was rather vegetal and was filled with the aroma of the mint and the greenness of the pepper. The vegetal nature also carried over into the flavor as the sweet minty sip was chased by an herbal swallow tinged with a low level of pepper heat. Mezcal notes also appeared on the swallow; however, it was the first drink where Neisson Blanc did not stand out as a predominant flavor but blended in well with the other ingredients.

bird bath

2 oz Cocchi Americano
1 oz Scarlet Ibis Rum
1/2 oz Fighting Cock Bourbon

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

Last Sunday evening, Andrea and I went over to Craigie on Main for cocktails. When I was handed the menu, I immediately spotted the Bird Bath as a new drink on the menu and asked bartender Paul to make me one for my first drink. Paul explained that the drink was created by bar manager Carrie Cole along with Avery and Janey Glasser of the Bittermens. They concocted the recipe as they gathered all of the bird-named spirits at the bar and assembled them into a bird bath-like coupe glass. While I was quite familiar with the Lillet-like Cocchi Americano and the fiery overproof Fighting Cock, I had never had the Scarlet Ibis Rum. The rum was blended for Manhattan's Death & Co. and Haus Alpenz has released some of the bottles into the marketplace. When Paul let me have a taste, I found this aged Trinidad Rum to be flavorful yet rather smooth for an overproof.
The Bird Bath started with a floral nose that was punctuated by rum aromas and hints of Bourbon barrel vanilla notes. Moreover, the sweet citrussy Cocchi Americano flavor was perfectly balanced by the heat of the rum and the whiskey. If only there were a bird-named bitters, it would really round out the drink!

west indian punch

1 lump Sugar (1/2 oz Gomme Syrup)
Juice 1/2 Lime (1/2 oz Juice)
1 1/2 oz Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Malmsey Madeira)
1/2 oz Brandy (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with berries and sliced fruit.
After dinner, I was still on a fortified wine kick following the sherry-laden Jolly Pilot, and I discovered the Madeira-rich West Indian Punch recipe in George J. Kappeler's Modern American Drinks from 1895. In the drink, the Madeira dominated the punch's nose, and the sip contained a strong Madeira signature that was complemented by a sweet lime flavor. The Madeira also donated an oxidized wine note on the swallow. The concept of a Madeira Sour was fairly interesting, and the lime paired up with the Madeira splendidly in ways it seemed that lemon would not have. Andrea found the punch much tastier than she thought it would be, and she attributed this to the extra sweetness in the recipe. For a variation, I wondered how the West Indian Punch would have worked with a distinctive and rich rum instead of a brandy.

jolly pilot

1/6 Amontillado Sherry (1/4 oz Lustau Los Arcos)
3/6 Gin (3/4 oz Beefeater 24)
1/6 Cointreau (1/4 oz)
1/6 Brandy (1/4 oz Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and a cocktail onion (we omitted the onion).
Before dinner on Friday night, I selected the Jolly Pilot from the Café Royal Cocktail Book for our preprandial beverage. I was drawn to the recipe for we had not mixed with gin at home in a while, and the combination of orange flavors and sherry is generally a win. Moreover, any excuse to use our new and rather flavorful Spanish brandy is a good one and it cinched in the decision. The Jolly Pilot's nose was lemon oil combined with a grapish note from either the sherry or the brandy we used. The sip was semi-sweet with brandy and gin flavors at the beginning followed by orange, sherry, and Angostura notes on the swallow. Indeed, the alcohol heat and the bitters dried out the drink on the swallow.

tempestade

1 1/2 oz Cachaça (Seleta)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Last Thursday on Mixoloseum, the theme was "Falernum". For a base spirit, my mind immediately paired falernum with rum, but after thinking about how Todd Maul at Clio frequently substitutes cachaça in rum's place, I reconsidered. To balance the falernum and cachaça, I went with citrus and a fruit liqueur. I originally considered Cherry Heering, but sloe gin ended up calling out to me since I recently read a few rum-sloe gin recipes. And after driving home in Thursday's torrential downpour, the drink got dubbed the Tempestade after the Portuguese word for storm.
The Tempestade started with a lemon and cachaça nose. A fruity sweet sip was followed by the funk of the cachaça and the spice of the falernum and Angostura on the swallow. The sloe gin provided an elegant fruity note without hijacking the flavor profile like Cheery Heering is more apt to do.

