dead drop

1 1/4 oz Los Vecinos Mezcal
3/4 oz St. James Rhum Agricole
3/8 oz Cocchi Americano
3/8 oz Agave Nectar (*)
1 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
(*) My recipe notes say agave syrup, but uncut agave nectar would balance this drink better.As I was finishing up my Space Pirates drink at Backbar, I overheard bartender Anthony Brocatto describing the bartender's whim that he was serving to guests a few seats down. What caught my attention was that he mixed rhum agricole and mezcal together that I first learned about in The Wilhelm Scream and that I had great success with in drinks like Up Jumped the Devil and Miracles Take Longer. So for my second drink, I added a "me too"; while the creation did not have a name yet, I dubbed this one Dead Drop after one of Anthony's band's EPs. Once prepared, the Dead Drop proffered smoke, earthy, and grassy aromas. Next, lime with a hint of orchard fruit on the sip fell into grassy, vegetal, and mineral flavors on the swallow with a smoke and fruit finish.

space pirates

1 1/2 oz Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum
1/2 oz Paranubes Mexican Agricole Rum
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Guava Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a festive mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs.
(*) Guava purée mixed 1:1 with sugar.

Two Tuesdays ago, Backbar advertised their drink of the week called Space Pirates to coincide with their Cocktails Around the Solar System menu, and I was lured in despite having been there only two weeks prior. The drink was created by bar manager Carlo Caroscio, and this seeming Jungle Bird riff was subtitled "Adventure through the Last Frontier (* Limit 2 per Person)". I was intrigued by the guava-Campari combination here that I have seen before in the Jakartoni that I did at Loyal Nine and in Tiki Lindy's Piranha Punch.The Space Pirates that bartender Antony "T-Bone" Brocatto made for me began with mint over rum funk aromas. Next, guava, lime, and caramel on the sip plundered the funky rum on the swallow with a bitter and cinnamon finish.

the keenan

2 oz Cruzan Blackstrap Rum
3/8 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe pre-rinsed with allspice dram (Hamilton's), and garnish with a lime wheel.Two Mondays ago, I ventured into the Cienfuego crew's Cuban Cocktails book and stopped upon the Keenan created by Anne Robinson at Little Park and Evening Bar in the Smyth Hotel in Manhattan. The recipe read like the Floridita's Mulata Daiquiri with the addition of allspice dram, and the end result appeared like the Dirt'n'Diesel. Once prepared, the Keenan donated a lime, allspice, and chocolate aroma to the senses. Next, lime darkened by caramel and roast notes on the sip led into molasses rum, lime, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

dot (variation)

1 oz Gin (Bombay Dry)
1 oz Fino Sherry (Tio Pepe)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Wray & Nephew Overproof White Rum

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Sundays ago, I spotted in my Instagram feed a recipe that a friend had found on Difford's Guide called the Dot. It was created by Jason Clapham, the Cocktail Member of the St. Edward's MCR in Oxford, as a riff on the Dot Cocktail published in the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book. Jason misread the curaçao as cachaça, and instead subbed in funky Jamaican rum in its place.This version of the Dot proffered apricot, rum funk, and juniper aromas to the nose. Next, a semi-sweet orchard fruit sip was punctuated by gin, funky rum, apricot, and savory flavors on the swallow.

erasmus

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater at work, Bombay Dry at home)
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass, fill with cracked ice, float 1/2 oz Genever (Bols), and add a straw.Two Saturdays ago, a guest at Drink wanted a gin cocktail but described a Penicillin. Therefore, I made it as such with a London Dry in the mix and a Genever as the float. They enjoyed it so much that I made one that night when I got home. For a name, I searched around for a Dutch-themed antibiotic with little to show for my efforts, so I dubbed this one the Erasmus after a famous Dutch philosopher. Once prepared, the drink showcased a malty aroma from the hefty Genever float. Next, lemon and honey on the sip flowed into gin and ginger flavors on the swallow. Over time, the flavor became maltier on the sip and swallow as the Genever entered into the equation via the straw.

black adonis

1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Oxford 1970)
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters
2 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I was in the mood for a sherry drink, so I searched Kindred Cocktails where I found Rafa Garcia Febles' Black Adonis that he crafted in 2017. I assumed that the name was a reference to the 1896 book, and drink-wise, it made me wonder at first if there was Averna in the mix akin to the Black Manhattan. Instead, it was a riff on the Adonis first mentioned in 1887 with the sherry split between Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez and the sweet vermouth made more complex with the addition of Punt e Mes. Here, the Black Adonis presented a raisin and orange nose. Next, a rich grape sip from the four fortified wines in the mix let through grape, nutty, raisin, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

bronx cocktail

2 Orange Peels (1x2 inch each)
50 mL Gin (1 1/2 oz Bombay Dry)
25 mL Amber Vermouth (3/4 oz Lacuesta Rojo)
25 mL Dry Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Prat)
8 mL Orange Juice (1/4 oz Cara Cara)

Express the orange peels and drop in the mixing glass. Add the rest of the ingredients, add ice, stir, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make one of the two Bronx recipes that Frank Caiafa posted on Twitter as his preferred versions. The one I went with reduced the orange juice and included in orange oils to the mix. While I did not have amber vermouth, I figured that sweet vermouth would work here in a pinch to see if this direction was better than the way I remember the original. This Bronx Cocktail offered up pine, orange, and floral aromas. Next, a semi-sweet orange and grape sip transitioned into gin, dry herbal, and bitter grape flavors on the swallow with an orange finish.

gun for hire

2 oz Elijah Craig (Evan Williams Bonded)
1/2 oz Averna
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 dash Bitter Truth Aromatic Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Stir with ice and strain into a glass (rocks) pre-rinsed with Islay Scotch (Caol Ila 12 Year).Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I spotted the Sazerac-styled Gun For Hire by Rhett Williams at the Pour House in Vancouver circa 2013. Overall, the combination of American whiskey and bitter and herbal liqueurs reminded me of the Valkyrie, so I was game to try this one out. Once prepared, the Gun For Hire welcomed the senses with a peat smoke bouquet. Next, caramel notes on the sip shot forth into Bourbon, herbal, clove, and allspice flavors on the swallow with a smoky finish.

december morn

1 1/2 oz Flor de Caña Rum (Bacardi 4 Year)
1/2 oz Laird's Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with freshly grated cinnamon.

I had spotted the recipe for December Morn by Jane Danger on Kindred Cocktails, and it led me to buy her Cuban Cocktails book that she co-authored with two others from the Cienfuegos bar. This drink that Kindred Cocktails attributed to her time at El Cobre in New York City circa 2011 was described in the book as "the love child of a September Morn and Jack Rose, both from the Savoy Cocktail Book. The September Morn is a close relative of the better known Clover Club Cocktail." When I first saw the recipe, I thought that it was a cross of a September Morn with a Pink Lady, especially since the September Morn recipe that I know from Charles H. Baker Jr.'s The Gentleman's Companion is a raspberry syrup not a grenadine one.The December Morn rose with an apple, berry, and cinnamon aroma. Next, a creamy lemon and berry sip flowed into rum, apple, and pomegranate flavors on the swallow.