permanent collection

1 1/2 oz Martell Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
3/4 oz Carpano Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
2 dash Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist-cherry flag.Two Fridays ago, I was perusing the 2014 era flashcard set from the Paper Plane in Atlanta when I came upon the Permanent Collection that reminded me of PDT's Montgomery Smith but with the addition of sweet vermouth and aromatic bitters. Once prepared, the Permanent Collection showcased an orange, Cognac, and grape bouquet. Next, the grape continued on into the sip where it mingled with caramel notes, and the swallow was a medley of Cognac and herbal flavors with a bitter menthol finish.

lost in the supermarket

3/4 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Campari
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I was writing up the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.'s Lonely Holiday for the blog. I recalled how I taught a co-worker a few days before about Phil Ward's Cornwall Negroni, and a mashup of the two concepts came about for the evening's libation. I kept with the Franklin's song title drink names and dubbed this after the Clash's Lost in the Supermarket. Once prepared, the Lost in the Supermarket gave forth an orange and peat smoke aroma with fruity undertones. Next, grape and honey notes on the sip filed into smoky Scotch and earthy bitter flavors on the swallow.

gingeronto

2 oz Old Overholt Rye Whiskey (86 Proof)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Ginger Syrup (*)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
(*) I diced a ginger coin and muddled it in 1/2 oz simple syrup. I also added a double strain step.Two Wednesdays ago, I uncovered a set of flashcards for older Backbar menus. There, I had never had the Gingeronto as a ginger-bomb Toronto created for their Winter 2013 menu. Fernet and ginger are a wonderful combination such as in Deep Ellum's Fernet Buck and Tenzin Samdo's Industry Fav. In the glass, the Gingeronto showcased a mint, ginger, and whiskey nose. Next, caramel on the sip skipped into rye, gentian, ginger, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

emotional tailspin

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Sfumato
3/4 oz Crème de Cassis (Massenez)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Tuesdays prior, I was skimming through the entries on the Kindred Cocktails database when I came across the Emotional Tailspin by Chicago homebartender Applejack. He was inspired by the Paper Plane and crafted this as part of his March 2020 quarantine creations. With two substitutions, it was distinct from a Paper Plane, and since Zucca and Sfumato Rabarbaros work well with berry flavors like strawberry in the King Vittorio's Cobbler and raspberry in the Hey Baby, Que Paso?, I figured that currant liqueur would be a win. Moreover, a light touch of cassis did prosper in the Dissenter's 50:50 Zucca and sweet vermouth combination. In the glass, the Emotional Tailspin gave forth a berry, roast, and smoke bouquet. Next, red berry, plum, and lemon notes on the sip flew into Bourbon, fruity, bitter, and smoky aromas on the swallow.

godfather

2 oz Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1/2 oz Amaretto (Disaronno)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add ice, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I began flipping through Steve the Bartender's Cocktail Guide, came across the Godfather, and realized that I had never written it up for the blog. The drink's genesis is tied to the 1970s perhaps inspired by the 1972 movie, and the earliest source that I can find in my collection is the 1977 Stan Jones' Barguide. Stan Jones' recipe lacks a garnish and also includes Bourbon as an option despite that version appearing in there as The Boss. The God series was popular at Drink back in the day due to a cult fascination with amaretto, and that recipe is 2 1/2 oz to 1/2 oz with no garnish; I utilized Drink's ratio and included the lemon twist from Steve's book. In the glass, the Godfather proffered lemon, apricot, and nutty aromas. Next, malt and orchard fruit on the sip converted into smoky whisky, nutty, and fruity flavors on the swallow. Overall, the concent reminds me of my guilty pleasure of a Rusty Nail as well as the Highlander in the concept of two part drinks of Scotch and a liqueur modifier.

tokyo drift

2 oz Yamazaki 12 Year Whisky (Kavalan Classic)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1 tsp Strega

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I turned to a recipe that I had spotted in Punch Drinks called the Tokyo Drift. The recipe was crafted by Brad Farran at the Bull Durham Beer Co. in Raleigh, NC, in 2011 back when Japanese whiskey such as Yamazaki 12 Year was overlooked and thus affordable. He named it after the third installment of The Fast & The Furious cinematic series, and I did the best I could with my collection to match the whiskey but fell a little short with Kavalan from Taiwan. I was drawn in because the style reminded me of Chris Hannah drinks like the Midnight Tripper. Once prepared, the Tokyo Drift raced to the nose with lemon and grape aromas. Next, the Cardamaro and vermouth's grape on the sip sped into whisky, herbal, and minty pine flavors on the swallow.

zone amarillo

1 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Build in an old fashioned glass, add ice, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with an orange twist and a cherry.Two Saturdays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice app and came across the Zone Amarillo by Mike Dolfini at Nashville's Attaboy circa 2019. Overall, it read like an agave Green Point so I figured that it would be a win. Putting the recipe into action, the Zone Amarillo gave forth an orange, vegetal, smoke, and grape bouquet to the nose. Next, grape notes on the sip tranversed into smoky agave and herbal flavors on the swallow with a vegetal finish.

macunaima

1 3/4 oz Balm-Aged Cachaça (Avua Balsamo)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Fernet Branca

Shake with ice and strain into a single old fashioned glass.Two Fridays ago, I decided to make the Macunaíma that had just been published in Punch Drinks. The recipe was crafted by Arnaldo Hirai 2014 at the Boca de Ouro bar in São Paulo, Brazil, and he named this after an indigenous character in a book of that same name by author Mário de Andrade that was notable for shining a light on underrepresented parts of Brazilian culture. The drink itself took off due to its simplicity of ingredients yet complexity of flavor. Arnaldo utilizes a balm-aged cachaça which imparts clove and anise aromas as well as a hint of astringency that balances the cocktail. In the glass, the Macunaíma opened up with grassy, woody, earthy gentian, and menthol hints to the nose. Next, lime and caramel on the sip gave way to grassy, earthy-woody, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

philabuster

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1/4 oz Cynar
1/8 oz Fernet Branca
1 dash Grapefruit Bitters (Bittercube Jamaican #2)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Thursdays ago, I was lured in by the curiously spelled Philabuster on Kindred Cocktails. The recipe was created in 2010 and entered into that site by bartender Ted Kilgore when he was at Taste in St. Louis, and I assume that the alternative spelling of filibuster was due to the Pennsylvania-style rye in the cocktail. Overall, it reminded me of an embittered Vita Brevis, so I was game to give it a go. Once prepared, it stalled on the nose with grapefruit oil over darker notes. Next, caramel and orange elements on the sip passed into rye, menthol, bitter, and orange-grapefruit flavors on the swallow.