the wilhelm scream

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1/2 oz La Favorite Amber Rhum Agricole
1/2 oz Caol Ila 10 Year Scotch
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 squeeze Lemon Peel

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Twist another piece of lemon peel over the top and discard.

Wednesday last week, Andrea and I stopped by Craigie on Main for cocktails. When I asked bartender John Mayer what drinks he had been working on, he asked if I liked smoky and explained that this was not his standard as he prefers to be more subdued with the smoke notes. While Del Maguey Mezcal Vida is not one of John's favorite mezcals, he needed it to match the name of the drink, the Wilhelm Scream. The Wilhelm Scream is a stock film and television sound effect that was first used in 1951 when a character was bitten by an alligator and gained its name in a 1953 movie after a Private Wilhelm who gets shot in the leg with an arrow. Relating to John's interest in Westerns and gun fights, the scream was often used when someone is high up on a roof, gets shot, and screams as he falls. Indeed, the scream is frequently used when someone is shot, falls off a horse or from a great height, or is toss in an explosion. Moreover, it has appeared in every Star Wars and Indiana Jones movie, and there are compilations on Youtube of many of them in rapid succession. With the ingredients list and the name, there was no way I could turn down this drink.
The Wilhelm Scream greeted my nose with a bright lemon and smoke aroma; Andrea commented that drink reminded her of smoke and leather. The sip contained malt and light herbal notes, and the beginning of the swallow presented the smoky mezcal and Scotch flavors. Next, the mezcal's agave and the rhum agricole's funky grass notes mingled and were chased by lingering smoke and botanical notes on the finish. As the ice melted, the rum became more prominent and the drink became more grassy on the swallow.

daffodil

2/3 Gin (1 1/2 oz Beefeater)
2 dash Crème Yvette (1/4 oz)
1 dash Yellow Chartreuse (1/8 oz)
2 dash Sherry (1/2 oz Lustau Dry Oloroso)
1 dash Picon (1/8 oz Amer Picon)
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Tuesdays ago, I was in the mood for a nightcap and began turning through the pages of Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. One of the drinks in the gin section caught my eye for it balanced a trio of floral, herbal, and bitter liqueurs against the dryness of gin and sherry. Technically, a sweeter sherry could be used, but I opted for a dry oloroso to cut back on the liqueurs' sugars.
The Daffodil greeted me with a sherry and berry aroma that was later joined by Crème Yvette's floral notes. The sip was creamy with darker notes from the Picon's orange and the Yvette's berry; part of the way in, the sherry's grape appeared to bolster the sip. The gin, violet flavors, and sherry's nuttiness rounded out the swallow that ended dry and clean save for a lingering juniper note at the end. Overall, the Daffodil had a very fancy feel to it akin to some of the drinks in The Flowing Bowl (although without the floral aspect here being Crème de Rose).

black market

1 1/2 oz Death's Door Gin
3/4 oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Black Tea Bitters (*)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
(*) Lapsang souchong and black tea infused in rye whiskey, mixed with a 10x strength hot water tea steep, and flavored with a honey-lemon peel syrup.
Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I paid another visit to Deep Ellum when Max Toste was bartending. For my first drink, I asked for the Black Market which reminded me on paper of other sweet vermouth-citrus Sours like the Fig Leaf. The drink's lemon twist contributed greatly to the Black Market's aroma. The sip proffered a candied lemon flavor that was perhaps an interaction of the lemon with the sweet vermouth. The swallow then presented the gin with a tannin and smoky finish from the tea bitters.

george washington's eggnog

4 oz Cream
4 oz Milk
3/4 oz Sugar
2 oz Brandy (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1 oz Rye (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)
1/2 oz Sherry (Lustau East India Solera Sherry)
2 Eggs

Separate the yolks from whites. Add sugar to beaten yolks and mix well. Add dairy then liquor while beating slowly. Beat the egg whites until stiff and slowly fold into the mixture. Let chill for several days (16 hours). I garnished with freshly grated nutmeg. This serves two and is an eight-fold scale down from the original recipe. The recipe was specific for everything but the number of eggs; I went with one egg per serving.

