otoño

1 1/2 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/2 oz Ron Bermudez Aged Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime slice and add a straw.

Two Mondays after my DJ gig, Andrea and I wandered over to Eastern Standard where Kevin-not-Martin and Seth Freidus were manning the bar. For a libation, my eyes drifted over to the new "Sherry Baby" section of the menu. After discussing my options with Seth, I decided to pick Naomi Levi's fall-themed Otoño as a start and to have one of his Tiki-esque drinks later.
The Otoño began with lime oil aromas with hints of grape. The lime juice and grape pairing continued on into the sip, and the swallow offered rum and nutty sherry flavors along with a growing cinnamon finish.

death or glory

3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Old Monk Rum
1/2 oz Angostura Bitters
1 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

For my second drink at Trina's Starlite Lounge, I asked bartender Emma Hollander about the Death or Glory. I was drawn to in part because of The Clash reference and because Angostura Bitters was listed third in the line up. After asking if the show position was for a reason, she confirmed that it was a bit more than a few dashes and described how bartender Beau Sturm concocted this libation. The heavy Angostura and Cherry Heering pairing reminded me of drinks like Ryan Lotz's Calabura Flip and the Hot Shot from the 1937 UKBG Approved Cocktails book.
The Death or Glory began with a lemon oil aroma with cherry notes and rum funk; later, the drink's nose was more smokey and Angostura driven. A dark lemon and cherry sip led into a rum dried out by Angostura Bitters swallow and a spice and Smith & Cross funky finish.

chasing fireflies

1 1/2 oz El Jimador Tequila Blanco
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wedge and add straws.

Two Sundays ago, we ventured over to Trina's Starlite Lounge for dinner. There, we found seats at the bar in front of bartender Emma Hollander. For a first cocktail, I asked Emma for the Chasing Fireflies off of the "Tasty Drinks from Good People" section of their menu, and that guest recipe was donated by Tony Iamunno of Stoddard's.
Chasing Fireflies began with a lime and perfume-y aroma. A citrus sip yielded a smooth orange and lime flavor, and the swallow showcased the tequila followed by a nutty and herbal finish. Perhaps the drink had shades of Trader Vic's Pinky Gonzalez to it.

shadows & tall trees

2 oz Four Roses Bourbon
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Nocino Walnut Liqueur
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a Double Old Fashioned glass filled with fresh ice cubes. Garnish with an orange twist and add straws.

Two weeks or so ago during one of my dinner shifts at Russell House Tavern, a guest asked for an old house classic, the Wigglesworth. When I explained that we did not have the requisite apple-cinnamon syrup, she put her faith in me to craft "Fall in a glass" using a similar Bourbon base. As I thought about my autumnal walks to and from work, I thought of the tall walnut trees that have been dropping their finger-staining fruits along the sidewalk; moreover, I considered the change from green to earthier aromas in the air. Working with the Bourbon, I opted for sweet vermouth to make a sort of Manhattan-like rift. With the walnut trees and earthier aromas in mind, I included Nocino and Cynar, respectively. And to tie it all back to the Wigglesworth, I added a bit of spice notes from Angostura Bitters and the cinnamon syrup we have on hand for a few of the current menu items.
The orange twist added fresh citrus notes over the Bourbon and hints of dark nuttiness and cinnamon spice. A sweet malt and grape sip led into a Bourbon swallow with rounded dark bitterness and a cinnamon finish. Amy from Delaware was so pleased with this drink that she ordered a second one and convinced a gentleman to her left to order the third Shadows & Tall Trees of the evening.

prosecutor

1 1/2 oz Old Overholt Rye
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

Two Mondays ago, I stopped into Spoke in Davis Square. There, I found a seat in front of bartender California Gold and asked for the Prosector off of the chalk board menu. Cali explained how the recipe was created by Josey Packard at Drink and named by Rachel Maddow. The Prosecutor was Josey's crack at a Last Word variation, but in the end, things were better balanced in this 3:1:1:1 ratio than in a Last Word-like equal parts format.
The rye whiskey's aroma joined the floral notes of St. Germain and the herbal ones of Yellow Chartreuse on the nose. Next, a lemon, malt, and honey sip gave way to a rye, herbal, and floral swallow.

it's arrack!

1 oz Batavia Arrack
1 oz Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with 2 oz ginger beer and garnish with a dash of Angostura Bitters.

For my next drink at Backbar, I asked bartender Sam Treadway for something that they made during their Star Wars week event called "It's Arrack!" (I believe they were calling the bar Admiral Backbar that week). Sam came up with the pun on Admiral Ackbar's "It's a trap!" saying and asked bartender Kyle Powell to come up with the drink based off of the name. Overall, the general feel reminded me a little of the Restauranteur.
The libation's nose contained ginger, herbal, and allspice notes. A sweet, carbonated lemon and grape sip gave way to a Batavia Arrack funky swallow and a nutty, gingery finish.

