midnight runner

1 1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 dash Bitter Science Ras el Hanout Bitters (*)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top.
(*) They had run out of these bitters, so they substituted 1 dash Bittermens Tiki, 2 drop clove tincture, 2 drop black pepper tincture. Ras el Hanout is a Moroccan spice mix, and most contain cardamom, clove, cinnamon, chili, coriander, peppercorn, turmeric, and cumin. Another spice-driven bitters such as Angostura or Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters would work well here.

For a second drink at No. 9 Park, bartender Tyler Wang wanted to make me one of Sam Olivari's recipes called the Midnight Runner. Sam later explained that he created this to fulfill a request for a really twisted Vieux Carré; the direction he went in was making a silky smooth rum drink.
The Midnight Runner offered up an orange oil aroma with barrel-aged caramel notes that blended into hints of the vanilla syrup. A dry grape and Cognac flavor on the sip led into Smith & Cross Rum and spice on the swallow. As the Midnight Runner began to warm up a little, vanilla also appeared on the finish.

suhm heering float

2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Old Monk Rum
1/2 oz Bitter Science Mole Bitters
1 Egg Yolk

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Double strain into a Highball glass. Top with 4-5 oz of Maine Root's Root Beer, and add a straw.

After Silvertone, I made my way over to No. 9 Park where bartenders Tyler Wang and Sam Olivari were behind the stick. For a first drink, Tyler suggested a root beer and Cherry Heering Highball that he had created called the Suhm Heering Float. When I inquired about the "Suhm" part, Tyler explained that the inventor of the cherry liqueur's full name was Peter Frederik Suhm Heering. Also in the mix were vanilla-spiced dark rum, a healthy dose of mole bitters crafted by Sam's Bitter Science label, and an egg yolk.
The Suhm Heering Float proffered cherry notes along with darker aromas from either the Old Monk Rum or the chocolate bitters. A carbonated caramel sip contained the egg yolk's richness, and the swallow showcased the cherry, root beer, and chocolate notes with a drier finish.  Overall, the Float was complex but all too easy to drink.

shirley temple black

2 oz Old Overholt Rye
1/2 oz Maurin Quina
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1 dash Lemon Juice

Shake in a pint glass with ice. Add 2 oz Barritt's Ginger Beer and gently stir. Top with ice, garnish with two cherries, and add a straw.

Two Thursdays ago after attending Stephanie Schorow's book launch party for Drinking Boston at Doyle's Cafe, I made my way back to Downtown Crossing. For a first stop, I visited Silvertone. As I scanned the menu, the Shirley Temple Black caught my attention, not for it being an adult version of a childhood drink, but for its use of Maurin Quina. The original Shirley Temple was created in the 1930s and named after the famous child actress; it contains ginger ale, grenadine for color, sometimes citrus juice, and a cherry garnish. My order for the drink was given a quizzical look; yes, I was ordering a slightly chick drink, but Maurin Quina is delicious enough to overlook such distinctions.
The brandied cherry garnish contributed greatly to the Shirley Temple Black's aroma. A somewhat syrupy sip was mitigated by the carbonation mixing with the sharper notes of the ginger and lemon. Finally, the swallow presented the rye, ginger, and Maurin's cherry. Afterwards, I made the bartender smile with my order of a High Life for my next round.

copacabana

1 1/2 oz Palo Viejo White Rum
1 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 1/2 oz Toasted Coconut Brown Sugar Syrup (*)

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Top with fresh ice, zest a lime over the top, and add straws.
(*) Equal parts brown sugar syrup (1:1) and toasted coconut. The mixture is cooked, blended, and strained.
For a second drink, I asked bartender Isaac Sussman for the Copacabana. Isaac described how one of the kitchen staff had nicknamed him "Copacabana," and he paid tribute to that with this adult Piña Colada. Once prepared, the lime oil and rum combined for an almost grassy aroma. The sip contained lime and toasted flavors with a vague fruitiness from the coconut and pineapple. Finally, the pineapple and coconut came out on the swallow. Indeed, the toasted coconut syrup offered up a strong coconut flavor without the richness of coconut cream or the thinness of coconut water.

nerina jones

1 1/4 oz Plymouth Gin
1 1/4 oz Punt e Mes
1 1/4 oz Meletti Amaro
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

