zander

2 oz Bols Genever
1 1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

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

For my second drink at Trina's Starlite Lounge, I focused in on another drink from the "Tasty Drinks from Good People" section of their menu that I had spotted when I had Tony Iamunno's Chasing Fireflies last time. That drink was the Zander from Isaac Sussman of the Independent; I was not sure if he named it after the European river fish, The Simpsons character, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, or other. The combination of grain spirit, Punt e Mes, and Benedictine made me think of Green Street's Creole (their substitution in this Amer Picon-light world), but it was closer to Green Street's William of Orange that Emily Stanley crafted for the Bartenders on the Rise event back in 2010.
The Zander presented a malty and lemon oil aroma over that of the Punt e Mes' dark grape. The sip's caramelly grape flavors possessed a full mouthfeel from the Genever's malt, and the swallow showed off the rest of the Genever notes with a bitter, herbal, and spice finish. I believe that Andrea summed up the drink with the three words "black cherry toast," for they ended up in quotation marks at the end of my tasting notes.

smuggler

2 oz Zaya 12 Year Rum
3/4 oz Contrabandista Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
4 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

A few Wednesdays ago, Andrea and I ventured over to Trina's Starlite Lounge for post-dinner dessert and drinks. For a first cocktail, I asked bartender Beau Sturm for the night's super-secret drink, the Smuggler, that they had tweeted about earlier in the day. Beau explained that Trina's-alum Dan Beretsky had thought of the idea, but it was Beau who eventually put proportions to the ingredients.
The Smuggler presented a dark rum nose with hints of orange peel and grape. A caramel sip with grape notes gave way to the rich dark rum swallow. The rum then blended into the Curaçao's orange peel and sherry's nutty flavors and finished with Angostura's spice.

hotel homans

1 oz Partida Tequila
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
7 dash Angostura Bitters
7 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a flute glass. Top with Kenwood sparkling wine and garnish with an orange twist.

A few Mondays ago, we headed over to Backbar for one of the guest bartender nights to raise money for Alex Homans to aid in his recovery after being hit by a car as he biked to work at Fairsted Kitchen. That night, the guest bartender was Sam Gabrielli of Russell House Tavern, and he presided with resident bartenders Sam Treadway and Kyle Powell. Gabrielli did this to honor his friend who helped mentor him at Temple Bar and Russell House Tavern, and Sam attributed Alex's guidance as what helped him become the great bar manager that he is today. While I got the blue Daiquiri Time Out in respect for Alex's love of all things blue Curaçao, Andrea opted for the non-blue Hotel Homans for she is quite the Seelbach fan. Kyle, who made the drink for her that night, described how this tequila variation had to veer from their preferred ratio as the agave flavors were dominating the flavor profile.
The orange twist brightened the agave aroma of the Hotel Homans. The sip offered a carbonated, citrussy, and sparkling wine medley that led into tequila swallow that shared more wine flavors as well as spice and bitter complexity from the hefty doses of Angustura and Peychaud's.

sherry duval

1 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
1 oz Bols Genever
3/4 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters (omitted)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After the Swedish Sweet Tart, we were in the mood for a nightcap. I perused my list of drinks to make and spotted one from Timothy Miner of the Long Island Bar in Brooklyn. Tim created entered the recipe in one of ShakeStir's flash cocktail competitions with the description, "This is a great stirred drink for Autumn. It is rich, and nutty with a long finish. It would do well by a fireplace in New England." Well, we had neither a fireplace nor walnut bitters, but we decided to give this one a go.
The Sherry Duval began with a nutty sherry nose that shared malty notes of the Genever. The Cynar's caramel and the sherry's grape paired with the maple syrup's richness on the sip; next, the sherry's raisin provided the structure of the swallow that was modified by the sharper herbal elements of the Genever and the earthier bitter elements of the Cynar on the finish. Overall, the maple syrup really tied the drink together especially the sherry and Cynar as it has with the Farmhouse Flip and the Mortal Sunset, respectively.

swedish sweet tart

1 oz North Shore Aquavit (North Shore Private Reserve)
3/4 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Marie Brizard Crème de Cacao

