ashtray heart

1 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Punt e Mes
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass rinsed with a smoky mezcal (Del Maguey Vida). Twist a grapefruit peel over the top and discard.

Last Friday, I read off to Andrea the drinks left in Beta Cocktails that we have the ingredients for but have not made yet, and the one she selected was Erik Ellestad's Ashtray Heart. Erik described on his blog how he wanted a Scotch drink but ended up grabbing a bottle of Smith & Cross instead. To make the drink more Scotch-like, he included a rinse of mezcal to simulate the peat notes in the whisky. My best guess given his musical taste is that he named the drink after Captain Beefheart song title.
The Ashtray Heart's components provided a bounty of aroma; the mezcal and grapefruit went together well at the beginning of the nose. Later, I perceived the Smith & Cross while Andrea detected more of the Punt e Mes. On the palate, the sip offered up Punt e Mes' grape and Smith & Cross' caramel notes, and the swallow showcased the Punt e Mes' bitter complexity and rum's funk. Interestingly, the dark herbal notes at the end reminded Andrea of black olives.

nonesuch scaffa

1 1/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy (sub Calvados in a pinch)
1 1/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry (sub a Cream Sherry)
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Marie Brizard)
1/8 oz Fernet Branca (1 barspoon)

Build in a small cocktail glass with no ice and stir to mix. Garnish with orange oils from a twist.

The Thursday Drink Night theme last week was one that I proposed about a month ago, namely room temperature cocktails. Back in November 2010, Mixoloseum did host a drink night with a Scaffa theme; Scaffas are but one type of room temperature drink that we interpreted as "a mixed drink, often a liquor and a liqueur or two (with or without bitters), stirred in the absence of ice to cool and dilute it." I was curious as to what other styles people could conjure up especially after noting an enthusiasm for room temperature drinks in the latest edition of Beta Cocktails. Instead of venturing into the realm of Pousse-Cafés or other drink types, I stuck with the Scaffa. I thought about some of the room temperature drinks that Misty Kalkofen had done and thus, my eyes went straight to our sherry collection. To the sherry, I figured that an apple brandy would work well, and while the Newark and the Wigglesworth were not specifically on my mind, I decided to add bitter notes to the apple with Fernet Branca. I originally made the drink with Pedro Ximénez sherry, but it rather dominated the flavor profile; I remade the drink the next day with a lighter one, Lustau's East India Solera Sherry, which worked rather well. For a name, I considered the apple brandy and opted for an old Massachusetts varietal called the Nonesuch.
The Nonesuch Scaffa began with grape and orange aromas from the sherry and twist, respectively. Next, the sip showcased the fruit from the apple brandy and sherry, and the swallow presented the chocolate and nuttiness followed by a light menthol note from the Fernet Branca on the finish. When I let Andrea have a sip, she commented that it was "a pleasant sipper with some kick."

merchant's wife

1 oz Berkshire Mountain Distillers Ethereal Gin
1 1/4 oz Watermelon Shrub (*)
1 oz Dolin Dry
1/2 oz Boroli Barolo Chinato
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with 1 oz soda water, garnish with a sprig of opal basil, and add a straw.
(*) while not how Craigie on Main makes it (see text below), one recipe for watermelon shrub is here.

Two Tuesdays ago, Andrea and I paid a visit to Craigie on Main where Ted Gallagher and Jared Sadoian were tending bar. On the menu was a delightful sounding drink, the Merchant's Wife, that included watermelon shrub in a highball format. When I inquired about the drink, Ted commented that they had a lot of vinegar pressed watermelon from the kitchen, and the shrub was a combination of cold and hot methods that utilized cider vinegar and plain sugar. I was intrigued; therefore, I asked Ted for the Merchant's Wife but requested that he not tell the merchant though.

