libby

3/4 Rye Whiskey (2 oz Sazerac)
1/8 Sherry (1/4 oz Lustau Amontillado + 1/4 oz Lustau PX)
1/8 Sweet Vermouth (1/2 oz Alessio)
1 dash Picon Bitters (1/4 oz Torani Amer)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and began scanning the whiskey recipes. There, I was lured in by the Libby with the sherry element reminding me of the Plymouth Street Harvest. I originally tried all Amontillado in the mix, but it was a bit too dry so I added in some Pedro Ximenez.
Once chilled and strained, the dual sherry Libby provided nutty, raisin, and dark orange aromas over rye whiskey notes. Next, grape and malt on the sip gave way to rye and nutty flavors on the swallow with raisin and bitter orange on the finish. Indeed, the Pedro Ximenez while providing the necessary sweetness overrode the Amontillado's more nutty notes with its raisiny flavors though. Perhaps a better balanced cream sherry such as Lustau's East India Solera would have worked better than this duo. Or perhaps doubling the Picon for its sweetness or spiking in a dash of simple syrup with the Amontillado would have worked well too.

the kirby

1 1/2 oz Olmeca Altos Blanco Tequila
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Combier Pamplemousse Liqueur
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Dry shake to mix, pour into a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, garnish with 3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters and a paper parasol, and add a straw.
On Wednesday to weeks ago, Andrea and I sought out dinner at Firebrand Saints. For a drink, I asked bartender Dave Erickson for the Kirby which seemed like an interesting herbal and grapefruit-tinged Margarita of sorts. Dave mentioned as he set to work that this was bartender Juan Mederos' creation. Once in the glass, the Kirby shared a cherry and anise aroma from the bitters. Next, grapefruit and lime paired elegantly on the sip, and the swallow showcased the tequila and Chartruese flavors with a herbal and grapefruit finish.

bitter french

1 oz Plymouth Gin (St. George Botanivore)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Campari

Shake with ice, strain into a flute glass with 2 1/2 oz champagne (Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with grapefruit oil from a twist.
Two Tuesdays ago, I ventured into the pages of Gaz Regan's The Negroni for the evening's libation. There, I spotted Phil Ward's marriage of a French 75 with a Negroni that he created at Mayahuel called the Bitter French. Once prepared, it gave forth a grapefruit aroma that led into a carbonated lemon and white wine sip. Next, the gin mingled with bitter orange and more wine notes on the swallow; overall, the Campari donated some bitter complexity to the classic sparkler as well as a delightful pink hue. However, it was not as extreme as the curious Campari-based Posta Aerea. Indeed, Phil in the Death & Co. Book described his 2008 recipe as, "In my opinion, this French 75 variation is the best beginner Campari drink in history."

kongo jungle

1 oz Blackwell Jamaican Rum
1 oz JM Rhum Agricole Gold
1/2 oz Allspice Dram
1 oz Banana Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake ingredients to mix, pour into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, garnish with an edible orchid and a plastic monkey, and add a straw.
(*) Perhaps muddle 1/2 to 3/4 inch of banana in 3/4 oz simple or demerara syrup. Include a fine strain step. Shaking with ice might also help to break the banana up.

Two Mondays ago, I made my way over to the new A4cade that opened two nights before in Central Square, Cambridge. After a short wait, I was allowed to enter the jam-packed room full of video games and pinball machines, and I made my way to second bar in the back where my old Russell House Tavern alums Joe Slavinski and Trevor Christian were tending bar. For a drink, I asked Trevor for the Kongo Jungle off of the Tiki section of the menu. I was a bit surprised that the banana aspect was not Giffard's Banane du Bresil but a banana syrup that donated texture as well as flavor to the libation.
The Kongo Jungle offered up a floral aroma from the orchid garnish that preceded a caramel sip from the dark rum component. Next, the swallow shared the aged rum, banana, and allspice flavors.

swanee shore

2/3 Rye Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Sazerac)
1/3 Grapefruit Juice (3/4 oz)
1 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1 dash Picon (1/4 oz Amer Picon)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a grapefruit twist to the recipe.

