conquest of paradise

1 1/2 oz Tequila or Mezcal (Del Maguey Mezcal Vida)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing the cocktail database at Drink when I uncovered the Conquest of Paradise. The recipe was attributed to Ezra Star and the cominbation reminded me of her Daiquiri-styled Elements of the Stars that was published in the Drinking Like Ladies book. The Conquest of Paradise launched with a smoke, vegetal, and cinnamon aroma. Next, lemon and a hint of caramel on the sip sailed into smoke, cinnamon, vegetal, and clementine flavors on the swallow.

ada's shadow

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1 bsp Fernet Branca (1/8 oz)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I discovered a copy of Amy Zavatto's The Big Book of Bourbon Cocktails in a neighborhood library box on my way to do inventory at work. I had met Amy when she was a judge at a spirits competition in Louisville that I was working the back of house for in early 2017, so I eagerly took the book. Therefore, that night, I selected the Ada's Shadow that she crafted as a Bourbon riff on Ada Coleman's Hanky Panky that she guided in a Toronto-Manhattan direction. Once prepared, the Ada's Shadow conjured up lemon and menthol aromas. Next, grape and a hint of caramel on the sip transitioned toward Bourbon, cherry, herbal, and minty flavors on the swallow.

caesar cardini

2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
3/4 oz Barolo Chinato
1/4 oz White Crème de Cacao

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with freshly grated coffee bean.Two Mondays ago, I had finished up hosting two seminars for USBG Boston's Education Week 2022 at Drink, and I decided to treat myself to a cocktail on the way home. Therefore, I walked from Fort Point to Downtown Crossing to check out the recently opened Wig Shop -- a speakeasy-style cocktail lounge by the folks at JM Curley. The location used to be called the Wig Store, and they kept the wig display in front of the old shop but put black curtains to cut off the view to the interior of the repurposed space. I arrived around open so I got around the seeming need for a reservation. With the set up being tables with seating for up to 4 or perhaps 5 and no bar seating, it would make a great venue for meeting up with friends.For a drink, I selected the Caesar Cardini attributed to Drink founder John Gertsen. I was able to source the recipe and some back history in a 2012 Boston Chefs article that described how John was influenced by the classic North Italian pairing of the quinine-laden Barolo Chinato with chocolate. To that John went with a base of mezcal and accented things with grated coffee beans to complement the crème de cacao and Chinato. The combination reminded me of the Bonal version that I had in Drink in 2010 that was attributed to John Gertsen and Misty Kalkofen. For a name, Gertsen went with a tribute to Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant chef who ended up in Mexico during Prohibition when it was too hard to run a restaurant in America; Cardini is best know for creating the Caesar salad at his Tijuana restaurant in 1924. This liquid tribute began with smoke and roasted coffee aromas on the nose. Next, grape and light cherry notes on the sip turned over into smoky mezcal, bitter-sweet herbal flavors, and light chocolate accents on the swallow.

white light

2 oz Tanqueray Gin (Tanqueray Malacca)
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
2 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 decided upon a Martini variation called White Light, perhaps named after the Velvet Underground song and album title, created by Carlo Caroscio at Volt in Frederick, Maryland, circa 2013. The trio of wine elements reminded me of the Bizarre Love Triangle, and it had been a while since I have had something akin to a Martini. In the glass, the White Light exhaled a lemon, herbal, and pine aroma. Next, white grape with a hint of orchard fruit on the sip flowed into gin and fruity herbal flavors on the swallow.

to the sun

1 1/2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lime wheel (omit).Two Saturdays ago, I spied an interesting drink on the Haus Alpenz site called the To the Sun. The combination of Smith & Cross, apricot, and lime reminded me of the Final Voyage but with a more of a Test Pilot feel than a Last Word one both by recipe and by name. Despite it being unattributed, I was still tempted by this combination. In the glass, my nose was greeted by caramel and rum funk aromas. Next, caramel and lime on the sip transitioned into funky rum, apricot, and clove flavors on the swallow.

various positions

3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
4 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an Herbsaint (or absinthe) rinsed double old fashioned glass, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Fridays ago, I was inspired to tinker again with Phil Ward's Lipspin with its Cynar-sloe gin combination that previously led to my Perverted by Language. Here, I utilized a split rye-mezcal base and took things in a Sazerac direction. While crafting this number, a song from Leonard Cohen's Various Positions album was playing, and that ended up being the name. The Various Positions welcomed the nose with lemon, anise, smoke, red berry, and caramel aromas. Next, caramel and red fruit notes on the sip progressed into rye, vegetal, herbal, anise, and smoke flavors on the swallow.

sissy gun

2 oz Añejo Tequila (Cimarron Reposado)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
3 dash Mole Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I returned to the ShakeStir site's recipe database and found the Sissy Gun by Brian Means circa 2017 at the Pacific Cocktail Haven in San Francisco. With a spirit plus Cynar and a coffee liqueur, it reminded me of the Lake Union and Fair Trade but with an aged tequila. In the glass, the Sissy Gun donated an orange and vegetal bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and roast notes on the sip entered into tequila, herbal, and coffee flavors on the swallow with a chocolate and vegetal finish.

black scottish cyclops

2 oz Laphroaig Scotch
1 oz Ramazzotti Amaro
4 dash Fee's Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with two ice cubes.After buying a replacement bottle of Ramazzotti, I decided to make a Black Manhattan variation in Brad Parson's Bitters book. That recipe was the Black Scottish Cyclops crafted by Rocky Yeh that was named after a character in the video game Team Fortress 2. Here, the Black Scottish Cyclops lept to the nose with peat smoke and caramel aromas. Next, caramel and malt on the sip charged forth into a smoky Scotch, herbal, and root beer flavors on the swallow with a smoke, cinnamon, and char finish.

workers on the track

2 oz Bonded or Stronger Rye (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I was perusing the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across the Workers on the Track that reminded me of Misty Kalkofen's Franklin Bearse. The recipe created by Luke Andrews at The Whistler in Chicago was published in Gaz Regan's 101 Best New Cocktails 2015 book. There, Luke explained the name as, "When riding on the train in Chicago, you will undoubtedly hear 'Your attention please: we are delayed because there are workers on the tracks ahead'." In the glass, the Workers on the Track presented an orange, herbal, and rye aroma. Next, a rich sip with hints of honey and orange flowed into rye, orange, and piny-herbal flavors on the swallow.