The opal basil provided an attractive centerpiece to the Merchant's Wife; despite its different coloration, this cultivar is not too much different from normal basil, and its aroma worked well with the hint of watermelon that poked through. The sip came across as a citrussy red wine flavor with a bit of carbonation. Perhaps the citrus flavor was a combination of the bubbles and the shrub's vinegar since there was no citrus other than peel notes in the gin and vermouth. The sip also contained cinnamon from the Angostura Bitters that complemented the Barolo Chinato flavors. Finally, the swallow showcased the watermelon and the gin. Overall, the Merchant's Wife was rather savory from the vinegar in the shrub and from the herbal notes in the gin and wines, and it would probably make for a great aperitif.

[czech julep]

2 oz Becherovka Liqueur
1/2 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 barspoon Ardbeg Scotch (1/8 oz)
1 dash Tiki Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Add a straw and garnish with mint sprigs and 1-2 dashes of Angostura Bitters.
Two Mondays ago after my DJ gig, Andrea and I walked over to the Citizen Public House for dinner and cocktails. One of the drinks that bartender Sean Frederick made for me was a Julep featuring the herbal Becherovka liqueur. The end result reminded me of Eastern Standard's Metamorphosis with additional notes from the mint, smokey Scotch, and Angostura and Tiki Bitters. The Julep's aroma began with mint and Angostura's spice. The sip was a combination of the lemon, honey, and the liqueur's cinnamon notes, and the swallow showcased the Scotch's smoke and the Becherovka's clove.

brown jack

1 oz Gin (Cascade Mountain)
1 oz Brown Sherry (Lustau Dry Amontillado)
1 oz Passion Fruit Juice, Unsweetened
1 dash Orange Curaçao (1/8 oz Senior Curaçao)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added an orange twist to the recipe.

For a nightcap on Sunday night, I began browsing the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild's Approved Cocktails from 1937. There, I spotted the Brown Jack that caught my attention with its use of passion fruit juice and sherry. The drink was named after one of the most famous British racehorses and one of the best stayers (long distance racing) of all time. In fact, Brown Jack won the Queen Alexandra Stakes, the longest flat race of the season, six consecutive times between 1929 and 1934. The drink itself was attributed to a Joe Bowen, but unfortunately much more is remembered about the horse he honored.
The garnish I added to the Brown Jack supplemented the sherry aroma with bright orange oil notes. The passion fruit appeared in the sip along with some grape notes from the Amontillado, and the sherry continued on in the swallow as a nuttiness that was followed by gin's botanical notes on the finish. Overall, the drink was pretty light and somewhat tropical as expected. Moreover, the sherry and passion fruit went remarkably well together, and the orange liqueur seemed to support the passion fruit's flavor.

no. 57

3/4 oz Mezcal Vida (or Blanco Tequila)
3/4 oz Becherovka Liqueur
1 1/2 oz Fresh Sour Mix (*)

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with 2 oz of Smuttynose Star Island Single (a Belgian-style pale ale) and add a straw.
(*) Hungry Mother's recipe is 1 part lemon juice, 1 part sugar, 1 part water.

In contemplating my second drink, bartender Heather Mojer showed me a more expansive list of the cocktails that have appeared on the menu at Hungry Mother. The one that caught my eye was the 57 for the combination of Becherovka liqueur and beer intrigued me. Heather mentioned that when Duane Gorey created this cocktail, it was a blanco tequila drink, but she prefers it a bit more with mezcal. The drink began with a beer aroma that was supplemented by spice notes from the Becherovka. The carbonation on the sip accompanied a citrussy beer flavor, and the swallow showcased the mezcal's agave and smoke and the liqueur's cinnamon and clove flavors. Lastly, the abbey-style beer provided a funky ale finish. Overall, the drink reminded me a Bohemio that gained some lightness and intrigue from the beer.