For a nightcap Sunday night two weeks ago, I began flipping through Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 for inspiration. There, I stopped upon the Swanee Shore which could have been named after the World War I-era Southern waltz song. What caught my attention was the combination of grenadine and Picon which Trader Vic frequently utilized in drinks like the Jayco and Philippine Punch; the Pioneers recipes made use of this pairing a few times well before Trader Vic ever latched on to it such as in the Bronco.
The Swanee Shore gave forth grapefruit oil and hints of dark orange notes to the nose. Next, malt and grapefruit on the sip stepped aside to rye and bitter orange flavors on the swallow with a tart citrus swallow.

aurora cocktail

1 oz Cognac (Camus VS)
1 oz Rye Whiskey (Sazerac)
1/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1 dash Simple Syrup (1/4 oz)
1 dash Boker's or Angostura Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Stir with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed (Butterfly) cocktail coupe containing 2 oz champagne (Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with either a lemon twist or cherry (lemon twist).
Two Saturdays ago, I ventured into the Canon Cocktail Book for a sparkling wine cocktail. There, I was lured in by their riff on Jerry Thomas' Morning Glory called the Aurora cocktail. The original was published in the 1887 edition of The Bar-Tender's Guide with the curaçao and soda water being swapped here for elderflower liqueur and sparkling wine. Somewhere between the two recipes was something that made me think of the Seelbach. Once mixed, the Aurora Cocktail showcased absinthe notes over lemon oil and elderflower aromas. Next, a carbonated malty and white grape sip gave way to a rye, brandy, and bitter floral swallow with a clean anise and white wine finish.

carnival jump up

2 oz Golden Trinidad Rum (Angostura 7 Year)
1/2 oz Grenadine
1 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and pour into a Highball glass (strain into a Highball and top with fresh ice). Decorate with a pineapple slice, candy sugar cane stick, and a lime slice (lime wheel), and add a straw.
After my bar shift two Fridays ago, I reached for Trader Vic's 1974 Rum Cookery & Drinkery book in a quest for a curious recipe that I might have passed over in previous searches. The one that I found was the Carnival Jump Up that Trader Vic attributed to the bar at the Trinidad Hilton. Once prepared, the Carnival Jump Up presented lime and fruity notes to the nose. Next, a creamy lime and berry sip shared hints of nutmeg, and the swallow offered rum, coconut, and tart lime flavors on the swallow.

foul weather friend

1 1/2 oz Demerara White Rum (El Dorado 3 Year)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Licor 43
1/2 oz Campari
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a goblet (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with fresh mint and a cocktail umbrella.

Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a riff of Trader Vic's Foul Weather that I had spotted on the ModernTiki blog. ModernTiki found the flavors to be a bit more flat than they were expecting from reading the original recipe, and they re-arranged the flavors into the Foul Weather Friend. When I made Trader Vic's, I translated the dash of vanilla as a quarter ounce of Navan Liqueur; here, they used another vanilla-forward (and less defunct) cordial, Licor 43. The biggest change here overall was splitting the orange juice with Campari.
The Foul Weather Friend shared a Jamaican rum funk aroma along with citrus notes on the nose. Next, orange, lemon, and caramel on the sip led into funky rum, bitter orange, and vanilla on the swallow. The only flavor that was lacking as compared to the original was the passion fruit which got lost here in the mix.

the butterfly sting

1 1/2 oz Four Roses Bourbon
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz Sirop de Canne (*)
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.
(*) Substitute a 2:1 simple syrup. Note: this drink was a bit sweet for me once it warmed up, so perhaps a 1/2 oz demerara 1:1 syrup would work better here. Or halving the sirop de canne to 1/4 oz.

Two Wednesdays ago, I made my way down to Stoddard's where I found a seat in front of bar manager Jamie Walsh and bartender Tony Iamunno. For a first drink, I asked Tony for the Butterfly Sting that he described as his Muhammed Ali tribute cocktail. The structure itself reminded me of the Palaver with Swedish Punsch taking the place of the Palaver's Fernet Branca.
The Butterfly Sting floated in with an orange oil notes that brightened the Bourbon aroma. Next, a rich grape and orange sip flipped into a whiskey, bitter, and tea tannin swallow that at first finished somewhat dry. As the cocktail warmed up, the balanced became a bit too much on the sweet side for my palate, so perhaps dropping the sirop de canne or switching to a less concentrated sugar source would help here.