the bobby boucher

2 oz Overproof Bourbon (Fighting Cock 103)
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Maurin)
1/4 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice, strain into a ice-filled coupe (no ice), and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, I reached for the 2011 volume of Food & Wine: Cocktails, and I turned to John Coltharp's section on whiskey drinks. The Bobby Boucher, his creation at the Tasting Kitchen in Venice, California, stood out as a take on the 1930s Bobby Burns but made more Southern. To me, it also appeared like a cousin of the Remember the Maine with Benedictine in place of absinthe and bitters. While there are a few semi-famous Bobby Bouchers in history, my guess is that the name refers to Adam Sandler's Southern-born character in The Waterboy.
The Bobby Boucher greeted the nose with orange, Bourbon, and cherry aromas. Next, malt and a dark cherry and grape sip gave way to whiskey and cherry-herbal flavors on the swallow.

wire + string

1 1/4 oz Pimm's No. 1
1 1/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass filled with ice, and top with soda water (2-3 oz); I added a lemon wheel as garnish.

After dinner two Tuesdays ago, I began perusing the Brooklyn Bartender book for a way to round out the evening. There, I was drawn to the Wire + String crafted by Maks Pazuniak at Jupiter Disco. The combination of Pimm's, Campari, and pineapple was one that worked well in the Royal Cup #4, so I was definitely interested in seeing Maks' take on an embittered Pimm's Cup.
In the Wire + String, the lemon wheel garnish added to the Campari's orange bouquet. Next, a complex red fruit- and orange-flavored sip gave way to tangy bitter orange and pineapple notes on the swallow. Overall, an aspect of the profile here was reminiscent of strawberries perhaps from the Pimm's being modulated by the other fruit elements in the mix.

flaquita

1 oz El Tesoro Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Marie Brizard White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/4 oz Campari
1 tsp Ginger Syrup (1 coin Ginger, muddled)

Shake with ice, strain into a flute glass, and top with champagne (2 oz Willm Blanc de Blancs).

Two Mondays ago, I selected the Death & Co. Cocktail Book for a recipe idea. There, I landed upon the Flaquita by Jessica Gonzalez; she created this drink in 2011 and dubbed it after her nickname from when she worked in restaurants back in Florida. With the agave, Campari, and cacao combination found in Mon Sherry Amour and other drinks, I was game to give this one a go.
The Flaquita's herbal notes from the tequila mingled with sparkling wine and hints of chocolate on the nose. Next, a carbonated white grape and lemon sip led into tequila and bitter orange-chocolate on the swallow that finished with ginger's bite.

redhead loretta

1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey (Teeling Single Grain)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
3/4 oz Palo Cortado Sherry (Lustau Oloroso)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
Two Sundays ago, Andrea had spotted a drink in the May/June 2018 issue of Imbibe Magazine that had arrived the day before. That recipe was the Redhead Loretta by Chris Burmeister of Denver's Citizen Rail that appeared in an article about apricot liqueur. Since apricot liqueur and sherry have worked in drinks like the Lineage Sherry Cobbler and Backbar's Apricottage, I was definitely willing to give it a whirl. Once prepared, the Redhead Loretta shared orange, apricot, and whiskey aromas to the nose. Next, a semi-dry grape sip transitioned into whiskey and a nutty-apricot flavor on the swallow. Overall, the combination was as delightful as expected.

fairbank

2/3 Gin (2 oz Tanqueray Malacca)
1/3 Dry Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat)
2 dash Crème de Noyaux (1/8 oz Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass; I added an orange twist.
After work two Saturday nights ago, I ventured into Harry McElhone's 1927 Barflies & Cocktails and landed on the Fairbank. It is unclear if the drink is a tribute to Douglas Fairbanks of that era like this one was, but a Martini with a dash of crème de noyaux seemed delightful akin to the Silver with its dash of Maraschino. Once stirred and strained, the Fairbank's garnish gave orange oil aromas over a nutty pine note. Next, a crisp white grape sip led into gin and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow with a strawberry-orange finish.

shark eye

1 1/2 oz Elijah Craig 12 Year Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Bonded Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/8 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
2 dash Tiki Bitters (Bittermens Burlesque)

Shake with ice, strain into a shark mug (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with 3 dash Peychaud's Bitters and pineapple leaves (omit leaves).

