stagecoach traveler

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac (*)
1 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Amaro S. Maria al Monte

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass rinsed with Lucid Absinthe.
(*) Now made with 3/4 oz rye whiskey and 3/4 oz Cognac.

For Andrea's second drink, bartender Ted Gallagher made her one of the drinks he had been working on that lacked a name. In fact, when Ted emailed me the name later that week, he also had updated the recipe from a Cognac base to a split spirits base of Cognac and rye akin to a Saratoga. The tasting notes below are for the way it was served that night with the brandy base though.
The Aperol's orange notes on the nose were spiced by the absinthe rinse's anise, and as the drink warmed up, the Cognac grape aromas became apparent. The orange notes continued into the sip where it joined the amaro's caramel, and the swallow presented Cognac and the S. Maria's herbal flavors and finished with the absinthe spice.

eddie lynch

2 oz Canadian Club Whisky
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
2 dash Green Chartreuse

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass containing fresh ice. Top with 2 oz soda water, add a straw, and garnish with a "traffic light" (lime twist, lemon twist, and cherry on a pick).

For my second drink at Steel & Rye, bartender Ted Gallagher recommended the Eddie Lynch, a tribute to his maternal grandfather; while Ted unfortunately never met his grandfather, he is name after him -- Edward Lynch Gallagher. Eddie grew up in Syracuse, NY, and he and his friends would break the traffic light in the Tipperary Hill neighborhood by throwing rocks at the red light. They complained to the city that the green should be on top (to mimic the Irish flag), and eventually the town gave in. To pay tribute to his grandfather's neighborhood, he based the libation roughly off of a Tipperary, and since Eddie grew up to be a Canadian Club salesman, Ted swapped the Irish for Canadian whisky.
Ted's three color flag garnish captured the essence of his grandfather's childhood protest, and its green light on top provided a delightful lime oil aroma. A carbonated sip shared light citrus notes, and the swallow shared whiskey and hints of Chartreuse. I commented to Ted that the Eddie Lynch Highball reminded me of an easier drinking version of his Everybody is a Nun that he crafted for the J.D. Salinger 9 Stories event last year.

good cuban

1 oz Plantation 3 Star Rum
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Mint Demerara Syrup
1/2 oz Kina L'Avion d'Or
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with 2 oz dry sparkling wine.
The libation that Andrea started with at Steel & Rye was the Good Cuban. Bar manager Ted Gallagher described how it was his take on the Pegu Club's neo-classic, the Old Cuban. Once mixed, the lime paired elegantly on the nose with the mint's greenness and spice. Next, a citrussy wine sip led into a swallow that shared a glimmer of the white rum's character but mainly the mint and the Kina L'Avion's herbal flavors. Definitely on the lighter side of the spectrum from the one Eastern Standard makes with aged Barbancourt.

maritime out

3/4 oz Rhum Clément
1 oz Bonal Gentiane Quinquina
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a white wine glass.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I ventured down to Milton to eat dinner at Steel & Rye. The bar program there is now headed by Craigie on Main and No. 9 Park alum Ted Gallagher and another of the bartenders is Green Street and Alchemist Lounge alum Derric Crothers. While it was Derric's night off, we did have the honor of getting to sit at Ted's bar again. For a light start to the evening, I asked Ted for the Maritime Out which was his addition to the Daiquiri Time Out (or D.T.O.) phenomenon in the area. Some bars, such as Brick & Mortar, have D.T.O.'s as shooters or cocktails on the menu, and others have Daiquiri variations such as Eastern Standard's Chappaquiddick. The Steel & Rye Daiquiri variation strayed by calling for rhum agricole with much of the spirit's potency cut with Bonal Gentiane Quinquina.
The Maritime Out offered a grape and grass aroma. The grape continued on into the sip along with the lime, and the swallow offered the rhum's grassiness balanced by the Bonal's bitter herbal notes and finishing clean from the lime crispness.

