[banana cup no. 1]

1 1/2 oz Pimm's No. 1
1/2 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1/2 oz Cynar
1 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass with 2 oz Barritt's Ginger Beer. Fill with ice, add straws, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Since I finally had a Tuesday off two weeks ago, I was able to visit Sahil Mehta at Estragon. For a start, I opted for the drink of the day for I was curious to see how banana and Cynar interacted and to determine if it was as magical as the combination with Campari in the Banana Boulevardier or Ramazzotti in the Bela Vista. Needing a name, I took the Pimm's ingredient as a cue and dubbed this one the Banana Cup No. 1.
The Banana Cup No. 1 began with a mint aroma that led into a lemon and fruity sip. Next, the swallow proved that the Cynar-banana combination was indeed delicious as it offered banana, bitter, and ginger notes.

holy mole!

1 1/2 oz Glenfiddich Scotch
3/4 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
Later that Monday night, I found myself at the Hawthorne for the final event to wrap up Boston Thirst 2016, the William & Grant party. For a libation, I asked bar manager Jared Sadoian for the Holy Molé! which reminded me on paper of a banana for honey Penicillin Cocktail. Once built, the Holy Molé! presented a banana aroma accented by smoky Scotch notes. Next, the lemon sip gave way to Scotch, ginger, and banana on the swallow.

surfer on acid

1 1/2 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Clement Mahinia Coco
1/8 oz Peychaud's Bitters
1 pinch Kosher Salt

Blend with ice and pour into a Hurricane glass. Top with crushed ice and garnish with a pineapple leaf and a paper umbrella (omit).

Two Mondays ago, in the midst of the final night of Boston Thirst events, I found myself with a group at Hojoko. For a drink, I requested the bar's take on the Surfer on Acid. I was curious for I had tinkered with remaking the neo-classic with my Bartender on Acid and I had seen the drink during a photo shoot for The Improper Bostonian as Hojoko's Joe Camarata was setting up his drink while my take on The Blood of the Kapu Tiki was being photographed. The recipe for this drink was sourced from that article.
This Surfer on Acid offered a dark herbal bouquet. Next, a creamy sip shared pineapple and other tropical fruit notes, and the swallow divvied up rum, pineapple, and coconut flavors with a bitter and spiced finish.

death flip

1 oz Blanco Tequila (Piedra Azul)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Jagermeister
1 dash Simple Syrup (omit)
1 whole Egg

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a Sour glass, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Two Sundays ago after the Blender Bender, I treated myself to a nightcap from a recent Eater article called the Death Flip. I was drawn to the recipe because something rich seemed fitting and since the Jagermeister ingredient reminded me of a great icy offering at the Blender Bender. The drink itself was created by Chris Hysted of the Black Pearl in Melbourne, Australia, and it reminded me of the Colleen Bawn in structure.
The Death Flip began with a nutmeg aroma from the garnish that complemented the vegetal and herbal notes from the liquid below. Next, a creamy rich and caramel sip preceded the tequila, clove, and herbal swallow. Later, cinnamon and star anise from the Jagermeister became rather noticeable on the swallow.

jim's special

2 oz Myer's Rum (1 oz Goslings)
2 1/2 oz Casadores Tequila (1 1/4 oz Espolon Blanco)
1 oz Lime Juice (1/2 oz)
1 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (1/2 oz)
1 oz Tiki-Ti Mai Tai Mix (1/4 oz orgeat, 1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)

Blend with 8 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with a pineapple wedge speared to a cherry (mint and a half spent lime shell filled with Don Q 151 Rum and ignited).
For my post-shift nightcap two Saturday's ago, I grabbed Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari and opted for the Jim's Special created at the Tiki-Ti circa 2000. Overall, the Jim's Special was a cross between a classic Mai Tai and Trader Vic's Chinese Itch with the base spirit split between rum and tequila. Once in the mug, the drink proffered a mint aroma. Next, lime and tropical fruit flavors on the sip led into dark rum, tequila, earthy, and orange notes on the swallow.

theobroma

2 oz Reposado Tequila (Espolon)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Bigallet China-China (Torani Amer)
1 tsp Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
A few Thursdays ago, I turned to The Cocktail Chronicles book for a post-work nightcap and I selected the Theobroma. Paul Clarke had originally written about the Theobroma on his blog 6 years ago where he explained the origins of the drink. When Paul read David Wondrich's Esquire Drinks, he remembered reading through a list of "The Rules" where Wondrich declared that there was no such thing as a Chocolate Martini. Paul tried to figure out how chocolate got a bad rap despite being tasty in drinks like the 20th Century, and he decided on tequila as the base of his elegant chocolate cocktail. Back in 2009, Amer Picon and mole bitters were less available, so Paul offered up his alternative:

Theobroma (blog version)
• 2 oz Reposado Tequila
• 1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
• 1/2 oz Averna
• 1/4 oz Crème de Cacao
• 1 tsp Mezcal
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

While Averna can be rather chocolaty, I decided on the book version since it reminded me of a tequila version of the Coney Island. Once mixed, it shared an orange and agave nose with a darker note from either the amer or the chocolate elements. Next, grape and caramel in the sip transitioned into tequila, bitter, and chocolate flavors on the swallow with a dry ending.

daq in black

1 oz Blackwell Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Cognac
1/2 oz Meletti Amaro
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Fee's Black Walnut Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon peel lightning bolt.
For my second drink at Backbar, I opted for Luc Thiers' drink of the day, the Daq in Black. Since it was his first day back, he created the drink as a joke about his proclivity towards amaro-laden Daiquiris all with an AC/DC reference here. Once in the glass, the Daq in Black gave forth a lemon aroma from the twist and a caramel one from the dark rum and amaro. Next, the caramel notes continued into the sip where they contrasted the crisp lime, and the swallow offered dark rum, Cognac, vanilla, and walnut flavors.

crossroads highball

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/4 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass with 3 oz sparkling wine. Add ice and a straw, and garnish with a lemon twist and 2 dashes of floated Angostura Bitters.
A few Wednesdays ago, I heard that Luc Thiers was back in town and bartending at Backbar, so I made my way over on my day off. For a start, I requested a previous drink of the day called the Crossroads Highball that was bartender Carlo Caroscio's riff on the Champs-Élysées. The Crossroads Highball began with a clove, lemon, and sparkling wine aroma. Next, the carbonated sip paired lemon and honey flavors, and the swallow started with Cognac and ended with herbal and rum funk notes. Finally, as the bitters began to enter the equation, things dried out and became more spiced.

yacht rock

3/4 oz Coruba Dark Rum
3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Campari
1/2 oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth (should have been Blanc, see comment)
1/2 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice

Shake with 3 ice cubes and strain into a snifter glass. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with a lime boat and orchid (lime boat, columbine flower, and mint).

A few Tuesdays ago for my post-shift nightcap, I turned to a Jungle Bird riff that I spotted in a Punch Magazine article about variations on that 1970s classic. The riff that appealed the most to me was the Yacht Rock from Garret Richard of Manhattan's Slowly Shirley and the Happiest Hour. With rums, juices, vermouth, and crème de cacao, it reminded me of the Tortuga and of course the Floridita. Here, it also had the great pairing of chocolate and Campari which I was first introduced to in the Carletti and last experienced in the All In.
The Yacht Rock shared a floral, lime, and mint nose. On the sip, caramel and a vague fruity flavor from the lime, grape, and orange led into a swallow replete with funky rums, chocolate, and softened Campari orange notes.