seaward

1 1/2 oz Appleton V/X Rum
1/2 oz Privateer Silver Rum
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 large swaths Lemon Peel
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Express oil from lemon peel into mixing glass. Add the swaths, the rest of the ingredients, and ice; stir and strain into a coupe glass.
For a second drink at Kirkland Tap & Trotter, I asked bartender Kenny Belanger for the Seaward. Kenny described how this was bar manager Jared Sadoian's recipe. Once mixed, it offered a caramel aroma from the aged rum that was brightened by citrus elements. The caramel continued on into the sip where it mingled with cherry notes when the Seaward was colder and orange flavors when it was warmer. The swallow shared the rum notes and alternated between nutty cherry and orange peel on the finish. The lemon oil was less obvious as a flavor component but perhaps it worked to brighten the drink up. Perhaps switching the liqueur ratio to 3/4 oz Montenegro and 1/4 oz Maraschino would help the keep the Maraschino in check in this recipe.

smoke n' bols

1 1/2 oz Bols Genever
4 dash Ardbeg 10 Year Scotch
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Maple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

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

Two Tuesdays ago, I ventured into Kirkland Tap & Trotter on my way home from work. There, I found a seat in front of bartender Kenny Belanger. The first drink I selected from the menu, Smoke n' Bols, was one that Kenny had the name for but lacked a recipe. When he mentioned it to bar manager Jared Sadoian, this Genever and Scotch libation was the result.
The Smoke n' Bols began with a lemon oil aroma that led into a malt and lemon sip. The maple smoothed over the Genever flavors on the swallow, and the Scotch's smoke appeared on the finish.

the murder of dutch schultz

1 1/2 oz Bols Genever
1 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Bols Crème de Cacao

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

Two Sundays ago, I paid a visit to Stoddard's when Tony Iamunno was tending bar. For a first drink, I asked Tony about the Murder of Dutch Schultz on the cocktail menu. Tony described how during fits of insomnia, he reads Wikipedia, and in one of those browsing sessions, he found an article on the Jewish-American and Italian-American Murder, Inc. gang. I became familiar with Dutch Schultz through William Burroughs' piece "The Last Words of Dutch Schultz"; Dutch was a 1930s-era German-Jewish gangster who became the target of the Murder, Inc. hit squad. While they did mortally wound Dutch, he lived on for a few hours to ramble in a high-fever delirium.
The Murder of Dutch Schultz in cocktail format proffered an orange and malt aroma. The sherry's grape mingled with the Genever's malt on the sip, and the swallow began with more of the Genever notes and ended with a chocolate and orange finish.

shift drink

1 1/2 oz Rye (Old Overholt)
3/4 oz Ginger Liqueur (King's Ginger)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Fernet Branca

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
After the Lizard King, I turned to the Cocktail Collective book and spotted Jacob Grier's Shift Drink. With the Fernet Branca and citrus, the format reminded me of the Restauranteur, but instead of Yellow Chartreuse as the complementing liqueur, the Shift Drink utilizes ginger liqueur. This idea harkens me back to how I used to do my Fernet Branca at Eastern Standard back in 2007 -- San Francisco style as a shot with a ginger beer back. Once mixed, the Shift Drink offered a lemon oil and whiskey aroma. Next, lemon and malt on the sip gave way to rye on the swallow. The finish was at first Fernet Branca's herbal menthol, but it later flip flopped with the ginger liqueur; strangely, it was one or the other, but not both on a particular swallow.

lizard king

1 1/2 oz DonQ Añejo Rum (DonQ Gold)
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack
1/2 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup (BG Reynolds)
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Tiki glass filled with crushed ice. I omitted the lizard king garnish constructed from pineapple leaves, lime disk, lemon peel, and 2 maraschino cherries.

