aku aku

Juice 1 Lime (1 oz)
8-10 leaf Mint (10 leaves)
1 dash Rock Candy Syrup (1/2 oz Simple)
1/2 slice Pineapple (1 oz Pineapple Juice)
1/2 oz Peach Liqueur (Briottet Crème de Pêche de Vigne)
1 oz Light Puerto Rican Rum (Angostura White Oak)

Blend with ice (~8 oz) and pour into a large cocktail glass (water goblet). I garnished with a mint sprig and a nasturtium blossom.
Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for Trader Vic's 1972 edition of his Bartender's Guide where I spotted one of his originals, the Aku Aku. The recipe appeared to be his take on Don the Beachcomber's circa 1940 Missionary's Downfall with rock candy syrup instead of honey. Once prepared, the Aku Aku gave forth a glorious mint aroma. Next lime and pineapple mingled on the sip, and the swallow offered complementary rum, peach, and mint flavors.

part-time lover

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice (coupe glass sans ice), and garnish with a grapefruit (orange) twist.

Two Mondays ago for the cocktail hour, I turned to Imbibe Magazine online where I had bookmarked the Part-Time Lover created by Jon Weimorts at Los Angeles' Idle Hour. Indeed, the combination of Aperol, elderflower, and lemon reminded me of Paul Clarke's Dunniette and Josh Childs' Shaddock. Here, the spirit was tequila with an added spiced complexity from Angostura Bitters.
While the recipe prescribed an on-the-rocks presentation, I was more in the mood for an up drink and served it as such; I was also out of grapefruit, so I switched the twist identity to orange. With this change in garnish, the orange oil brought out the Aperol aroma on the nose. Next, lemon juice and Aperol's orange combined to generate an almost tangerine flavor, and the swallow gave forth tequila, rhubarb, and elderflower flavors with clove-driven bitters on the finish.

mambo #5

1 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Lunazul)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Campari

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig and orange peel.

Two Sundays ago, I was looking through the OnTheBar drink directory when I spotted the Mambo #5 by Ian Kearney of Manhattan's The Daisy. The combination of tequila, Campari, and orgeat reminded me of Death in the Garden, and the Swedish punsch element seemed like it would complement the tequila and Campari as described in my Swedish punsch cheat sheet. So overall, I was definitely looking forward to trying this combination.
Once prepared, the Mambo #5 offered an orange and mint bouquet to the nose. Next, a creamy lime sip led into swallow which saw tequila's herbal flavors melding into the punsch's tea notes as well as the nutty orgeat working well with the Campari's bitter orange. Overall, the combination reminded me of the tequila Mai Tai called the Pinky Gonzalez with a touch of the Bitter Mai Tai thrown in too.

tiger balm

2 oz Brugal Añejo Rum (Diplomatico Añejo)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup (2:1)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca Menta

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a mint leaf.
Two Saturdays ago, I returned to my 2009 copy of Rogue Cocktails to see I missed any recipes. There, I spotted the Tiger Balm, an herbal-minty Daiquiri variation crafted by Kirk Estopinal of New Orleans' The Cure. The drink also appears in the 2011 edition of the book that got renamed Beta Cocktails due to legal issues with a certain West Coast distillery, and its use of Fernet Branca Menta seemed to match my memory of Tiger Balm ointment's aroma. In the glass, the Tiger Balm gave forth caramel, mint, and menthol notes to the nose. Next, a rich caramel balanced by lime sip transitioned into rum on the swallow with a menthol finish. Overall, the Tiger Balm perfectly soothed my itch for a Daiquiri.

leyenda milk punch

1 1/2 oz Pampero Aniversario Rum (Diplomatico Añejo)
1 1/2 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Licor 43
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
3 oz Whole Milk (Soy Milk)

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick (freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon).

Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted while reading Fred Minnick's Rum Curious book called the Leyenda Milk Punch. The recipe was attributed to bartender Max Solano, and I was drawn to it for I love New Orleans-style milk punches and even crafted one for my last program's brunch menu. As I wrote in my first exposure to the style, milk punches of this sort (opposed to the clarified type) appear in Jerry Thomas' 1862 Bartenders Guide: A Bon Vivant's Companion and later became popular brunch drinks especially in New Orleans.
Once prepared, the Leyenda Milk Punch shared a nutmeg and cinnamon aroma from the garnishes. Next, a creamy sip gave forth grape and honey notes, and the swallow was a pleasing combination of aged rum and nutty sherry with vanilla accents from the Licor 43.

white zombie

1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco
1 1/2 oz Banks 5 Island Rum (Plantation 3 Star)
1 oz Hayman's Royal Dock Gin
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Don's Mix (BG Reynolds)
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Purée (1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup (none, combined with purée above)
1 bsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1 bsp Absinthe (Kübler)

Shake with ice and pour into a Tiki mug (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with an orange wheel, mint sprig, and a paper umbrella (mint sprigs and nasturtium flowers).

Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a Tiki drink that I had spotted on Punch Drinks by Zac Overman of Fort Defiance in Brooklyn. Zac's White Zombie, besides perhaps being a tribute to the band, was a less colored riff on the classic 1934 Zombie. Instead of three rums, there was a single white one joined by gin and pisco. Moreover, the absinthe was increased and the classic's grenadine and Angostura Bitters were swapped for Maraschino liqueur and passion fruit purée here. Since I have enjoyed Zac's Three Scots and a Dash, Padang Swizzle, and Angostura Colada, I was game to give this one a try.
The White Zombie greeted the nose with mint and peppery floral aromas. Next, lime and grapefruit on the sip led into juniper, passion fruit, and Maraschino on the swallow with an absinthe and cinnamon finish. Overall, it was in the ballpark of the classic, and the addition of passion fruit was in line with the Spievak and Tonga Room Zombies.

mexican-style mint julep

1/2 Felipe II Brandy (1 1/2 oz Courvoisier VS)
1/2 Sandeman Port (1 1/2 oz Sandeman Tawny)
1 tsp Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Lemon Peel
Peppermint (8 leaf)

Shake with ice in a double old fashioned glass and serve with 2 cherries without straining (Muddle the lemon peel with the sugar and then gently muddle the mint. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and remove the mint and peel. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with mint sprigs.).
Two Wednesdays ago, I was looking through the EUVS library and rediscovered the 1939 Floridita Cocktails book by Constante Ribalaigua Vert. What caught my eye in this Cuban tome were the two Mint Juleps inside with the more recognizable recipe being referred to as the "Virginia-style" one. The other was the "Mexican-style" Julep that had a mix of brandy and port with Maraschino, bitters, and citrus oil accents. The presence of a fortified wine in a Julep did not surprise me for I have had the Dubonnet Mint Julep as well as the sherry-based Platonic Julep before, but I could not remember a single time that I had mint muddled into a port drink. Once prepared, the Julep offered a mint aroma that gave way to a rich grape sip. Next, the swallow gave forth brandy, port, and a hint of nutty notes with a mint and clove finish.

debutante

2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Grenadine
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lime wedge (omit).
Two Tuesdays ago, I was perusing the A Spot at the Bar and found in the Gimlet section the Debutante that was their "go to for those who are after a Cosmo." I was able to trace back the recipe to the 1934 Jayne's Bartender's Guide, and it seemed like a pleasant way to round out the evening. In the glass, the Debutante gave forth gin and hints of lime on the nose with an orange note from some combination of my grenadine's orange blossom water and the recipe's orange bitters. Next, lime and berry flavors on the sip gave way to gin and pomegranate on the swallow. Overall, the feel of the drink reminded me of the Jack Rose with less fruit notes (there is the intermediate Blue Skies as well).

the great satan

1 oz Mezcal Vida (Fidencio Joven)
1 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1 oz Punt e Mes

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.
Two Mondays ago, I was browsing the cocktail database on the OnTheBar app and I spotted an intriguing mezcal Negroni riff from one of my Instagram friends, bartender Paul MacDonald. Paul crafted this number, the Great Satan, at Philadelphia's Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and it seemed to match my mood for something bitter and stirred. Once prepared, the Great Satan provided an orange and smoky vegetal nose. Next, caramel and grape filled the sip, and the swallow offered agave and rounded bitter complexity with a dark orange and smoke finish.