On Friday night two weeks ago, I continued on with the Tiki theme by making the Shark Eye. The recipe was crafted by Jane Danger at Mother of Pearl in NYC and was published in Food & Wine: Cocktails 2016. While the drink shared a slight overlap with the Shark's Tooth, it took things in an curious American whiskey direction.
The Shark Eye greeted the nose with an anise waft from the Peychaud's Bitters. Next, malt notes joined lemon and a hint of cherry on the sip, and the swallow featured the whiskeys, nutty cherry, passion fruit, and orange flavors

skull & bones

1 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1 oz Plantation OFTD Overproof Rum
1 oz Plantation Original Dark Rum

Shake with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass filled with crushed ice; I garnished with a spent half lime shell.

Two Thursdays ago, I spotted Jason Alexander's take on the Skull & Bones on Instagram that he makes at the Tacoma Cabana. The Skull & Bones' history can be traced back to a Don the Beachcomber recipe by that name (with no known recipe as of this report); when the Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale opened up in 1956, their menu was heavily influenced by Don's, and the Skull & Bones perhaps morphed into the Shrunked Skull on their initial menu. The Shrunken Skull was later garnished at the Mai-Kai with a cinnamon stick, and this cinnamon element was later adapted by other bars such as Hale Pele into the addition of a flavored syrup. Apparently, Jeff Beachbum Berry just published a recipe for the Skull & Bones his his recent Sippin' Safari 10 Year Anniversary book, but I have not purchased the updated edition yet (Postnote: For that recipe, see this entry).
The Skull & Bones began with dark rum with hints of berry on the nose that led into a caramel, berry, and lime sip. Next, the dark rum continued on into the swallow along with red fruit notes and a cinnamon finish. The cinnamon spice definitely added a much needed burst of spice to the Shrunken Skull recipe akin to the absinthe in the Drunken Skull.

imperfection

2 oz Willet Rye (Michter's)
1/2 oz Byrrh Grand Quinquina
1/2 oz Salers Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
3 dash Fee's Whiskey Barrel Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
On Wednesday night two weeks past, I opted to make the Imperfection by Neal Bodenheimer of New Orleans' Cure and Cane & Table that he published on the BarNotes app. This Manhattan riff reminded me of the Harry Palmer, and Neal left a note of, "This cocktail gets even better as it warms up and may even do well as a diluted room temperature cocktail." In the glass, the Imperfection shared a lemon and rye bouquet with hints of gentian and cinnamon. Next, an elegant combination of malt and grape on the sip stepped aside for rye along with quinine- and earthy gentian-laden bitter herbalness on the swallow with a cinnamon finish.

frenchy

3/4 Brandy (1 3/4 oz Courvoisier VS Cognac)
2 dash Sherry (3/4 oz Lustau Amontillado)
1 dash Parfait L'Amour (1/4 oz Marie Brizard)
1 dash Picon (1/4 oz Torani Amer)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass; I added an orange twist.
Two Tuesdays ago, my desire for a nightcap led me to Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. There, I spotted the Frenchy that called for Parfait Amour -- a confectionary spirit of citrus, floral, and vanilla notes that has lingered on my shelf for the last decade. I have used it in random drinks like Don the Beachcomber's Royal Daiquiri and one of the Savoy Cocktail Book's Trilby cocktails. Since, the Frenchy which paired the liqueur with Amer Picon and sherry seemed like it could make for an elegant brandy drink, it was time to dust off this bottle again. Once prepared, the Frenchy proffered orange, vanilla, and floral aromas to the nose. Next, a dry grape and citrus sip gave way to Cognac, nutty sherry, dark orange, violet, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.