open & shut

1 1/2 oz Amaro Lucano
1/2 oz Cognac (Monnet VSOP)

Build in a rocks glass without ice and give a quick stir. Optional to garnish with a lemon or orange twist (lemon twist).Two Sundays ago, I spied Kara Newman's Nightcap book on the shelf, and I began flipping through the pages. There, I was lured in by Julia Momose's Open & Shut whuch was a Scaffa (room temperature "cocktail" without dilution) that she described as, "Simply build in the glass, retire to bed, sip, and ease yourself into slumber." Once assembled, the Open & Shut provided a lemon, caramel, and orange bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel and roast notes on the sip led into bitter herbal, Cognac, and dark orange peel flavors on the swallow.

café italo

2 oz Amaro Nardini
3/4 oz Demerara Syrup
1 Orange Peel
1 Whole Egg

Shake the egg, add the rest of the ingredients, and shake with ice. Strain into a double old fashioned glass (the photo shows a large ice cube not mentioned in the book's text), and garnish with an additional orange peel.Two Saturdays ago, I reached for Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake's Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em book. There, I spotted the Café Italo by Kirk Estopinal at Cure that was inspired by the Terry's brand chocolate orange candy and reminded me of the Cynar Flip. In the glass, the Café Italo approached with an orange, caramel, and herbal bouquet. Next, a creamy caramel sip was followed by caramel, toffee, coffee, and orange flavors on the swallow.

besitos de abuelita

1 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/4 oz Amaro Sfumato
3 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Fridays ago, I returned to the online flashcard set from Raised by Wolves in San Diego and spotted the Besitos de Abuelita as perhaps a riff on the Oaxacan Old Fashioned with sweet sherry and an earthy-smoky amaro in place of the neo-classic's agave syrup. I was able to date the drink to late 2021 via Yelp menu photos where the drink was subtitled, "Warm kisses from Grandma with a longer lasting flavor than her favorite red lipstick on your cheek." In the glass, the Besitos de Abuelita gave forth a grapefruit, smoky, vegetal, and bitter herbal aroma. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip slid into smoke, bitter herbal, vegetal, raisin, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

laughter in the dark

1 oz Islay Scotch (Ardbeg 10 Year)
3/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry and lemon oil from a twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I spotted the Laughter in the Dark by New York City bartender Rafa Garcia Febles. The combination reminded me of the Backwards Point and Drunk Uncle but with Pedro Ximenez sherry instead of vermouth. Once prepared, the Laughter in the Dark showcased a lemon, peat smoke, and raisin aroma. Next, dried fruit and caramel notes on the sip opened up into smoky Scotch, herbal, grape, and raisin flavors on the swallow.

little gem diner

1 1/2 oz Old Overholt Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
1/4 oz Unicum Plum Liqueur (*)
3 drop Saline (1:4)
1 Whole Egg

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, and strain into a Fizz glass.
(*) Apparenlty, no longer imported here, so perhaps a combination of slivovitz and simple syrup if one does not already have a bottle or cannot source a dusty one on liquor store shelves. My sample came from Portland Cocktail Week 2012, and this is the first time that I have found an use for it.Two Wednesdays ago, I ventured back to the online recipe flashcards from Pouring Ribbons in Manhattan, and I decided on the Little Gem Diner as a curious Flip from their Fall 2014 menu. Though the history was not provided, it was possibly named after a diner in Syracuse, New York, founded in 1950, and the only other reference was that it came highly recommended by an user on FourSquare – and after making it, I can see why. In the glass, the Little Gem Diner conjured up red fruit like plum or cherry to the nose. Next, a creamy and honey-driven sip opened up into rye, raisin, and plum flavors on the swallow. Overall, this one was so elegant, and I was saddened that my drink ended so soon.