the maloney no. 2

1 1/2 oz Bonded Bourbon (Fighting Cock (*))
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass containing ice. Garnish with an orange twist.
(*) Not bonded, but at 103 proof, it is similar in strength.
Finally, after the High Noon, I began perusing Food & Wine: Cocktails 2013 where I spotted the Maloney No. 2. The recipe was created by John Durr of the Hawthorn Beverage Group in Louisville, and this Manhattan variation seemed like it would make for a solid nightcap. Once mixed, the twist's orange oils elegantly mingled with a vanilla-like note that I assume was from the Bourbon's barrel aging. Similar to a Manhattan, the sip greeted the tongue with grape and malt flavors. Finally, the swallow began with the whiskey followed by the Cynar bitter notes and ending with a Maraschino finish with lingering herbal notes from the amaro.

high noon

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Piedra Azul)
1/2 oz Triple Sec (Cointreau)
1/2 oz Campari
1 oz Pink Grapefruit Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

After the Sherry Mai Tai two Saturdays ago, I decided to make the High Noon from the May/June 2013 issue of Imbibe Magazine. The recipe was crafted by Naren Young of New York City's Saxon & Parole, and it appears in the magazine's "four ingredient challenge" article. I was lured in for the combination of Campari and pink grapefruit juice has worked so well in the past such as in Chez Henri's Shiver.
The aromas of the grapefruit oils mingled with the tequila notes on the nose. An orange and grapefruit sip was followed by tequila and Campari bitter flavors on the swallow and a peppery finish.

sherry mai tai

1 1/2 oz Dry Nutty Sherry (Lustau Amontillado)
1/2 oz Sweet Sherry (Lustau Pedro Ximenez)
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat (BG Reynolds)
1/2 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprigs and add a straw.

After reflecting on Belly Wine Bar's sherry-centric cocktail menu, I wondered what classic cocktails could be sherr-ified. I began to process some of the pleasing sherry combinations that I have tried, and I honed in on how the nuttier sherries, such as Olorosos and Amontillados, work rather elegantly with orgeat such as in Sahil Mehta's Four Moors and Todd Maul's Joe Bans You. From the orgeat aspect, I immediately thought of the Mai Tai and how adaptable that recipe is such as with the whiskey-based Bluegrass Mai Tai and tequila-based Pinky Gonzalez. So why not a sherry Mai Tai?
Since I was not sure whether lime would work in this drink or whether I would need to switch to lemon as the Bluegrass Mai Tai did, I made both; however, my gut instinct that lemon was the way to go was correct. Once mixed, the mint garnish added a sweet spice over the Pedro Ximénez's raisin aroma. A citrussy sip from the lemon juice and orange liqueur paired well with the fruity grape notes, and the swallow was a pleasing combination of nutty and raisiny elements. I am happier with the way it turned out than with the name I dubbed this one -- it says it all but lacks panache.

saber & foil

1 oz Rhum Neisson Blanc
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Gran Classico
1/2 oz Lustau Dry Amontillado

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

Two Thursdays ago, I ventured over to Spoke Wine Bar in Davis Square. For a first drink, I asked bartender Sam Karachi for the Saber & Foil which he described as one of California Gold's creations. Cali later came over to discuss how she was influenced by Scott Holliday's Defensio, a rhum agricole riff on the classic gin-based Lucien Gaudin Cocktail. In keeping with the fencing theme and rhum agricole base, Cali shot for something a bit lighter in balance and similarly named the drink after some of the lighter thrusting weapons used in sword sport. Moreover, she wanted to keep the concept in line with a rhum agricole Negroni.
The Saber & Foil's grapefruit twist contributed greatly to the drink's aroma. The sip offered dry wine notes, and the swallow began with grassy followed by nutty and ending with bitter herbal flavors.

time traveler

3/4 oz Citadelle Gin
3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz St. Germain
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

For my second drink at Brick & Mortar, I asked bartender Phil MacLeod for a drink called the Time Traveler that I had spotted on one of the Spin the Bottle menus that they had put on Twitter. The Time Traveler was served at the Spin the Bottle Turns 1 anniversary event a few weeks ago, and this elderflower Aviation of sorts was dubbed after the Saint Germain character who is a mysterious time traveler in the Castlevania video game series.
The Time Traveler greeted the nose with a gin and Maraschino aroma. The fruity sip shared the lemon juice and St. Germain's pear-like notes, and the swallow began with gin and ended with the Maraschino and St. Germain's floral elements.