emerald toucan

3/4 oz Tequila
3/4 oz Galliano L'Autentico Liqueur
3/4 oz St. Germain
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lime twist.
Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I ventured over to Estragon for dinner. For a drink, we asked bartender Sahil Mehta to show off his entry into the Galliano cocktail contest. His recipe, the Emerald Toucan, appeared to be a riff on the classic Yellow Bird with tequila and St. Germain subbing for the Yellow Bird's light rum and triple sec, respectively. The Emerald Toucan began with a lime and agave nose that led into a citrus sip. The swallow was a combination of the tequila and a floral herbal finish that surprisingly tasted unlike either St. Germain or Galliano.

la passeggiata

1 oz Campari
1/4 oz Luxardo Amaretto
1/4 oz Anchor Distilling Junipero Gin
1/4 oz Combier Triple Sec
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with ~2 1/2 oz Bisol Prosecco.

Two Sundays ago, we paid a visit to bartender Ted Kilpatrick at No. 9 Park since it seemed like the perfect way to cap off Andrea and my anniversary evening. For a drink, I opted for La Passeggiata that was mentioned in the final posting on WBUR's PublicRadioKitchen; indeed, the article was on No. 9's Tyler Wang and he served as a great way to cheer up the sad conclusion to that excellent blog. Tyler named his drink after the Italian evening ritual of taking rather slow strolls through the old, main streets of town. The ritual includes dressing up, gossiping, and of course drinking glasses of beer and wine at various bars and cafés along the way.

The PRK article discusses how Tyler's bitter sweet sparkler was influenced by Carrie Cole who went from Craigie on Main to Eastern Standard. Tyler learned from Carrie how to use a pinch of salt to make her cocktails sing; some good examples of that are her Nouvelle Fleur, Aku Aku, and Fin du Saison.

The Passeggiata's aroma came across as almost floral from the Campari and amaretto. The carbonated almond and orange sip led into a Campari-flavored swallow. The salt definitely mellowed the Campari into something reminiscent of Hawaiian Punch of all things instead of the intensely bitter liqueur it can often be.

fears and failures

1 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass containing fresh ice. Top with ~2 1/2 oz Notch Saison beer and give a quick stir.

After the Cold Blooded Fashion at Brick and Mortar, I asked bartender Evan Harrison for the other drink on the regular menu from that Monday's Spin the Bottle event featuring Chris Lohring of Notch Brewing. This Misty Kalkofen creation was Evan's favorite of Monday's six special offerings and I soon discovered why.
The Fears and Failures proffered spice notes from the Becherovka that included clove and cinnamon aromas. Next, the carbonated sip was a pleasing medley of honey, lemon, and malt notes. The swallow, though, was quite stunning as the Nux Alpina's nut flavors paired incredibly with the Saison's sour notes. Finally, the Becherovka's clove and other spice elements rounded out the swallow.

cold blood fashion

1 1/2 oz Bols Genever
3/4 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Fee Brothers' Whiskey Barrel Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass containing ice cubes. Top with ~2 oz Notch Saison beer and give a quick stir.

Two Fridays ago, I stopped into Brick and Mortar to catch some of the beer cocktails that were served earlier in the week at the Spin the Bottle event featuring Chris Lohring of Notch Brewing. For a start, I asked bartender Evan Harrison for the Cold Blooded Fashion. Evan explained that the recipe was created by Misty Kalkofen and that he found the drink to be delightfully malty.
The Cold Blooded Fashion began with a bready malt nose along with a hint of orange, and the malt and orange continued on into the carbonated sip. On the swallow, the funk of the saison beer mixed well with the Genever botanical notes, and over time, the cinnamon from the bitters began to build up here as well. As the ice melted, the drink surprisingly got sweeter. Overall, the Genever was a good match to the saison, and I soon recalled a similar pairing in Trina's Starlite Lounge's Word to Your Mom where the Genever was coupled with Pretty Things Jack D'Or Saison.