69 holland

1 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Bols Genever
3/4 oz Meletti Amaro
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry
2 dash Peach Bitters

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

Two Sundays ago after dining at VeeVee in Jamaica Plain, Andrea and I decided to stop by Hungry Mother on our way home. For my first drink, I asked bartender Heather Mojer for the 69 Holland. I knew that the drink was a reference to the Boston Shaker store's address in Somerville, MA, and Heather described how the recipe was a collaboration with Adam Lantheaume, the store's owner. The concept of the dual gin styles in the recipe stemmed from a trip to Manhattan where Heather and others visited spirit-centric bars including Mayahuel (tequila and mezcal) and Vandaag (Genever and aquavit). The idea of using sherry in the 69 Holland also came from Mayahuel where many of the drinks use this fortified wine, and perhaps the Genever aspect was influenced by Vandaag. One of the other ingredients was Meletti Amaro which I was introduced to by Aaron Butler (ex-Drink, now Russell House Tavern) in beverages like the Death by Misadventure; Meletti has been described as containing caramel, saffron, and floral notes besides other herbal flavors.
The 69 Holland greeted me with a fresh grapefruit oil aroma. The sip presented the malt from the Genever and a light grape flavor from the sherry; moreover, there was a slight zing here from the grapefruit peel that could have been derived somewhat from the gins as well. Finally, the drink wrapped up with a nutty, caramel, and peach combination on the swallow.

headless horseman

1 oz Pisco (Macchu Pisco)
1 oz Pumpkin Syrup (*)
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass pre-rinsed with Becherovka liqueur.
(*) To make the syrup:

Pumpkin Syrup
• 1/2 pound Sugar Pumpkin (1 cup grated)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Water (optional, see below)
Grate a 1/2 pound of sugar pumpkin to produce 1 cup of shredded material. Add pumpkin and 1/2 cup of sugar to a pot. Heat on a medium flame for 5 minutes while stirring. Add 1/4 cup (2 oz) water and simmer for 5 more minutes. Let cool and strain. Produces a syrup that is under 1:1 in sweetness. Skipping the water addition will produce a syrup closer to 1:1 which will work well in Sours and other drinks (or to make the Headless Horseman in a sweeter fashion). Aproximate preparation time is under 15 minutes.

For Thursday Drink Night on the Mixoloseum, the theme was Fall and I decided to prep for the event by making a pumpkin syrup. After trying a few different methods to make it, I found that the sugar extraction aided by heat did a good job of pulling out the pumpkin's juice. When I tasted the syrup, it had a funky, earthy, and herbal quality to it that I felt perfectly matched one of our piscos. French vermouth functioned well to dry out the balance a bit and a rinse of Becherovka added some extra fall spice.
For a name, I went with the pumpkin theme and called the drink the Headless Horseman. It started with a pisco and vegetal-herbal aroma. The sip contained the grape notes of the pisco followed by those of the vermouth, and the swallow was all about the sweet pumpkin with a lingering spice afterwards.

seersucker fizz

1 oz London Dry Gin (Beefeater)
1 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a Collins glass and top with 2 oz of soda water. Garnish with an orange twist and add a straw.

Wednesday last week, I was in the mood for a nightcap so I began to flip through Food & Wine: Cocktails 2011. There I spotted the Seersucker Fizz by Jim Romdall of Vessel in Seattle. Jim created the drink for a guest in a suit that informed him that the day was Seersucker Thursday. The holiday was started in the United States Senate in 1996 by Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi. The Senator wanted to bring some Southern charm to Washington, D.C., and to remind his fellow Congressmen of how they used to dress before air conditioning was invented in the 1950s. Therefore, on the second or third Thursday of June, it has become tradition for Congressmen and their staffers to wear seersucker suits to work.
The Seersucker Fizz started with an orange oil aroma from the garnish. The sip was crisp from the carbonation and citric acid, and it contained lemon and Punt e Mes' grape flavors as well. Next, the swallow presented the apricot and the drying forces of the gin's juniper and the Punt e Mes' bitter notes. Overall, the drink had a decent amount of complexity for an egg white Fizz which I attribute in a large part to the Punt e Mes.