Last year at Island Creek Oyster Bar, I ordered an Eggnog that was quite delicious. When I asked head bartender Bobby McCoy which recipe he used, he cited that it was based off of George Washington's; however, he was a little light on the specific details. This year, I decided to make my own batch. Since this was George Washington's favorite drinks for celebrating Christmas at Mount Vernon, I mixed a batch for Christmas morning to have with cherry scones. I cannot tell a lie -- this Nog recipe was worth the effort.
The nutmeg garnish I added to the recipe contributed greatly to the aroma. The creamy richness of the sip showcased light grape, caramel, and vanilla notes. On the swallow, the sherry, rye, and Smith & Cross Rum stood out; the brandy was not as discernible but probably donated a smoothness to the finish. Andrea rather enjoyed the Eggnog for it was not super heavy perhaps from the lightness of the beaten egg white.

augusta

1 1/2 oz George Dickel Whiskey
1 1/2 oz House Rosé Vermouth (*)
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
(*) A recipe for this strawberry-infused vermouth can be found here. A less labor intensive way would be to infuse 6 sliced strawberries in a 750 mL bottle of commercially available rosé vermouth (such as Cinzano or Martini and Rossi) for several days before filtering. Or downscaling to 1 strawberry per every 4 oz. In the Jackson's recipe, the fortifying brandy is infused with the strawberries (instead of the lower proof end product), so it may take more than the 2 days listed there.

On Christmas Eve, Andrea and I made our yearly pilgrimage to Eastern Standard to celebrate the holiday. Many thanks to Kit Paschal, Hugh Fiore, and Naomi Levy for keeping the tradition alive by manning the bar that night. For my first drink, I asked Naomi for the Augusta which sounded rather tempting with its strawberry and chocolate notes over a Dickel Tennessee Whiskey base. While George Dickel is best known for creating the whiskey, the distillery was founded in conjunction with his wife Augusta in 1870. Or according to some historians, they contracted distillers Matthew Sims and McLin Davis that year to start making spirits for them. Regardless of which version is the truth, Augusta Dickel was the company's chief financier and later inherited it after George's demise. In her honor, this drink was created.
The Augusta offered a chocolate and strawberry aroma that led into a light fruity grape sip. The whiskey provided much of the swallow's flavor that was softened by the cacao; moreover, the vermouth's botanicals including a distinctive wormwood note finished the drink. I was quite impressed at how the chocolate notes in the liqueur helped to emphasize the berry aspect of their rosé vermouth in the Augusta.

the swafford

1 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
1 oz Laird's Applejack
1/2 oz Maraska Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
2 dash Orange Bitters (1 dash Regan's, 1 dash Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Two Fridays ago for a nightcap, I selected the Swafford from Left Coast Libations for this split base spirit cocktail looked like it could do no wrong. The drink was created by Lance Mayhew, a bartender from Portland, Oregon, in honor of Tom Swafford, a legendary hospitality manager in Oregon. The Swafford began with an orange, herbal, and Maraschino aroma. The sip was a combination of apple and malt notes along with a kirsch sort of flavor from the Maraschino. Next, the swallow began with the rye followed by the Maraschino, and the Green Chartreuse's herbal notes rounded out the drink. Overall, the Swafford came across as a lot more fruity than expected.

rudderless

2 oz Dry Red Wine (Bear Flag)
3/4 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup (*)
1/4 oz Becherovka Liqueur
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into an Old Fashioned glass or small Highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a long orange twist and freshly grated nutmeg.
(*) In a pinch, a 1:1 syrup of pineapple juice:sugar would do no harm as a substitute here.
For Thursday Drink Night on Mixoloseum two weeks ago, the theme was "w(h)ine." The duality of the event title was parsed as creating a recipe using a wine product as an ingredient and naming it after a gripe of some sort. Since I recalled that Batavia Arrack pairs quite well with wine products ranging from port to white wines, I decided to take an old nautical approach to the drink with a Punch or Cooler style. For a thematically appropriate drink name, I dubbed it Rudderless to represent the whine of lacking direction in life. The Rudderless began with an orange, nutmeg, and red wine aroma. On the sip, the citrus and fruity grape notes joined with hints of pineapple. Next, the swallow offered up the Batavia Arrack's funkiness and the wine's tannins, and after a few sips, the Becherovka's clove began to surface on the finish. Indeed, the Batavia Arrack and red wine combination proved to be a solid one. The most amusing comment about the drink came from Dan of the KindredCocktails drink database who declared that the Rudderless was like, "a tiki Wine Cooler drizzled down a buttered stripper pole"; I am still pondering that one.

