cesare

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1 oz Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Aveze Gentian Liqueur
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
After the Pipe Dream at Estragon, I asked to peek into bartender Sahil Mehta's recipe notebook, and there I spotted the Cesare. Sahil explained that he named this recipe after Cesare Borgia, the Italian nobleman, politician, and cardinal who was the son of Pope Alexander VI. Once mixed, the Cesare offered a smokey and herbal aroma. A honeyed grape sip gave way to a smokey mezcal swallow with bitter and earthy herbal finishing notes. Overall, there was a savory aspect to the drink that added a bit of intrigue to the drink.

daiqurbon

The theme for this month's Mixology Monday (MxMo LXXVIII) was picked by Stewart Putney of the Putney Farm blog. The theme he chose was "Intercontinental," and he did not want us to fight for that B-tier Intercontinental Belt but to look to our ingredients. Stewart elaborated on the theme with his description of, "Everywhere we travel these days we see cocktails on the menu. And not just here in the USA, but all around the world. And that's not only the drinks, but the ingredients as well... So let's celebrate the global reach of cocktails with an "Intercontinental" Mixology Monday challenge. Create a cocktail with "ingredients" from at least 3, but preferably 4, 5, or 6 continents. And if you can include Antarctica, then you get a Gold Star. And remember, sometimes the tools used, glassware, names or back stories of cocktails are important "ingredients." Creativity and a bit of narrative exploration are encouraged."

When I was discussing the theme with Stewart, I mentioned the quirky bottle of Van der Hum spiced tangerine liqueur that we owned. We found this South African spirit at Julio's in Westborough, MA, and only used it to make the Comet from David Wondrich's Killer Cocktails. The other place that I was sure that there were a handful of Van der Hum recipes is William Tarling's Café Royal Cocktail Book. After looking through the options, I selected the curiously named Diaqurbon for it could be finessed into using ingredients from four continents. I found the name strange for their is no lime juice in this mashup of Daiquiri and Bourbon; however, F.G. Hunt, the recipe's creator, meant Daiquiri rum. For that, I decided to use El Dorado 3 Year White Rum since Guyana is in South America (Andrea pointed out to me that the Caribbean islands are not truly considered part of any continent except for political means, so those rums would be confusing). Clearly, the Bourbon I selected was going to be North American by definition, and with such a small portion of the drink, I opted for the punchy and overproof Fighting Cock. For the fourth continent, I went European with Dolin Dry Vermouth. I guess for a fifth continent, I did stir the drink in my Japanese mixing glass. Australia and Antarctica, I salute you but unfortunately left you off the docket.

Daiqurbon
• 1/2 Daiquiri Rum (2 oz El Dorado 3 Year)
• 1/4 Van der Hum (1 oz)
• 1/8 Bourbon (1/2 oz Fighting Cock)
• 1/8 Dry Vermouth (1/2 oz Dolin)
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I strained this into a pair of small vintage glasses.

The Daiqurbon greeted the nose with a tangerine peel and Bourbon nose. While the sip offered dry wine, caramel, and malt notes, the swallow began with the rum and whiskey and ended with a tangerine and vanilla finish. Andrea thought that the ingredients could make for a good Scaffa (a room temperature, undiluted cocktail); perhaps if the rum and Van der Hum proportions were swapped, it would be.
Thanks to Stewart for hosting this event and getting me to dust off a lesser used bottle on my shelf, and thanks to all of the MxMo participants for keeping this event going month after glorious month. Cheers!

pipe dream

1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina
1 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

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

Two Mondays ago, we ventured down to the South End to get dinner at Estragon. For a first drink, I asked bartender Sahil Mehta for the Pipe Dream that he had mentioned in his OnTheBar status. The recipe is his take on a Martinez with mezcal, and the idea appealed to me especially after considering John Mayer's own mezcal variation, the Des Esseintes. Sahil described how he used the classic two parts wine-based ingredients to one part spirit here similar to how he enjoys his gin Martinezes at home.
The Pipe Dream's orange oils mingled with the mezcal smoke on the nose. A grape and orange sip gained much complexity on the swallow which showcased nutty, bitter, and smokey agave flavors. Overall, the Maraschino worked well here to unify the various elements and bolster the oloroso sherry notes.

rooftop cooler

2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with Canada Dry Ginger Ale and add a straw.
For one of Andrea's drink choices, she asked bartender Matt Schrage for something on the lighter side and he suggested the Rooftop Cooler. I remember trying to order that one evening this past summer while it resided on the menu, but the drink was so popular that they had temporarily run out of the necessary ginger ale to make it. As for who created it, Matt was unsure if it was Kenny Belanger or Phil MacLeod. Once mixed, the Rooftop Cooler offered a lime aroma that led into a sweet, carbonated citrus sip. The swallow was all about the ginger and spice though from the soda and bitters.

Postnote May 7, 2018: The drink is most likely a riff of the Roofgarden from The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book:

Roofgarden
• 1 dash Bitters
• 1 lump Sugar
• 1 jigger French Vermouth
• 1 bottle Ginger Ale
Dash the bitters on the sugar cube in a Collins glass. Build the French vermouth and ice in the glass over the sugar cube, and top with the ginger ale.

