day of the dead bitters

I just got a request for the ingredients for one of my old bitters recipes that I developed back in 2010 called the Day of the Dead Bitters. The idea was a Mexican-themed bitters that were not chocolate molé-based but instead featured calendula or marigold petals. Calendula has been used throughout Dead of the Dead celebrations to decorate altars and graves as well as commemorate the deceased in homes. The bright orange, pungent flowers are believed to attract dead souls and bring them back home; however, the roots of the association probably started by the flowers utility in hide the odors of death and decay during funerals. As for other Mexican-themed ingredients, coffee, ancho chili, cinnamon, sage, cumin, and clove were also utilized. Moreover, I decided to utilize tonka bean; despite the FDA frowning on this delicious botanical, it is frequently utilized in Mexican vanilla extracts. Besides a vanilla note, it also donates a beautiful spice richness to infusions. Regular vanilla bean could be substituted if need be.

The bitters themselves found their way into a few Boston recipes including Scott Holliday's Ofrenda, Ran Duan's Jarabe Tapatío, and Ben Sandrof's Bittered Fling. Without further ado, here is my recipe:

Day of the Dead Bitters
• 20 gram Marigold (Calendula) petals, dried
• 12 gram Chamomile, dried
• 8 gram Orange peel, dried
• 2 gram Lemon peel, dried
• 6 gram Cinnamon stick, broken up
• 1 gram Corriander seed
• 1 gram Cumin seed
• 3 gram Thyme, dried
• 2 gram Oregano, dried
• 4 gram Spearmint, dried
• 1 gram Clove
• 6 gram Coffee bean, medium roast, broken up
• 2 gram Ancho chili powder
• 8 gram Tonka bean, broken up
Add 16 oz Bacardi 151 proof Rum and 8 oz water to make 24 oz of 100° spirit. Let infuse for 10 days with frequent mixing. Filter through a coffee filter, and bottle.

The bitters were only made once according to my notebook and led me to develop flower bitters that I dubbed "Bumble Bee Bitters" which also utilized marigold and chamomile (as well as lavender) but in a more herbal and classical bitters direction.

blood letter

2 oz Peloton de la Muerte Mezcal
1/2 oz Carpano Bianco Vermouth
1/2 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur
1 barspoon Habañero Vodka (*)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rock glass.
(*) Sub a small dash of hot sauce for this infusion.
For a second cocktail at Barrel House in Beverly, I requested the Blood Letter for I have found gentian liqueurs to pair rather well with agave spirits such as in the Zig Zag Wanderer. On the nose, the Blood Letter begat smoky notes with hints of herbal from either the Salers or the habañero pepper. While the sip was a sweet white grape flavor, the swallow offered smoky mezcal, earthy gentian, and lots of peppery spice.

pink penelope

3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz St. Germain
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a small white wine glass and top with 1 oz Louis de Grenelle sparkling rosé wine.
The drink that Andrea asked bartender Sarah Walman for was the Pink Penelope. I was tempted by this one too, for the combination of Campari and St. Germain has worked rather well in drinks like the Cell 34 and Sideways in Reverse. When I tasted her drink, it offered Campari and grapefruit aromas on the nose. Next, sparkling citrus flavors on the sip led into Campari softened by St. Germain on the swallow. The Campari continued on into the finish though as a bitter orange flavor.
For dessert, we were brought a trio of half-sized portions of their "adult milkshakes." From left to right, the Bourbon Cabinet (Bourbon, Luxardo cherry syrup), Senior Mints (Fernet Branca, U-bet Chocolate Syrup), and the Shakedown (Old Monk Rum, cinnamon syrup). While my favorite was the Bourbon Cabinet and Andrea took to the Shakedown the most, I would not say no to the Senior Mints again.

jersey isle julep

1 oz Privateer Amber Rum
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 pinch Mint

Muddle mint in simple syrup in a Tulip glass. Add the rest of the ingredients and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig, grate nutmeg over the top, and add straws.
Two Thursdays ago, Andrea and I took the commuter rail up to Beverly to have dinner at Barrel House. On the bar that night were Sarah Waltman and John Wierszchalek, and bar manager Sean Maher was floating around helping out throughout the restaurant. For a first drink, I asked Sarah for the Jersey Isle Julep which seemed perfect for the warm evening. In the glass, it offered a spicy herbal aroma from the nutmeg and mint. Sweet citrus on the sip led into rum, mint, tangerine, and spice on the swallow. Overall, the Jersey Isle Julep pleasantly fell somewhere between a Rum Julep and a Tiki drink.

kentucky shuffle

1/2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
1/2 oz White Horse Scotch
1 oz Meletti Amaro
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 barspoon Ginger Syrup
2 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass. Fill with ice, top with soda, and add a straw.