:: fred's picks for the top cocktails of 2011 (in) ::

Just like last year, I will finish my trilogy of year end wrap ups by revisiting all of the recipes we tried at our home bar this year. While I did create a few recipes this year, I will tack some of my favorite ones at the end and keep this list solely to recipes created by bartenders, living and deceased, from around the world.
January: From the Secret Sherry Society's contest, Owen Thomson's Highland Games gets the nod for the best drink of the month. For runner's up, I picked the Teresa for its elegant and quirky balance and Jabriel Donohue's Pantorium for its Last Word-like style with one of the better names of the year (it is on the sweeter side though).

February: Mike Ryan's Shadyside Fizz from Beta Cocktails was intriguing enough to get my attention for February. For runners up, The Flowing Bowl's Iced Punch and Frank Cisneros' Farmers Armagnac had some classic stylings.

March: From the Big Bartenders Book, Jamie Boudrea's Novara delightfully paired Campari and passion fruit syrup against the crispness of lemon. For runners up, the Scotch and ginger Strange Acquaintance and the Bourbon and port Coffee Brown were definitely solid drinks in March.
April: Leo Engel's 1878 embittered Sidecar, the Alabazam, was a surprising favorite. Runners up were the strawberry and pastis Negroni, Sbagliato Grosso from Left Coast Libations, and the rather intense Nuclear Daiquri.

May: With split spirits and split liqueurs balanced by lemon, Café Royal's Lilac Domino was an impressive showing that coincided well with the Spring flowers. For runners up, there were the guava-laden Jerry Thomas Barbadoes Punch and the convergent evolution of the Rattlesnake Fizz from A Taste of Absinthe.

June: Easy to overlook in the 1972 Trader Vic, the White Witch with chocolate, orange, and funky rum notes made for a great Fizz. The silver and bronze medal were the dark rum and spice Horse Tonic and Phil Ward's tequila-based Brooklyn, the Rojo Bianco.
July: 1022 South's modern take on the Grasshopper, namely The Grasshoper Lies Heavy, and Martin Cate's pisco and rum Tiki drink, Lingua Franca were the joint winners for July.

August: The early 20th century sherry, vermouth, Fernet, and Chartreuse Meditation impressed me as something early 21th century. For runners up, I picked the tequila and herbal Under the Volcano from Beta Cocktails and Joaquin Simo's classically styled aperitif Flor de Jerez.

September: The embittered and dry Martinez-like Marliave's Cocktail from Louis Mixed Drinks from 1906 moved me. David Shenaut's quirky Learning to Tie and the split Old Tom, split grape mezcal drink, Nicholas Jarrett's Black Cat scored secondary honors.
October: Jim Romdall's Seersucker Fizz surprised me perhaps due to the Punt e Mes complexity and apricot liqueur notes. Phil Ward's flowery absinthe and tequila Amore Morado and the 1937 Bluebeard's Passion which taught me that blue drinks are not necessarily lame received notable mentions.

November: Chicago's Sable's Board of Directors was a surprisingly good lighter style herbal number. For runners up, I point to the Fernet Apple Jackrabbit, the Follow that Black Rabbit, and Jason Schiffer's autumnal Michigander.

December: William Schmidt's 19th century Martinez-like Angelus when made with Ransom's Old Tom Gin was exquisite. Both the tropical Manhattan, the Martinique, and Tim Lacy's beer-lightened Fizz, Felonious Monk had good showings as well.
Personal Creations:Looking back over the recipes I created in my home bar, I narrowed things down to my top 6 favorites (in chronological order). To see the others, click on the "*original" tag.

• The cachaça and Lillet version of the Cold Ruby Punch that appears in Jerry Thomas, the Cold Emerald Punch was designed for summer drinking.
• Merging the Bamboo aperitif with the Crusta, the Bamboo Crusta retained both drink styles' charms.
• With the Fix being one of my favorite old, nearly lost drink styles, the Barbados Fix with its Earl Grey tea syrup notes turned out well.
• With influence from the Nuclear Daiquiri, the Bikini Atoll takes the Mai Tai to a more intense level.
• Adding to the Manhattan variations, the Coney Island makes for a good chocolatey nightcap.
• Hybridizing the joys of the Negroni with the old school challenge of Leo Engel's Knickebein, the Knickroni is hard to forget.

