anchor-faced

2 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
3/8 oz Amaro Ciociaro
3/8 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Dale DeGroff's Pimento Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.After writing up the Blue Plate Special, I latched onto the Ciociaro-banana liqueur combination. I took it in a funky rum direction and tried to fit it into the .38 Special's structure, but it was still rather aggressive. I  then utilized some cream sherry to tame it, and I added accents with allspice bitters. For a name, I dubbed this one Anchor-Faced which is a slang term for someone who is extremely enthusiastic to be in the British Royal Navy. Here, the Anchor-Faced proffered orange, caramel, and rum funk aromas. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip enlisted funky rum and tropical banana-orange flavors on the swallow with an allspice and funk finish.

breaking dawn

1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua)
1 oz Punt e Mes

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry. This is a shaken instead of stirred drink to induce a foamy head.Two Mondays ago, I spotted on Kindred Cocktails a recipe published in Imbibe Magazine in 2014 called the Breaking Dawn. The drink was crafted by Sean Thibodeaux at the St. Charles Exchange in Louisville, and the combination with Bourbon reminded me of the smoky Scotch-based Joe Camel that I enjoyed a few weeks ago as well as a Punt e Mes-embittered Revolver. Once prepared, the Breaking Dawn rose to the nose with grape and roast notes. Next, the grape continued on into the sip where it was chased by Bourbon, coffee, roast, and bitter herbal notes.

american gumption

1 oz Bonded Bourbon (Evan Williams)
1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I was inspired by Phil Ward's Tequila Gumption, and I decided to cross it with the American Trilogy by replacing the reposado tequila and mezcal duo with bonded Bourbon and apple brandy. Utilizing a Mr. Potato Head swap seemed like a perfect tribute to Phil. The drink I dubbed American Gumption began with an orange and nutty cherry bouquet. Next, a rich sip led into Bourbon, apple, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow with a clove and allspice finish.

end of the road

3/4 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Zucca (Sfumato)
3/4 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
2 dash Lemon Bitters (Berg & Hauck)

Build in a rocks glass, add a large ice cube, and stir to mix and chill.Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make another recipe that I had spotted in the online collection of flashcards from the Paper Plane in Atlanta. That one was the End of the Road that appeared on their Winter 2013-2014 menu and was distinct from Chris McMillian's End of the Road that appears in Beta Cocktails. Instead, this one reminded me a little more of Maks Pazuniak's Last Mechanical Art with the equal parts mezcal, Cynar, secondary bitter liqueur, and fortified wine components. Once prepared, the End of the Road provided a roast and bitter vegetal bouquet. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip halted at smoky, herbal, vegetal, and nutty flavors on the swallow.

tijuana lady

1 1/2 oz Tequila (Olmeca Altos)
1 oz Licor 43
3/4 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up the Bartender's Choice app and spied the Tijuana Lady created in 2008 by Michael Madrusan at Little Branch in Manhattan. Since Licor 43 had worked well with tequila in the Camerone and I had a few limes kicking around in the fridge, I set to work. The Tijuana Lady welcomed the senses with vegetal agave, vanilla, and mango aromas. Next, lime and tropical notes on the sip twirled into tequila, orange, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.

siege of havana

2 oz London Dry Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
1/8 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/8 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I was inspired by Ezra Star's Martini-like When the British Came to Spain with hints of two sweeteners and a citrus juice, and I mashed up a Martini with the classic Havana Cocktail of gin, apricot liqueur, Swedish punsch, and lemon in that style. For a name, I kept the names of the two source drinks in mind and dubbed this the Siege of Havana after the events of 1862 that were part of the Seven Years' War. Once prepared, the Siege of Havana attacked the nose with a lemon and apricot aroma. Next, white wine with caramel and orchard fruit notes on the sip sailed into gin, tea tannin, apricot, and orange flavors on the swallow.

blue plate special

1 1/2 oz Haymans Old Tom Gin
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I made the other drink that caught my eye the night prior from Atlanta's Paper Plane online flashcards called the Blue Plate Special. The drink was on their Winter 2013/14 menu, and its combination of Hayman's Old Tom Gin and Cruzan Black Strap Rum reminded me of Death & Co.'s Night Watch; moreover, the Ciociaro and banana liqueur duo was one I enjoyed in Death & Co.'s Goldilocks. The Blue Plate Special reached the nose with orange, pine, and caramel aromas. Next, the rum and liqueurs' caramel notes filled the sip, and the swallow proffered juniper, dark orange, tropical, and clove flavors on the swallow.

counterfeit rifle

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Amaro Meletti
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Lemon Bitters (Berg & Hauck)

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice (coupe glass), and garnish with a lemon wheel (lemon twist).Two Sundays ago, I returned to the online flashcards from the Paper Plane in Atlanta and found a Sour that caught my eye. That one was the Counterfeit Rifle for their April 2014 menu that looked like a Meletti-tinged Frisco Sour. Once shaken and strained, it donated a lemon, rye, and herbal bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and caramel notes on the sip shot forth into rye and herbal flavors on the swallow with a violet floral finish.

black barrel

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Averna
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Build in an old fashioned glass, add ice, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Saturdays ago, I delved into the Bartender's Choice app where I landed upon the Black Barrel created at Nashville's Attaboy in 2018 by bartender Mitchel Taylor. The recipe reminded me of Rhiannon Enlil's Neutral Ground but with Averna instead of Benedictine. Onced built, the Black Barrel gave forth a lemon nose over nutty sherry aromas. Next, a semi-dry caramel and grape sip flowed out into rye, oxidized sherry, and herbal flavors on the swallow with an allspice and clove finish.