While at Spoke, Davis Square lost power, and Spoke's circle lights on the bar and the rest of their electricity went out. One table had sat down and ordered drinks, and when the power went out, they left. That caused a cocktail, the Kentucky Shuffle, to need a home. Therefore, bartender Chris Danforth donated this orphan to me. While I did learn that it was Chris' recipe, I did not inquire about the name. Perhaps it started as a Kentucky Buck with part of the whiskey swapped for amaro and the rest of the Bourbon swapped for rye and Scotch?
The Kentucky Shuffle began with a lemon oil aroma. A carbonated lemon, malty and caramel sip gave way to whiskey, floral, and herbal notes on the swallow with a ginger finish.

mistaken for strangers

1 1/2 oz Aged Rum Mix (*)
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe.
(*) 3 parts Barbancourt 5 Year to 1 part El Dorado 12 Year

The drink that Andrea asked bartender Liz Mann for at Spoke was the Mistaken for Strangers. Bar manager Chris Danforth later explained that the name of his creation was how people do not expect older sipping-style rums to be utilized in cocktails. The flavor combination reminded me of Brick and Mortar's riff on a Jungle Bird called the Jets to Brazil but completely reconfigured here. And it had absolutely nothing to do with Brick & Mortar's grappa-based Mistaken for Strangers either.
This Mistaken for Strangers shared a vague fruitiness that perhaps had more Aperol aromas than lemon or pineapple. Orange with hints of pineapple on the sip transitioned into dark rums on the swallow with pineapple and rhubarb on the finish.

a bird named rufus

1 oz Plantation 3 Star White Rum
1 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
4 leaf Mint

Build in a rocks glass, add ice, and shake to incorporate. Top with 1 oz soda water and garnish with a lemon twist.
About two weeks ago, Andrea and I stopped into Spoke for drinks and food, and at the bar were bartenders Chris Danforth and Liz Mann. For a first drink, I asked Liz for A Bird Named Rufus. When I learned that Chris had created the recipe, I inquired about the curious drink name. The Rufus in question was the Rufous-crowned Tody Flycatcher bird, and it was the only bird call Chris' mom knew and she frequently would do the call. Once this tribute to his childhood was mixed in the glass, it offered a lemon aroma over a lightly carbonated lemon sip. The swallow then proffered a combination of rum and funky bitter flavors with growing mint notes over time.

adorable bartender

1 1/2 oz Aged Cachaça (Seleta Gold)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Montelobos)
1/2 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Earl Grey Syrup (*)
3 dash Grapefruit Bitters (2 wide grapefruit swaths)

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
(*) For every 1 oz of strongly steeped hot Earl Grey tea, add 1 oz sugar. Stir to dissolve. 1 + 1 = 1.5 oz syrup.
After the Hurricane, I turned to a drink I had spotted on ShakeStir called the Adorable Bartender. The recipe was concocted by Christopher Lockwood, bar manager of Lucey's Lounge in Brooklyn. Not only did the combination of cachaça and mezcal seemed intriguing, but I was curious as to how it would all pair with tea syrup and gentian liqueur. In the glass, the cocktail offered grapefruit oil notes over the cachaça funk nose. Lime and a bit of toastiness from the tea on the sip set the stage for funky cachaça, smoky agave, tea, and earthy gentian on the swallow as well as a citrus-driven finish.

hurricane

4 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (2 oz Coruba, 1/2 oz Smith & Cross, 1/2 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof)
2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (1 1/2 oz housemade)
2 oz Lemon Juice (1 1/2 oz)

Shake with crushed ice and pour into a Hurricane glass or large Tiki mug. Top with crushed ice.

A few Tuesdays ago, I finally found frozen passion fruit pulp to make my own passion fruit syrup. I had received a tip on Chowhound to look in the lowboy freezer in the middle of the Pao de Acucar Market in Union Square, Somerville, MA. There, I found enough pulp to make 24 oz of syrup for $4. Making the syrup was as easy as opening two 3 oz packets and letting them thaw in an equal volume (6 oz) of simple syrup according to Beachbum Berry. I added a fine straining step to remove some of the seeds. With a fresh and aromatic batch of passion fruit syrup in hand, I decided to start with the classic Hurricane. While I have had or made variations on the classic, especially with bartenders across town last year showcasing their Tales of the Cocktail Hurricane competition entries (such as Hurricane Caesar and Category 1), I have not had the basic three ingredient one.
The Hurricane's creation can be traced back to Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans circa 1940. Bartender Louis Culligan crafted this drink as a way of getting rid of excess rum that needed to be purchased to get other spirits. Beachbum Berry provides more history in Remixed, and the recipe I utilized came straight from that source. To garnish the drink, besides mint sprigs and a wide lemon swath, I added pink orchid-like flowers from our ornamental pea plant. Once prepared, the Hurricane shared a mint aroma over the fruity nose from the passion fruit. Lemon and an almost peachy note from the passion fruit on the sip led into funky rums on the swallow with a citrussy finish.