:: fred's picks for the top cocktails of 2011 (out) ::

At the end of 2010, I was asked what my favorite cocktail of the year was, and I did not have one answer. To make it easier, I divided the process into the drinks I had out and drinks I had in, and then broke it down to an easier to swallow month-by-month process. Again, I grouped it by when I wrote up the libation, not when I actually had it. Lastly, my choices were influenced by two factors -- tastiness and uniqueness -- in some odd formula; getting served a delicious drink that was like no other has to count for a lot. For a tie breaker, I also considered which I would want more to have again. This year, I am repeating the process for it was rather popular last year. Without further ado, here is the monthly breakdown for drinks I had out on the town (in Boston and elsewhere) for 2011.
January: For the best drink out, I selected Eastern Standard's Rapa Nui which was one of the best Tiki drinks I had this year; with blood orange, good rums, and a sherry float, it definitely appealed to me. Runners up were Rendezvous' Tequila Scaffa which elegantly balanced an aged tequila with Maurin Quinquina, and Island Creek's elegant Ransom Old Tom drink, the Snap Point.

February: This month was tough since there were a lot of strong drinks but I would have to choose Drink's Dead Man's Mule with its intense but balanced spiced flavors. A strong tip of the hat to Bergamot's Scotch Little Italy-like Smoking Jacket, Drink's mezcal-Angostura bomb, the Johan Goes to Mexico, and Lineage's Corpse Reviver #2 riff, the Dover

March: Trina's Starlite Lounge's beer-floated Last Word variation, Word to Your Mom not only caught my attention but the write up caught Camper English's eye in FineCooking. Runner up would be Citizen-Worcester's classically formulated but modernly named Groovy Child.

April: With Fernet, Cynar, egg, and beer, the Battle Royal Fizz at Ben Sandrof's Sunday Salon still stands out in my mind. Runners up include Lineage's Silent Order-like Monk's Thistle and Clio's complex seasonal Spring in the Afternoon.

May: This month was another challenging one but I made the decision over which of them I would want to have again, and I gave the nod to Craigie on Main's sherry and Zucca Throw the Gun #2. Of merit were Eastern Standard's chocolate-Campari Carletti, No. 9 Park's extreme Pimm's Cup, the Park Street Cup, and Citizen-Boston's Fernet Painkiller-like Beach Cruiser.

June: There were three strong contenders for June; therefore, I am giving a split best drink to Estragon's Starbird with apple, beer, and absinthe notes, and Whistler-Chicago's delightfully herbal Green Jacket. The strong runner up was Lineage's Final Voyage -- a Last Word variation with hints of Periodista in the mix.
July: Cure-NOLA's Drink of Laughter and Forgetting with its ebb and flow of bitter and herbal was the top pick in this busy month of Tales of the Cocktail and other more local libation. For a runner up, I had a hard time choosing between two at Russell House Tavern: their single malt-green tea-apricot Kobatashi Maru and their Scotch-Damson gin-beer Sun Rays Illuminate Smoke Filled Haze.

August: With many of the Tales of the Cocktail posts bleeding into August, Teardrop-Seattle's Thai Chi-Chi that I tried at the Bar Room Brawl was an exquisite Piña Colada variation (even if it was made with the sponsor's vodka instead of rum). For runners up, there was Estragon's Pisco Sour variation, the 1836-1839 and Trina's Starlite Lounge's Beer Sangria.

September: This was another tricky month, but for a winner, I will split my vote between Clio's malt and bitter fruit Sands of Time and Vandaag-NYC's aquavit Tiki drink, the Balsa Raft. Runners up were No. 9 Park's agave-based Morning Glory, the Zimmermann Telegram, and Estragon's coconut and curry-filled Coromandel Coast.

October: Craigie on Main's water melon shrub-containing Merchant's Wife gets her hand raised. Deep Ellum's tribute to Philidelphia daredevils acquires the runner up with the room temperature Franklin Mortgage Co..

November: I was torn between two Flips and decided to give the vote to both. Trina's Starlite Lounge's pumpkiny take on the classic Boston Flip, Mr. Monohan's Flip, and Green Street's egg version of their hot Punch, the Skipper's Flip. Runner up goes to the pisco, sherry, and amaro-based Juan Bautista at Craigie on Main.

December: Two bitter ones caught my eye with Brick & Mortar's unique non-diluted grappa-based A Bullet for Fredo and Craigie on Main's aged tequila, Cynar, and St. Germain Libretto. For runner up, there were two agave drinks that reminded me a lot of the other for both contained grape and juiceless citrus notes: the Independent's This, That, the Other and Deep Ellum's Wayback.