jackson ward

2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye
3/4 oz Amaro Nardini
1/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3 dash Cocktail Kingdom Wormwood Bitters
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I spied a recipe from Amor y Amargo on the Kindred Cocktails database called the Jackson Ward. The recipe created by Chris Elford was published on the 1MoreForTheRoad blog in 2012. There, Sother Teague described it as a Manhattan "with some lovely dark tobacco flavors and a funky bitterness." Chris named the cocktail after the neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia, known as the "Harlem of the South" for its African-American arts scene. Once prepared, the Jackson Ward gave forth a lemon and herbal aroma. Next, a caramel and grape-driven sip led into rye and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow with a wormwood finish.

absinthe painkiller

1 oz Kübler Absinthe
1 oz Plantation 5 Year Barbados Rum
1 oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Orange Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a single old fashioned glass, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.I have a few regulars are big absinthe fans, and I am frequently looking up recipes to make or improvising drinks that have an ounce of the stuff. In the post about one of those drinks, the Yellow Parrot, I mentioned one of these on-the-fly riffs, the Absinthe Painkiller where I utilized the Painkiller template from Eastern Standard. I decided to make one for myself two Saturdays ago since I had made one for a guest earlier that evening. Here, the woody spice of the nutmeg joined the aromas of anise and pineapple. Next, a creamy orange and pineapple sip slid into coconut, caramel, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, definitely a great introduction to absinthe-heavy drinks given the rich, sweet, and fruity flavors to soften the absinthe's intensity.

cassingle revival #2

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Drambuie
3/4 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Fridays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database after work, and I uncovered the Cassingle Revival #2 created by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles in 2013. The name suggested a Corpse Reviver #2 riff, and here Bourbon and Drambuie were in place of the gin and Lillet Blanc and the dashes of absinthe were left out of the equation. Once prepared, the Cassingle Revival #2 played for the nose a soundtrack of orange, honey, and whiskey aromas. Next, a lemon, orange, and honey sip rewound into Bourbon, honey, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a tart lemon finish.

the royal navy dram

3 oz Zacapa Rum (2 oz Zaya)
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro (1/2 oz)
3/4 oz Benedictine (1/2 oz)
1 Whole Egg

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a pinch of black lava salt or Kosher salt (sea salt).Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a recipe that I had spotted on the ShakeStir website called the Royal Navy Dram. This Flip was crafted by Chris Fields at the Matchbox in Chicago circa 2013 and features the Amaro Montenegro-Benedictine combination that worked well in the Alternative Ulster and Lindsey's Whimsy. Once assembled, the Royal Navy Dram proffered a caramel aroma that preceded a creamy caramel sip. Finally, rum, clementine, and herbal flavors were the final salute on the swallow.

two roads diverged

1 1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1/2 oz Maple Syrup
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/8 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I got a request for a "Fall in a glass" cocktail from a guest at Drink. I took an apple brandy bolstered by maple syrup and spiced with Benedictine, cinnamon syrup, and Angostura bitters route. Things tasted a bit thin so I added a barspoon of Demerara syrup to fatten it up. Given the success of that creation with said guest, I served it later that night for a similar style of request and then for myself as a nightcap. For mine, it offered up apple, maple, and cinnamon aromas. Next, caramel and lemon notes on the sip flowed into apple, maple, herbal, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow. For a name, I dubbed this one Two Roads Diverged after a line from Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" poem akin to my naming convention in my Miles to Go Before I Sleep.

the clyde

2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
3/4 oz Luxardo Amaro Abano
1/2 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and (optional) garnish with a crack/pinch of black pepper.Two Tuesdays ago, I delved into the Kindred Cocktails database and spotted the Clyde by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles circa 2013. The pairing of mezcal with Amaro Abano called out to me for it worked well in the Speaking in Tongues. Once prepared, the Clyde generated a caramel, smoke, vegetal, and black pepper aroma. Next, the caramel from the two amari filled the sip, and the swallow followed through with smoky agave, vegetal, and black pepper flavors.

johnny appleseed

1 oz Laird's Applejack
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1 oz Aperol
1 dash (~1/8+ oz) Allspice Dram

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I had dinner at Trina's Starlite Lounge. For a drink, Andrea requested the Negroni Week cocktail that the bar had posted on their social media. Called Johnny Appleseed, the combination reminded me of an apple version of Charlotte Voisey's Unusual Negroni (equal parts Hendrick's Gin, Lillet, Aperol) with an accent of allspice dram. Here, the Johnny Appleseed came through with an orange, apple, and allspice bouquet. Next, orange and orchard fruit on the sip wandered into apple, orange, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

best fronds

1 1/2 oz Pineapple Rum (Plantation)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lime twist (express and discard).During Negroni Week two weeks prior, I had spotted a post about a pineapple rum drink called the Best Fronds on my Instagram feed. I tracked down the recipe to the Educated Barfly site where it was attributed to Chris Day at Oakland's Kon-Tiki. While read like a pineapple rum Right Hand, the named seemd to make a pun on the whiskey-dry vermouth Boulevardier riff, the Old Pal. Since the combination reminded me of the Dashboard Hula Girl, I was all set to give it a whirl. In the glass, it donated a lime, pineapple, and dark rum aroma to the nose. Next, caramel and grape notes on the sip erupted into pineapple, rum, caramel-bitter orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

leaf fall

1 oz Laphroaig Scotch
1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato (Zucca will work)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (10 drop Kübler)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with orange oils from a twist.After wrapping up hosting a cocktail party at Drink and doing the books two Saturdays ago, I needed a nightcap. I recalled how well Benedictine toned down Fernet Branca in the Campo Viejo, and I wondered what it would do for Amaro Sfumato. With Autumn on its way, the Sfumato and Benedictine led me to the combination of smoky Scotch and apple brandy, and I dubbed it the Leaf Fall. Once prepared, it gave forth an orange, smoke, and apple aroma. Next, a caramel sip fluttered down into an apple, smoke, earth, and herbal swallow.