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

Two Wednesdays ago, we found seats at the Independent in Somerville. For a first drink, I asked bartender Isaac Sussman for the Nerina Jones. In asking for a history of the drink, Isaac replied that bartender Glen Cancelleire had put it on the list as a modification of the Nerina from Employees Only in Manhattan. The Nerina is Employee's Only's take on the Negroni with the Campari and sweet vermouth swapped for Meletti and Punt e Mes. The only change the Independent made was adding was a dash of orange bitters.
The orange twist's oils added to the aroma of the Punt e Mes' grape and the Meletti's violet. A grape sip with hints of orange led into a swallow offering gin, Punt e Mes' bitter flavors, and Meletti's floral and herbal elements.

creole contentment

1 1/4 oz Cognac (Pierre Ferrand 1840)
1 1/4 oz Madeira (equal parts Blandy's 5 Year Malmsey and Verdelho)
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

A few weeks ago, Camper English posted that the Anvil in Houston had updated their 100 Classic Cocktails list. I had made it my goal to finish the original by the end of 2009 and I succeeded; however, after Bobby Heugel swapped some drinks around either by preference or by new ingredients returning to market, I am reopening the project. The first drink I decided to try was the Creole Contentment. The recipe can be found in Charles H. Baker's Jigger, Beaker and Glass: Drinking Around the World which points to the "charming hot-bed of intrigue and culture" known as New Orleans for its origin. He was given the recipe by a friend who had it as an equal parts Cognac, Maraschino, and Madeira drink; even Baker, the master of providing recipes that need tweaking, mentioned that the Maraschino should be decreased here.
Besides reducing the Maraschino, I also opted for a punchier Cognac, namely Pierre Ferrand's 1840, although a regular Cognac would still work well in this recipe. Once mixed, the Madeira aroma was sweetened by the Maraschino's cherry notes. A dry grape sip showed a hint of orange, and the Cognac on the swallow transitioned elegantly into the Maraschino on the finish.

a shot in the dark

1 1/2 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Cognac
10 oz O'Hara's Irish Stout

Build in a highball and top with stout. Garnish with grated nutmeg.
For a second drink at Deep Ellum, bar owner Max Toste recommended the A Shot in the Dark beer cocktail that appears on the menu. The libation offered up the nutmeg's spice and sherry's grape aromas. A lightly carbonated malty sip gave way to a stout and grape swallow that ended dryly. Max commented that the beer is so rich and dry and the sherry adds a sweet component such that the whole mixture comes off like a Pedro Ximénez sherry.

[brooklyn roasting company]

1 1/2 oz Bacardi 8 Year Rum
1/2 oz Galliano Ristretto Coffee Liqueur
1/2 oz Amaro Meletti
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
2 dash Orange Bitters

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

Two Mondays ago, we had dinner at Deep Ellum. Bar owner Max Toste came by and mentioned that he had been working on a few drinks. The one I chose from that collection was a recipe that Max built around Galliano's Ristretto coffee liqueur. He also mentioned that he was quite pleased at discovering how well the Fernet Branca and Meletti paired here.
The orange oil brightened the dark roast coffee aroma that was accented by sweet herbal notes. A rich caramel and roast sip led into coffee on the swallow. The Fernet Branca's menthol and the Meletti's violet notes were prevalent on the drink's finish. Andrea commented that it tasted like how she would want cola syrup to be.

left turn at alburquerque

2 oz Macchu Pisco
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
1 oz Carrot Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Agave Nectar
1 Egg White

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

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I made our way over to Trina's Starlite Lounge for dinner. For a drink, my curiosity got the better of me and I ordered an intriguing carrot-juice Sour from the menu. The drink, the Left Turn at Alburquerque, is a homage to a recurrent joke on the Bugs Bunny; and if you have ever been to Monday brunch at Trina's, you know that they take their cartoons seriously. Moreover, bartender Emma Hollander seemed quite pleased that I was ordering this drink.

The Left Turn at Alburquerque had a nice froth from the shaken carrot juice and egg white. For an aroma, there was a funky grape from the pisco, a bright citrus from the lemon, and a vegetal element from the carrot. The egg lent a creaminess and rounded off the carrot and citrus wine flavors in the sip, and the lemon continued on into the swallow where it joined the pisco.