west indian summer

1 1/2 oz Gilka Kümmel (Helbing)
1 oz Old Raj Gin (Hayman's Navy Strength)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 barspoon Maraschino Liqueur
1 barspoon Simple Syrup
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Two Thursdays ago for the cocktail hour, Andrea suggested that I look in Beta Cocktails for we had not had a recipe from there in a while. The one that called out to me was Rhiannon Enlil's West Indian Summer. Since we lacked Old Raj Gin, I figured that Hayman's Navy Strength would work as a substitute for the Old Raj's proof although perhaps not its herbal signature. For kümmel, I used our Helbing which worked rather well in another Beta Cocktails recipe, the Spice Trade.
The orange twist contributed to the drink's aroma along with the caraway from the kümmel. A sweet lemon and orange sip led into the botanical notes of the gin and kümmel on the swallow and a tart lemon note on the finish. Indeed, there was enough sugar in the kümmel to make the drink smooth, although the drink did get a little bit rougher as it warmed up.

pontarlier julep

1/2 oz Absinthe (La Muse Verte)
1/2 oz Gin (Hayman's Navy Strength Gin)
3/4 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3 drop Orange Blossom Water
3 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with crushed ice in a Julep cup until a frost forms. Top with ice, garnish with mint sprigs, and add a straw.

In the July/August 2012 issue of Imbibe Magazine, I was drawn to the Pontarlier Julep created by William Elliott of Maison Premiere in Brooklyn. Like the Cynar Julep from Rogue Cocktails, this Julep did not have muddled mint but only a mint garnish. Similar to the Cynar serving as the herbal component, the absinthe in the Pontarlier Julep substituted for the mint.
The mint garnish worked well to fill the Pontarlier Julep's bouquet. The sip was a combination of bitter orange and grape flavors that led into an absinthe and gin swallow.  Overall, it was a bit more complex than most Juleps, but it was equally as refreshing on a hot summer evening.

flowers for murphy

1 1/2 oz London Dry Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
3/8 oz Lime Juice
3/8 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse

Shake with ice and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with ~1 oz sparkling wine (Gruet Brut) and garnish with a mint leaf.

Two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make a drink that was served along with the Red Rot Cocktail for a Roaring Twenties event at the Boston Athenaeum back in 2007. The recipe, Flowers for Murphy, was created by Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli who was working at Eastern Standard at the time.
The Flowers for Murphy offered a watermelon-like note along with the mint aroma. The carbonated sip had citrus and white wine flavors, and the swallow was rather herbal with gin notes and a Green Chartreuse finish.

melba

1/2 Daiquiri Rum (1 oz El Dorado 3 Year)
1/2 Swedish Punsch (1 oz Kronan)
Juice of 1/4 Lemon or 1/2 Lime (1/2 oz Lime)
2 dash Absinthe (1/4 oz Kübler)
2 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
For the cocktail hour two Mondays ago, I chose the Melba from the Café Royal Cocktail Book. The drink began with a sweet aroma that was a combination of perhaps the rum, lime, and absinthe. Next, the lime and pomegranate flavors filled the sip; the swallow began with rum and transitioned to absinthe with the Swedish Punsch notes in between. Overall, the Melba had a decent amount of complexity without being all that challenging.

wing nang

1 oz Old Monk Rum
1 oz Palo Viejo White Rum
3/4 oz Maurin Quina
1 1/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
4 dash Bittermens Tiki Bitters

Shake with ice and pour unstrained into a rocks glass. Add straws.
Two Sundays ago, we stopped into the Independent during one of the their John Funke music nights. For a drink, I asked the bartender for the Wing Nang which seemed intriguing for it was a Tiki-like drink containing Maurin Quina. The Wing Nang's aroma offered grapefruit and cinnamon notes. The grapefruit continued on into the sip along with the Maurin's cherry, and the swallow began with rum and cinnamon notes. The swallow ended with a lingering almond flavor from the Maurin that worked incredibly well with the Tiki feel.