last american hero

1 1/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I saw on Reddit's cocktail forum a recipe called the Last American Hero created by user 1000YearOldStreet. The combination reminded me of a Little Italy crossed with the rye-mezcal split base that I learned about in the Red Ant and recently had in the Hunt & Peck. What drew me in was the mezcal-Cynar pairing added to the Little Italy base, for that combination is magic in many drinks including the Midnight Marauder. In the glass, the Last American Hero served up a lemon, herbal-vegetal, caramel, and smoke bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip were rescued by rye, vegetal, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a smoky finish.

the elves and their antics

1 1/2 oz Genever (Bols)
1 oz Cardamaro
1/4 oz Amer Picon (Torani Amer)
1/4 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.

I was reminded of the Genever-Cardamaro pairing that I first learned about at Portland Cocktail Week 2012 with the Deck Hand and Walking Spanish and was reminded of years later with the Le Subtil. It inspired a series of creations such as the Wooden Shoe, and I crossed the idea with the Benedictine-Picon pairing in the Creole Cocktail. I dubbed the result The Elves and their Antics in keeping with my previous Dutch fairy tale drink names.The Elves and their Antics teased the nose with a malt and herbal aroma. Next, the malt continued on into the sip where it mingled with the grape notes, and the swallow came through with malt, orange, and herbal flavors.

rare hearts

1 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
1 oz Weller Special Reserve Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 dash Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters (Bitter Housewife)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Thursdays ago, I opened up Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and landed upon the Rare Hearts as a split spirits Sour. Overall, the combination crafted by bartender Tyson Buhler in 2018 reminded me of the bar's Four in Hand especially with the Chartreuse and vanilla. Once prepared, the Rare Hearts proffered a lemon, vanilla, and herbal bouquet. Next, a lemon-driven sip flowed into a Cognac, Bourbon, and herbal swallow with a vanilla and cardamom finish.

obituary cocktail

2 oz Gin (Bombay Dry)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 bsp Absinthe (1/8 oz Kübler)
1 bsp Herbsaint (1/8 oz)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After reading the Lift Your Spirits book about New Orleans' drinking culture, I realized that I had never written up the Obituary Cocktail despite having one at a hotel bar in New Orleans in 2010. Therefore, I set out to find a more definitive recipe out there such as perhaps the earliest published recipe, and instead, my search landed on a more modern one. This one published in Garden & Gun in 2018 was the recipe that Chris Hannah and Nick Detrich concocted for their Jewel of the South bar that was opening later that year. The two tweaks were upping the dry vermouth from the average recipe out there and splitting the absinthe with Herbsaint to craft in Hannah's words "a deadly spin on the Martini."The Obituary began with an anise and black licorice bouquet. Next, a semi-sweet sip slid into gin, anise, licorice, and herbal elements on the swallow.

charlotte's web

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Falernum (1/2 oz Velvet Falernum + 1/4 oz Simple)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a dehydrated grapefruit wheel and grated black lime (omit garnishes).Two Thursdays ago, I returned to Trevor Felch's San Francisco Cocktails and latched onto the egg white Sour called Charlotte's Web. The recipe was crafted by Wayne Longwell at Range Life, and it was named after the horror punk-themed headshop that was the building's previous tenant. Once prepared, the Charlotte's Web proffered smoke and citrus notes to the nose. Next, a creamy grapefruit and lime sip got tangled up in mezcal, grapefruit, and clove flavors on the swallow with a smoke-laden finish.

the country lawyer

1 1/2 oz Four Roses Bourbon
1/2 oz Zucca Amaro (Sfumato)
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I selected Trevor Felch's San Francisco Cocktails book and landed upon the Country Lawyer. This smoky-herbal Bourbon number was crafted by Casey Doolin at Park Tavern in 2011. In the glass, it provided an orange, earthy, and smoke aroma. Next, white wine and roast notes on the sip slid into Bourbon, herbal, and bitter smoke flavors on the swallow.

mickie walker cocktail

3/4 Scotch (2 oz Famous Grouse)
1/4 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Lacuesta Rojo)
1 dash Grenadine (1/8 oz)
1 dash Lemon Juice (1/8 oz)

Shake with ice (stir) and strain into a cocktail glass; I added a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I ventured into the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book and spotted the Mickie Walker Cocktail. Overall, the concept reminded me of a Rob Roy that took the hint of lemon juice and syrup approach that Maloney did in his Manhattan but with fruity notes of grenadine instead of basic simple syrup. While I was unable to find a Mickie Walker in the history books, there was a famous boxer around the time the book was published named Mickey Walker; the"Toy Bulldog" was the world welterweight and middleweight championships and was a top contender for the light-heavyweight and heavyweight titles. In the glass, the Mickie Walker served up a lemon, berry, and Scotch aroma. Next, plum and grape notes on the sip slipped into Scotch, herbal, and raisin flavors on the swallow.

the end of something

1 oz Absinthe (Kübler)
1 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Germain at work, St. Elder here)
1 oz Grapefruit Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a flute with 2-3 oz dry sparkling wine, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

At work, the general manager of Menton asked if there was a secret to making the Death in the Afternoon a good drink. I replied that there really was not; basically, either you enjoy the combination or you do not. Then that evening at Drink, a guest asked for an absinthe cocktail. I then recalled how well absinthe paired with pink grapefruit juice via one of the drinks at the Kübler Absinthe release party here in Boston pushed on me by woodland nymph characters circa October 2007. With that, I added elderflower liqueur to take the mix in a Bohemian direction, and cava to circle back to the conversation earlier that afternoon. For a name, I dubbed this one The End of Something after a short story by Ernest Hemingway as a nod to the Death in the Afteroon inspiration.When I got home that night, I decided to make one for myself to truly appreciate the combination past a mere straw taste. The End of Something welcomed the nose with grapefruit, anise, fennel, and sparkling wine aromas. Next, a carbonated grapefruit sip flowed into anise, floral, and grapefruit flavors on the swallow.

cave-in-rock

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Don's Spices #2 (1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup + 1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's))
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (10 drop St. George)

Short shake with ice, strain into a Tiki glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig (omit) and freshly grated nutmeg.

Two Fridays ago at Drink, I had a guest in a party of four ask for a Bourbon and vanilla drink. After stepping away from the group to make the round, I was inspired by the Tiki combination of vanilla and allspice dram called Don's Spices #2 that I discovered in the Nui Nui. The Bourbon Tiki drink the Fiji Mermaid inspired me in a grenadine, lemon, Angostura, and absinthe direction while pineapple juice as a buffer akin to the Pago Pago and others rounded out the recipe. Luckily, that guest was a Tiki fan, so they were pleased; I was concerned since I never checked back if a tropical direction was okay.When I got home, I was curious to recreate the combination for myself. For a name, I wanted to pay tribute to domestic piracy by dubbing this one after a base camp for pirates on the Ohio River -- namely Cave-in-Rock. Once prepared, the Cave-in-Rock ambushed the senses with a woody spice and fruity bouquet. Next, lemon and berry notes on the sip flowed into Bourbon, pineapple, vanilla, and allspice flavors on the swallow with a clove and anise finish. Postnote 2/19/26: A photo of me serving this at Drink on February 18, 2022 came up in my Facebook memories. This was after the first wave of Omicron had hit our bar and our kitchen hard, so we were all still masked up.