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange twist (not flamed, discarded).
A few Saturdays ago, we began the evening by turning to Sanctuaria: The Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars for inspiration. There, I spotted a drink that paired Swedish Punsch with aquavit called the Swedish Sweet Tart. Despite the name, I was quite curious and was lured in. Once mixed, the drink proffered an orange oil aroma over chocolate notes from the crème de cacao and sweet notes from the Swedish punsch. Next, a lemony sip led into a rum, cacao, and herbal swallow with a lingering caraway finish. Overall, the drink was not very caraway driven, like many aquavit recipes have a tendency of being, save for a pleasant aftertaste that grew throughout the drink.

winter cobbler

1 1/2 oz Scotch
1 oz Honey Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Palo Cortado Sherry
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash House Aromatic Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Julep cup (or Highball glass). Pack with crushed ice, garnish with mint, and add a straw. Perhaps this was built in the Julep cup though, sans shake/strain step, since my notes do not specify.

A few Wednesdays ago, we ventured down to Deep Ellum for dinner. For a first drink, I asked bartender Jennifer Salucci for the Winter Cobbler that just appeared on the menu. I am always pleased when bars take old non-cocktail, non-highball styles like the Cobbler, Fix, and Zoom and give new life to them. Here, Deep Ellum made a seasonal Cobbler that read like a riff on the Penicillin Cocktail; this was not their first riff on the neo-classic for they had the agave-based Little Branch Cocktail on the menu three years ago.
The Winter Cobbler began with a mint aroma over a Scotch and sherry nose. Honey flavors sweetened the lemon and grape sip, and the swallow offered Scotch and raisiny notes with a growing ginger signature after successive gulps. Overall, I was quite impressed at how well Palo Cortado sherry paired here with Scotch and how much depth it added to the Penicillin Cocktail-like base.

kojo cocktail

1 oz Greenhat Gin (Martin Miller Westbourne)
1 oz Oloroso (Lustau)
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Decanter Bitters (Angostura)

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

A few Thursdays ago, I decided to make the Kojo Cocktail that I had spotted on Derek Brown's Twitter feed. After hearing Derek speak about sherry at Thirst Boston, I was excited to try one of his sherry creations. I suspect that this drink is named after Kojo Nnamdi who hosts a public radio talk show on WAMU 88.5 in Washington, DC, where Derek has been a guest.
The Kojo Cocktail began with a grapefruit oil, nutty oxidized grape, and clove aroma. The lemon flavors were greater than the grape on the sip; next, the swallow began with the nutty sherry notes and ended with clove, juniper, allspice, and a lemon tartness.

1818 cocktail

1 oz El Maestro Oloroso Sherry
1 oz Old Monk Rum
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Mole Bitters

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

A few Tuesdays ago, I ventured over to Spoke Wine Bar where Lena Webb was bartending. For a drink idea, I asked this fortified wine enthusiast to sherry-fy a cocktail for me. Her chosen starting point was Drink's 1919 Cocktail, and she subbed the rye for sherry and switched around some of the proportions. When she made it for me, instead of the Punt e Mes listed above, Lena reached for Dolin Sweet Vermouth. While we agreed that the libation was good that way, it would perhaps be better with Punt e Mes or a more robust vermouth like Carpano Antica. Therefore, I made it the next day at work as written above save for using Lustau Amontillado Sherry but leaving out the mole bitters. Served this way with added bitter notes, the drink truly did shine. Finally, a coin toss was in order to name the variation the 1818 or the 1819.
With the Punt e Mes recipe, the aged rum added a funkiness to the grape aroma. A rich, complex grape sip shared caramel flavors from the rum. The rum then continued on into the swallow where it mingled with the Punt e Mes bitter and the Benedictine herbal notes.

etched in time

1 1/2 oz Ron Abuelo Rum
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Luxardo Amaretto
1/4 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
1/4 oz Angostura Bitters
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a dried rosebud.
After the Edgar Allen Poe, I searched through bartender Sahil Mehta's cocktail recipe notebook and spotted the Etched in Time. The drink was one of Sahil's creations for the Angostura competition. Since the drink was rather amber, Sahil wanted something to be trapped in there, so he garnished with the dried rosebud. Once mixed for me, the Etched in Time greeted the nose with a cherry and amaretto aroma. The lemon sip shared a vague fruitiness, and the swallow began with rum followed by dark herbal notes, nuttiness, and Angostura Bitters' dryness and spice.