howling winds

1 3/4 oz Ansac Cognac
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 barspoon St. George Absinthe
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
One of the elegant drinks that appeared on the Russell House Tavern in the fall was a Champs-Élysées riff created by bartender Adam Hockman. To the classic, he supplemented the flavor profile with additional spice and herbal elements via absinthe and cinnamon syrup. Once mixed, the Howling Winds offered a lemon and Cognac aroma with notes of anise as the drink warmed up. A lemon and honey sip gave way to a Cognac, herbal, anise, and spice swallow with a cinnamon finish. While created for the autumn and winter weather, the Howling Winds still remains a popular drink through the spring and now summer months.

of lambs and lions

1 oz Martin Miller Gin
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Avèze Gentian Liqueur
1/4 oz Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
For a second cocktail at Estragon, I perused Sahil Mehta's drink notebook and spotted Of Lambs and Lions. Sahil confirmed my assumption that this was his tribute to Spring. Once mixed, it offered a lemon, herbal, and floral aroma. A lemony sip gave way to green and earthy flavors on the swallow with a floral and lemony finish. Overall, Of Lambs and Lions came across like a more botanically driven Aviation.

pan-european pandemonium

1 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Manzanilla Sherry

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top.

Two Mondays ago, I decided to venture by subway and foot to the South End to pay Sahil Mehta at Estragon a visit. For a first drink, Sahil mentioned that he remembered my curiousity about the Pan-European Pandemonium the last time I peered into his drink notebook and suggested that I start with that. The combination of Drambuie, agave, Cynar, and sherry were ones that I have found to pair rather well together in various drinks, but here they were all in one. My guess that the Mexican aspect of the agave is just part of the pandemonium though.
The Pan-European Pandemonium began with a lemon, smoky, and honey-tinged nose. The Drambuie's honey continued into the sip where it mingled with the sherry's grape flavors. Finally, the swallow offered the smoky mezcal notes with an herbal finish from the Cynar. Indeed, this complex, herbal, and savory drink could go either way as an aperitif or digestif.

camino del ray

1 1/2 oz Añejo Tequila (Espolon Reposado)
1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Drambuie
1 dash Rhubarb Bitters (Bittermens Burlesque)

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

After the Accoutrement, I turned to the 75th anniversary edition of the Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide for inspiration. There, I spotted the tequila and sherry-containing Camino Del Ray created by Ted Henwood, a spirits ambassador in New York City. In addition to the sherry excitement, the drink utilized the great combination of tequila and Drambuie that Misty Kalkofen introduced me to via her spirits guide Charlotte Voisey.
The Camino Del Ray greeted the nose with lemon oil, tequila, and grape aromas. A honeyed grape sip led into agave, Scotch, sherry nuttiness, and a spice heat from the bitters.

accoutrement

2 oz Calvados (VSOP Boulard)
3/4 oz Strega
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Creole Shrubb or Grand Marnier (GM)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with 3 brandied cherries (omitted).

Two Saturdays ago, I began the cocktail hour by looking for a drink from the new Food & Wine Cocktails 2014, a best of the last decade of drinks from them. The one that caught my eye was one from Chris Hannah of Arnaud's French 75 Bar in New Orleans; like his Decolletage, this one was elegantly named the Accoutrement.
The Accoutrement greeted the nose with an apple and herbal aroma. The apple notes continued on into the sip where it mingled with the lemon being modified by the Grand Marnier's orange notes. Finally, the rest of the apple flavors came through on the swallow along with the Strega's herbal ones, and the Accoutrement ended with an orange peel, anise, and spice finish.

choke up

1 oz Old Overholt Rye
1 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a small dash of Angostura Bitters.

For my second drink at Backbar, I was curious about the Choke Up with the menu subtitle was "Step up to the plate and try this Whiskey Sour..." Since the Deep Six, a Cynar South Side, and similar cocktails have been such successes, I was definitely looking forward to a whiskey spin on things and requested one from bartender Joe Cammarata.
The Angostura Bitters garnishing the froth provided allspice aromas with a hints of clove. A lemon, caramel, and malt sip led into a rye swallow with a funky vegetal Cynar finish. The rye did provide a solid backbone to the Cynar notes here.

real fancy

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
1 oz La Garrocha Amontillado Sherry (*)
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/4 oz Raspberry Syrup

Muddle 6-8 leaves of mint in the bottom of a Julep cup. Add rest of ingredients and crushed ice, and stir to mix and chill. Garnish with a strawberry, mint, and a lemon twist, and add a straw.
(*) Usually made with Lustau's amontillado.

Last Thursday, I ventured over to Backbar after my shift at work. For a first libation, I asked bartender Joe Cammarata for a drink of the day from the previous week, the sherry-laden Real Fancy. In essence it was a gussied up Mint Julep, but I wondered if the "fancy" part did not mean its ornateness but a nod to the 19th century cocktails with added curaçao before they were then "improved" with Maraschino and absinthe. Moreover, the idea of sherry-containing Juleps was one that I was familiar with after enjoying the Platonic Julep.
The garnishes played heavily into the Real Fancy's aroma with mint and strawberry being more apparently early and the lemon twist's oil later in the drink's enjoyment. On the palate, a dry grape sip led into a Cognac and mint swallow that ended with an orange and tart raspberry finish.

cooperstown

1 3/4 oz Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
6-8 leaf Mint

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Tuesdays ago, I headed over to Straight Law after work. For a drink idea, bartender Sean Sullivan suggested a Cooperstown. While I have had other wine-forward mint libations such as the Greenbriar Cocktail, I never have had this one despite spotting it several cocktail books. The recipe dates back to the mid-1910s with appearances in books by Hugo Ensslin and Tom Bullock (albeit with the dry vermouth left out in the latter). Robert Vermeire in 1922 strangely provides some history of "This drink is very popular amongst the cowboys in America." I know that the Straight Law drink concepts and bar name stem from The Savoy Cocktail Book where this drink also appears.
The Cooperstown offered a juniper-driven nose that led into a light grape sip. On the swallow, the gin's botanicals pleasantly melded with the mint herbal notes. Indeed, the mint elevated the drink beyond a Perfect Martini to new ground just like it did to the Negroni in Count Camillo's Derby.

radio call

3/4 Rye (1 1/2 oz Old Overholt)
1/4 Sweet Vermouth (3/4 oz Dolin)
2 dash Pineapple Juice (1/2 oz)
1 dash Picon Bitters (1/4 oz Ramazzotti)

A few Thursdays ago, I opened up Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and spotted the Radio Call; the presence of pineapple juice made me think about the pineapple-themed Mixology Monday that was coming up. Moreover, pineapple juice pairs rather well with dark amaro, so I was curious about giving this one a shot. While I do own Amer Picon and Torani Amer, I decided to use the more available Amaro Ramazzotti here. As for the name, much of the standardization of radio call signs for boats to radio stations started around 1912 which falls within the book's era.
The Radio Call began with an herbal rye aroma that came across with an almost almond-like note. Next, a fruity grape sip gave way to rye, caramel, pineapple, and dark orange flavors on the swallow. Overall, the Radio Call appeared like a darker and sweeter Algonquin.