in bloom

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
1/2 oz Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Campari

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe pre-rinsed with rose water, and garnish with orange oil from a flamed twist (unflamed).Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a recipe called In Bloom on Kindred Cocktails that reminded me a little of the Sideways in Reverse given the Campari-elderflower combination. This recipe by Paul Calvert at Pura Vida in Atlanta circa 2012 took the duo in a citrus-free mezcal direction. Here, the drink gave forth orange oil, rose, bitter orange, and elderflower aromas. Next, a white grape sip launched into smoky vegetal, floral, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

rive droite

1 oz Hayman's Royal Dock Gin (Alchemy Dry)
3/4 oz Fords Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Wednesdays ago, I was excited to try a recipe that David Wondrich posted in his Twitter called the Rive Droite. This tribute to the River Seine in Paris is a riff on the Parisian (gin, dry vermouth, crème de cassis) from The Savoy Cocktail Book and takes things in a sloe plum instead of currant direction. Once prepared, the Rive Droite proffered a plum and lemon bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and red oxidized fruit on the sip flowed into gin, plum, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

great fitzgerald

40 mL Blended Whisky (1 1/2 oz Famous Grouse)
10 mL Lustau Oloroso Sherry (2 tsp)
5 mL Amer Picon (1 tsp Torani Amer)
15 mL Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
15 mL Simple Syrup (1/2 oz)
1 dash Pernod Absinthe (12 drop)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I kept with the London theme and selected the Claridge's Cocktail Book for the evening's recipe. There, I was lured in by the Great Fitzgerald that was adapted by Nathan McCarley-O'Neill at the Claridge's Bar for it had a Barbara West vibe to it and was similar to Sam Treadway's take on that classic, namely The Old (Barbara) West. The Great Fitzgerald welcomed the senses with an orange, lemon, and nutty grape bouquet. Next, lemon, grape, and caramel notes on the sip flowed into Scotch, nutty grape, and dark orange flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

mind maps

1 3/4 oz Blended Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
2 tsp Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1 1/2 tsp Pear Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 tsp White Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1 tsp Cointreau
1/2 tsp Rich Simple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I reached for Felipe Schrieberg's London Cocktails and landed upon the Mind Maps. The cocktail was created by Will Meredith at Lyaness based off the pear and chocolate notes he found in certain blended Scotches. Here, the Mind Maps proffered lemon, nutty grape, pear, and smoke aromas. Next, a semi-sweet grape sip led into Scotch, orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow with a pear and clove finish.

the man from nowhere

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Mole Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.I decided on Sunday night two weeks ago to continue tinkering with the Suze-Benedictine combination and took it in the direction of a mezcal citrus drink. For a name, I dubbed the creation The Man from Nowhere after the 1969 Spaghetti Western film. In the glass, it shared a vegetal, lime, and smoke aroma. Next, lime and caramel on the sip shot into smoky vegetal, herbal, and clove flavors on the swallow.

devil's highway

1 1/2 oz Tequila (Arette Blanco at work, Cimarron Reposado at home)
1/2 oz Islay Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
1/2 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Honey Syrup 1:1
2 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens at work, Angostura Cocoa at home)

Build in a double old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with a lemon twist (lemon oil only at work, twist at home).Two Saturdays ago, a guest at Drink requested a tequila and Scotch cocktail. I was a little thrown by that since folks that want agave and smoke usually just opt for mezcal, but I set off to craft something on the fly in an Old Fashioned direction. I was still thinking of the Vaquero's Suze-Benedictine combination, and I supplemented some of the sweetness with honey syrup. For a name, I later dubbed this the Devil's Highway after the Luis Alberto Urrea book. When I got home, I remade the drink for myself, and the Devil's Highway proffered a lemon, vegetal, and peat smoke aroma. Next, a honey-tinged sip drove into vegetal and herbal flavors on the swallow with a smoke and chocolate finish.

en cuatro

3/4 oz Pisco (Encanto)
3/4 oz Dry Gin (Tanqueray Malacca)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.After work two Fridays ago, I returned to Kara Newman's Shake Stir Sip book and landed upon the En Cuatro created by Ivy Mix at Leyenda. The combination was a pisco-gin Perfect Martini reminiscent of her 50-25-25 pisco-gin Dry Martini. The drink whose name translates to "in fourths" or "in quarters" began with a lemon and red grape bouquet. Next, a crisp sip with hints of red fruit gave way to earthy pisco, juniper, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

golden pineapple

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded at work, Old Grand-Dad Bonded at home)
1/2 oz Plantation Pineapple Rum
1/2 oz Honey Syrup 1:1
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens at work, Angostura Cocoa at home)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Thursdays at Drink, I came up with Gold Rush variation for a guest by subbing out part of the Bourbon for pineapple rum and chocolate bitters. When I got home, I wanted to sink into the drink more than the straw taste that I had at work and made one for myself. I ended up dubbing it the Golden Pineapple since the Pickwick Papers as a tribute to the Dicken's novel that mentioned pineapple rum did not seem as appealing of a name. Here, the Golden Pineapple welcomed the senses with honey, lemon, tropical, and Bourbon aromas. Next, lemon and honey on the sip turned into Bourbon and pineapple flavors on the swallow.

cruel to be kind

1 1/2 oz Tanqueray Gin (Tanqueray Malacca)
1/2 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz 2:1 Honey Syrup (3/4 oz 1:1)
1 dash Dale DeGroff's Pimento Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lime wheel (omit).After my bar shift two Wednesdays ago, I ventured into Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and was lured in by Al Sotack's 2014 Cruel to Be Kind. In the glass, it offered up grapefruit and pine aromas. Next, honey, grapefruit, lime, and grape notes on the sip led to gin, honey, and herbal flavors on the swallow with an allspice finish.