The presentation here as I parsed it reminds me of the classic Champagne Cocktail -- one that we often overlook in making or riffing on.

a postcard to nina

1 oz Meletti Amaro
1/2 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with soda water and add a straw.

For a followup to the Bonnie & Clyde, bartender Matt Schrage suggested a drink called A Postcard to Nina. Part of the reason I wondered about the Bonnie & Clyde gunman versus song name question was due to the sound track that evening which was Jens Lekman. Matt named this complex recipe after one of Lekman's songs, A Postcard to Nina. Overall, the ingredients list sounded like a page from Shrage's Blue Room days last year.
A Postcard to Nina began with a fruity nose. A carbonated Aperol and lime sip tricked me into thinking that there was grapefruit in the recipe. Next, the pineapple began the swallow that ended with a bitter, herbal Meletti-driven finish. Indeed, the pineapple juice seemed to be the crucial ingredient to tie (the fruity and bitter elements in) this drink together.

bonnie & clyde

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
1/2 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Byrrh Grand Quinquina
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
(*) Note that the tasting notes were made with a slightly different recipe (1 oz each Cognac and sherry, 1/2 oz each Byrrh and Benedictine, no bitters), but the above is the proper recipe. I was told not to be mad at Schrage for the mix up.

Two Sundays ago, we ventured over to Brick & Mortar where Matthew Schrage and Lea Madda were tending the bar. For a first drink, Matt suggested that I try a new drink created by Cory Buono that had not hit the menu yet. Besides the winning sherry and Benedictine ingredients, I was curious if they could tame Byrrh into a cocktail ingredient. In conversation, it became more unclear whether the drink was a tribute to the two famed gunmen or to the song performed by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot in their honor.
The Bonnie & Clyde, as it was made for me, began with a dark grape and Cognac aroma that later became more chocolatey. A sweet cherry and grape sip gave way to a Cognac swallow with a nutty and herbal finish. Indeed, the Byrrh worked well here as it was tamed and modified by the sherry and perhaps other ingredients.

lightly blighty

1/2 jigger Sherry (1 1/2 oz Lustau Dry Amontillado)
1/4 Lime Juice (1/2 oz)
2 dash Grenadine (1/2 oz)
2 dash Curaçao (1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Fridays ago, I opened up Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and found the curiously named Lightly Blighty. Given the time period, the name fall into line, for Blighty is an informal and affection term for England or more commonly British soldiers of World War I and II. After having a drink from The Art of the Shim book the night before, this recipe seemed like a solid follow up. Once mixed, it offered a grape and candied orange aroma. An orange and lime sip transitioned into a nutty sherry swallow with a sweet orange peel finish. In my chosen proportions above, the Pierre Ferrand Curaçao took a larger role that I desired; perhaps reducing the amount to a quarter ounce or switching to a less intensely flavored liqueur like Senior Curaçao would work better here.

lindsey's whimsy

1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau Dry)
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Benedictine
3 dash Allspice Dram (1/4 oz St. Elizabeth)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

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

Two Thursdays ago, I began to flip through my new purchase of The Art of the Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level. The book was written by Dinah Sanders, a long time writer for the Bibulo.us blog and an old school participant in Mixology Monday (she hosted a great 19th century-themed one back in 2008). The idea for the book was to split the difference between boozy libations and alcohol-free ones like the ones found in Natalie Bovis' Pregatinis in order to provide recipes that allow for more socialization balanced with more control of one's senses. The book in defense of the style has a variety of good quotes from famous bartenders including Pouring Ribbons' Joaquín Simó who said, "There's a lot that goes into having a good night out and being grown up about it." And Neyah White's comment, "The more that a drink is seen as a culinary experience, the less it needs to be an exercise in self-medication to be recognized as good." Overall, the book contains a good techniques section and 53 recipes that span from classics to modern drinks. Sherry, vermouth, aromatized wine, beer, sparkling wine, and liqueurs take center stage here with a good number of the drinks containing a half ounce or less of standard base spirits for backbone.
The drink I made that night was Lindsey's Whimsy created by Lindsey Baird at San Francisco's Comstock Saloon. With the dry vermouth and Benedictine, it reminded me a bit of the Chrysanthemum Cocktail, and the addition of sherry and Amaro Montenegro did not hurt either. Once mixed, it offered a lemon oil aroma over a nutty grape and sweet herbal nose. A grape-driven sip gave way to a nutty swallow with a chocolate and spice swallow.

pizarro's voyage

1 1/2 oz La Diablada Pisco
1/2 oz Plantation 5 Year Barbados Rum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup

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

For my second drink at Eastern Standard, I asked bartender Seth Freidus for one of his creations, Pizarro's Voyage. The recipe was his take on the classic Pisco Punch; the first variance was splitting the pisco spirit base with some aged rum and the second was swapping the simple (or gomme) syrup for pomegranate and vanilla syrups. Moreover, for a pisco, he opted for Macchu Pisco's La Diablada which he found to be very light and floral.
The Pizarro's Voyage's aroma began with lime and cherry notes from the garnish, but later pineapple became more apparent. A lime and pomegranate sip led into a pisco and rum swallow and a pineapple and vanilla finish.