Last Saturday, I was browsing the drinks on the OnTheBar app and spotted an interesting Tiki drink created at the Eddy in Providence called the Lizard King. Since it is unlikely that I will make a trip down to Rhode Island in the near future, I figured that I would make this drink created by Carlos Garcia and CM Almeida at my home bar instead.
The Lizard King presented a cinnamon and rum funk aroma. While the sip was a crisp lime flavor, the swallow offered a complex medley of aged rum, funk from the Batavia Arrack and Swedish Punsch, and spice from the cinnamon syrup and allspice dram.

venial sin

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Espolon)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Sombra)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Edler)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Maraska)
3 drop Thai Chili Tincture (1 dash Bittermens Burlesque Bitters) (*)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
(*) Left out of the book version; found on web.

After the Juschu Cocktail, I wanted to keep in the tequila theme and turned to the 75th anniversary edition of the Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide. There, I spotted an interesting straight spirits agave number called the Venial Sin. The book did not attribute the recipe to anyone so I searched the web and found a PDX Eater article that listed Sean Hoard and Daniel Shoemaker of Portland's Teardrop as the creators. It also included an ingredient left out of the book of "3 drop Thai Chili Tincture"; in its place, I added a dash of Bittermens Burlesque Bitters which have a spicy long pepper note to them.
The Venial Sin began with a floral aroma with Maraschino and agave undertones. The sip had a bit of body from the liqueurs with light fruity and honey notes. The swallow then offered smoky, nutty cherry, and herbal flavors and finished with a growing note of pepper heat.

juschu cocktail

1 jigger Tequila (2 oz Piedra Azul Blanco)
2 tsp Strained Honey (1/2 oz Honey Syrup 1:1)
1 tsp Lime Juice (1/2 oz)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Sundays ago, I was flipping through my 1940 edition of The How and When when I spotted a curious tequila drink called the Juschu. While a tequila Bee's Knees with Angostura Bitters is not all that stunning of a concept (then again, the Becherovka version, the Metamorphosis, begs to differ), it was amazing that this recipe appeared only 3 years after the 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book put forth some of the earliest tequila cocktail recipes including the recipe that was later renamed the Margarita. Moreover, the Juschu, unlike the Bee's Knees, sort of got lost in history for very few cocktail books ever republished the recipe.
The Juschu offered a floral and tequila aroma that gave way to a honey and lime sip. The honey continued on into the swallow where it smoothed out the tequila flavors and was finally dampened by the bitter spice notes of the Angostura. Given the effect of the Angostura here, I may have to retry the Bee's Knees with a dash of bitters to see how it modulates the classic.

mariposa fizz

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz White Crème de Cacao (Marie Brizard)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a tall glass pre-rinsed with orange blossom water and containing 1 1/2 oz soda water. (Recipe says to fill with ice, but omitted since Fizzes unlike Collins lack ice). Garnish with grated nutmeg and add a straw.

After the Grand Slam, I turned to Beachbum Berry's Remixed and spotted the Mariposa Fizz. The drink was served on Matson Line's S.S. Mariposa on its 42 day long South Seas cruise in 1962. The recipe caught my eye for it appeared like a Silver Fizz variation on the Mady from the 1937 Cafe Royal Cocktail Book.
Once prepared, the Mariposa Fizz offered an orange flower water aroma spiced with nutmeg. A creamy lemon sip gave way to gin notes and a chocolate finish. The chocolate flavors here were subtle and perhaps doubling the crème de cacao and using no simple syrup akin to the Mady would work better.

grand slam cocktail #2

1/3 jigger Dry Gin (3/4 oz Darnley's View)
1/3 jigger Brandy (3/4 oz Foret)
1/3 jigger Apricot Liqueur (3/4 oz Rothman & Winter)
1 spoon Lime Juice (3/8 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Wednesdays ago, we began the cocktail hour with a drink I spotted in the 1940 The How and When called the Grand Slam Cocktail #2. The first Grand Slam is better recorded in the drink literature and consists of Swedish Punsch with a mix of vermouths; this second Grand Slam comes in as a cross between a Pendennis and an Embassy Club. Moreover, the split spirits base of brandy and gin always reminds me of the Suffering Bastard (although there are gin and whiskey versions as well).
The Grand Slam #2 presented an apricot aroma supplemented by a richness from the brandy. A lime-driven sip gave way to brandy and juniper swallow that also shared an apricot note that lingered on into the finish.