orange juice flip

1 barspoon Sugar (1/8 oz Gomme Syrup)
1 Egg
1 drink Orange Juice (~1 1/4 oz Orange Juice = 1/2 orange)
1 drink Bacardi Rum (1 1/2 oz Pritchard's White Rum)

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Recipe was vague on serving style (and volumes) other than using a fizz glass, so I strained into a glass. Since the glass was not filled, adding a few ice cubes would top off the drink if you did not want to add more orange juice or rum. I also rinsed the remaining ice cubes in the Boston Shaker with a few drops of orange blossom water, swirled, and strained. I added an orange twist and a straw.
On Wednesday night, I flipped through the "Cuban Concoctions" section of the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book and decided on the Orange Juice Flip. The concept of an orange juice-laden flip reminded me of the tasty Le Grande Flip that Jackson Cannon created for the Eastern Standard's menu. I gussied up this recipe with orange blossom water and orange oils added to the top of the drink. The nose definitely prospered from these additions as they supplemented the fresh juice aroma in a grand way. The sip was a sweet, rich orange juice flavor, and the swallow contained the heat and vanilla-like notes of the rum. The egg, besides thickening the consistency, smoothed over both the orange and rum flavors to make for an easy drinking beverage. The Orange Juice Flip was simple but elegant. A dash of some liqueur, such as allspice dram, Benedictine, or apricot-flavored brandy, might take the recipe to another level though.

kingston contessa

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Aperol

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass spritzed with Medjool date essence.

For my second drink at Eastern Standard last week, bartender Hugh Fiore said that he had a rum drink that was inspired by his trip to Manhattan's Death & Co. bar. After hearing the ingredients, it sounded like a Smith & Cross Rum version of the gin-based Negroni variant, the Contessa. Given that Smith & Cross makes most everything taste better, I was game.
The drink started with the aroma of the Smith & Cross rum that came across in a very Batavia Arrack-sort of way. The sweet vermouth and Aperol combined to provide a fruity sip that was followed by a spicy and funky swallow from the rum coupled with bitter notes from the vermouth and Aperol liqueur. Rum in place of the gin in the Contessa seemed to shift the flavor profile away from the bitter herbal complexity and bring the fruit aspects a little more forward.

Postnote 10/8/21:Hugh was most likely introduced to the Kingston Negroni that had been created less than a year before.

the frobisher

2 oz Oxley Gin
1 oz House Rosé Vermouth
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist an orange peel over the top and garnish with a cherry.

On Monday night after my DJing set, we went up the street to Eastern Standard for their late night dinner menu. For my pre-prandial cocktail, I spotted the Frobisher, a new addition to the cocktail menu which sounded like the perfect choice given the description of "a spicy and bitter orange aperitif." When I asked bartender Hugh Fiore about the drink, he said that it was created by Jackson Cannon and provided the history that Frobisher was an English pirate, privateer, and explorer who sought to discover the Northwest Passage to India and China. In between having that drink and writing about it now, Lauren Clark of DrinkBoston mentioned the drink and provided an alternative naming reference from a more direct source, as she, "was delighted when Jackson Cannon, who, like [her], is a devotée of the FX series Damages, told me he was naming a new cocktail on the menu after Arthur Frobisher, the Enron-inspired CEO played by Ted Danson." The television as a muse is believable especially after reading about Jackson being a big fan of Sex in the City. Regardless of which Frobisher who squandered other people's money that the drink was named after, it certainly made for a fine aperitif.
The Frobisher featured Oxley gin, an English spirit that is cold distilled. Unlike other spirits that use heat, the alcohol and other flavors are concentrated using cold temperatures and low pressures to pull vapors out of the mix. To our palates, the gin had a decent juniper aroma, and this botanical carried over into the taste along with citrus and a lavender-like floral component. The Frobisher started with an orange aroma supplemented with some of the gin botanicals wafting through. The recipe looked very much like a Martinez, and indeed, it tasted like a rather spicy one. When I gave Andrea a taste, she thought that it had rye in it since it was that spicy.