why don't you do right

1 oz Pineapple Rum (Planteray)
1 oz Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Mr. Black)
2 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.After writing up the Palisades, I got inspired by its Cynar-coffee liqueur combination. I combined that duo with the Cognac-pineapple rum split base from my Big Spender, and I kept the Peggy Lee song title theme going by dubbing the result the Why Don't You Do Right. One critique I faced on the name on Instagram was "The drink sounds great, but in the song all the fellow has to offer is a glass of gin. What a louse!", but otherwise, several folks have since tried this one out, liked it, and posted about it which has led to a second wave of users making it and tagging me in their posts. Once prepared, the Why Don't You Do Right proffered orange, caramel, pineapple, and coffee aromas to the nose. Next, caramel and roast notes on the sip slid into Cognac and coffee flavors on the swallow with a pineapple and roast finish. The choice of coffee liqueur here might require some tweaking as perhaps a half barspoon of Demerara syrup could supplement Mr. Black's drier profile, and softer coffee liqueurs might allow the other beautiful components shine through more. But overall, the combination of coffee and pineapple has generally been a success whether in the classic Mr. Bali Hai or in more modern ones like Moe Isaza's Bacardi Legacy drink, the Poderoso. In April 2025, I upcycled the recipe for a Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum competition since I was in a time crunch for a submission. I exchanged the old fashioned with a big cube for a Nick & Nora glass, and I specified the Cognac as Pierre Ferrand Ambre which we have at the C-Side Bar in Cambridge, MA. I dubbed it the Sunken City named after the Les Baxter exotica track. While it did not win, this second life of this combination has gained traction on Instagram.

Sunken City
• 1 oz Planteray Stiggins' Fancy Pineapple Rum
• 1 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
• 1/2 oz Cynar
• 1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur
• 2 dash Molé Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

dr. doctor

1 1/2 oz Planteray 5 Year Barbados Rum (RL Seale 10 Year)
1/2 oz Planteray Overproof Rum (OFTD)
1 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
1 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)

Dry shake (shake with one ice cube), pour over crushed ice in a double old fashioned glass, and add a straw.Two Mondays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Fall 2012 menu at the Dorrance in Providence, Rhode Island, where I decided that the Dr. Doctor would scratch that craving for a Daiquiri. The Dr. Doctor is a riff on the classic Doctor Cocktail via Ted Haigh who modified it from the one that first appeared in Harry McElhone's 1927 Barflies and Cocktails; the same combination as Ted's was published as the Waldorf Cocktail in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book. Here, the concept was expanded with two rums and the addition of falernum. Once prepared, the Dr. Doctor offered up caramel, lime, and clove aromas. Next, lime and caramel on the sip prescribed a medley of rum notes including burly and slightly funky ones, dryness, and clove flavors on the swallow.

get up & go

1 1/2 oz Wild Turkey 101° (WT101° Bourbon)
1/4 oz Amaro Abano
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/4 oz Laphroaig Scotch
1 tsp Galliano Ristretto
1 dash Cinnamon Bitters (Fee's Whiskey Barrel-Aged)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange peel arrow.Two Sundays ago, I returned to the Pouring Ribbons online recipe flashcard set and landed on the Get Up & Go from their Fall 2014 menu. In the glass, the Get Up & Go conjured an orange and peat smoke bouquet. Next, roast notes and hints of caramel on the sip landed upon Bourbon, smoky Scotch, orange, and coffee flavors on the swallow with a cinnamon and smoke finish.

on the avenue

1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish orange oil from a twist.Two Saturdays, I finally visited Equal Measure when they were formally open. I say it that way since I had been in the space back in mid-November for a Dale DeGroff and Hendrick's private event that featured Dale's new aperitivo that was launching and a taste of his amaro that was still in prototype form. For a first drink, I asked bartender Eliza Hoar who came to the East Coast after bartending in San Diego at places like the Noble Experiment for the On the Avenue. This Boulevardier riff was subtitled "equal measures are everywhere", and the split Campari-Cynar bitter component was one that I last saw in the Rosales. In the glass, the On the Avenue began with an orange, Cognac, and herbal aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip strolled into Cognac, a hint of rye, bitter orange, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.