:: whisky live (boston) ::

Wednesday night, I attended the Whisky Live event at the Park Plaza Castle. I was quite surprised at the number of types of spirits represented there since I expected a mostly whisk(e)y evening. In fact, it was not until my third booth that I actually tried a grain distillate. I was impressed with the number of Boston bartenders, bar managers, and booze celebrities that lined the booths along side the regular cast of brand ambassadors and distillers. In that way, it made approaching some of the booths more accessible. Here are some of the highlights of the evening:

• When someone asks if you want to taste some really weird stuff that is not on display, definitely agree! Indeed, Arik Torren after showcasing the Fidencio Mezcal lineup, he brought out a trio of bottles that my notes say were "La Venenosa Jalisco." These spirits are made in Jalisco, the land of tequila, but with non-Blue Webber agave; therefore, they are not tequilas and since they fall out of the regions that produce mezcal, they are not that either. In fact, I had never even heard of these agave types. One used Maximilian agave with a single pass over the still to yield a high acidity spirit with vegetal and anise spice notes. The Rhodacantha agave spirit saw two distillation runs through a partially wooden still that had a tree trunk in the middle. It yielded mineral, herbal, and cedar notes. Finally, the Inaquidens, a big agave nicknamed "el bruto," provided a curious root vegetable and cheese aroma with glorious vegetal notes and high acidity after a single pass over the still.
• Ed Hamilton of the Ministry of Rum represented his Caribbean Spirits line. Of note was their Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum that had a delightly complex flavor without being overbearing like other Jamaican rums like Smith & Cross or J. Wray. There is also a gold rum under the same label but that was not available to taste.  Another rum series of note was ones made in St. Lucian on a pot still with Guyanan molasses; out of the 5, 7, and 9 year ages, the 7 was the sweet spot in this series.
• I previously mentioned the Sons of Liberty distillery in Rhode Island last year at the Origin tasting event around the time of the Boston Cocktail Summit. Last time I was impressed by their unhopped stout beer distilled into a whiskey. This time despite my skepticism, I was drawn in by their winter seasonal Pumpkin Spice Whiskey. Roasted pumpkins mixed with American single malt whiskey came across as elegantly as some of the finer pumpkin beers out there.
• The Sam Adams booth had two noteworthy items. The first was their 2012 10th Anniversary Utopia beer that was aged in Buffalo Trace whiskey barrels, tawny and ruby port casks, and rum barrels from Nicaragua that finishes out around 29% ABV. The end result is very rich with nutty, port, maple, and caramel flavors. The other was Berkshire Mountain Distillers' Bourbon aged four years in Utopia casks.
• My favorite single malt Scotch was Oban Distiller's Edition secondarily aged in Montilla Fino sherry casks. The whisky displayed elegant oxidized apple and dry white grape flavors on top of the grain and smoke.
• I was also impressed by Diep 9 Genevers made in Belgium with the old style being the winner with its sweet, malty, and earthy notes that did not come across as aggressively as say Bols Genever. Yes, Genevers can be made in both the Netherlands and Belgium.
• GrandTen Distilling showcased their collaboration with the Cooley Distillery in Ireland. It is a "South Boston Irish Whiskey" made in Carlingford, Ireland, and bottled here in South Boston.
• Finally, I got to re-taste Butterfly Classic Absinthe based off of a 1905 recipe that was produced here in Boston (although the current spirit is made in Switzerland). The ingredients mentioned are grande wormwood, petitite wormwood, hyssop, melissa, peppermint, anise, star anise, fennel, and citrus. Overall, it came across as licorice, mint, and citrus and rather accessible.

bamboozled

1 1/4 oz Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Fords Gin
1/8 oz Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

Two Sundays ago, I ventured down to Backbar where I found a seat in front of bartender Sam Treadway. For a start, I asked Sam for the Bamboozled, their spin on the classic Bamboo cocktail. Sam described how the recipe was a collaboration between bartender Melinda Maddox and himself, and their use of walnut liqueur intrigued me for it seemed like it would accentuate the inherent nuttiness in most Amontillados.
The Bamboozled began with a nutty grape aroma that shared light citrus notes. A dark, dry grape sip led into a nutty swallow with a lingering citrus element.

a tale of two kitties

1 3/4 oz Plantation Dark Rum
3/8 oz Orgeat
3/8 oz Allspice Dram
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Dry shake with a spent half lime shell and pour over a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Add a straw.

For my next drink, since the place was so busy, I pre-ordered my second drink along with my first so that I did not have to waste too much of their time. When the bartenders saw that my drink was finished, I gave my nod and they embarked on my second libation, A Tale of Two Kitties. Bar manager Tyler Wang later explained the curious name by describing how it was a tribute to "the long lost and beloved Stephen the cat, and his owners love of rum Lion's Tails." The Rum Lion's Tail seems like such a more logical step than the classic Bourbon one as I previously noted in the Hair of the Lion from the North Star Cocktails book.
The Tiki-styled drink began with a lime oil aroma. The lime theme continued into the sip along with almond and caramel notes, and the swallow offered the pairing of the dark rum and the allspice flavors.