don draper

1 1/2 oz Hiatus Tequila (Fosforo Blanco)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a dehydrated grapefruit slice (omit). For a second drink in my grapefruit juice series, I opted for one called the Don Draper. It was created at Analogue in Manhattan, found via online recipe flashcards, and dated to at least 2022 by a Yelp menu photo. Surprisingly, this is only the second drink making reference on here to said character on Mad Men with the other, Don Draper's Bitter End, being enjoyed only three weeks prior. This one instead of Black Manhattan riff is more of a variation of a Tommy's Margarita with grapefruit and a touch of chili liqueur, and since I have enjoyed other recipes from Analogue including the Sun Stealer and Dogs Playing Poker, I gave this one a go. In the glass, the Don Draper presented a tequila aroma with a hint of chili pepper. Next, lime and grapefruit notes on the sip transformed into tequila, vegetal pepper, and a wisp of spice on the swallow.

hemingway's ruin

2 oz Caña Brava Rum (Hamilton's White 'Stache)
1 1/2 oz Don's Mix (1 oz Grapefruit Juice + 1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Tuesdays, it was time to dispatch my garnish grapefruit into juice and begin what turned into a series of five grapefruit cocktails. The first one I started with was Hemingway's Ruin from Golden Tiki in Las Vegas that I uncovered through online recipe flashcards for their inaugural menu in 2015. Eater wrote about the drink in an article about the bar opening with, "Don's Mix, composed of cinnamon and grapefruit, is added to Caña Brava rum, Maraschino liquor, and lime juice to create a delicious Hemingway [Daiquiri] variation." A Reddit post about the bar in 2019 contained a photo of the drink, and the current menu has the rums as Hamilton White 'Stache and St. Lucia White Rum given that Caña Brava has been discontinued since 2019. For the rum, I went with an adaptation of the modern version with White 'Stache alone. In the glass, Hemingway's Ruin ushered in a nutty cherry and cinnamon aroma. Next, lime, grapefruit, and light cherry notes on the sip cascaded into rum, nutty cherry, and cinnamon flavors on the swallow.

liquid swords

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Mondays ago, I began scanning the Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app, and I spotted the Liquid Swords by Aisha Sharpe at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan circa 2009. The recipe that I most associate with Aisha is The 212 from 2008 that found its way into the PDT Cocktail Book, and she used to collaborate with Willy Shine (before his long tenure with Jägermeister) in their Contemporary Cocktails consultancy. Perhaps the drink was dubbed after the 1995 solo album from Wu-Tang Clan member GZA, and the name will always remind me of a listing on the Russell House Tavern dessert menu when I started in 2013 that was a mix of Old Monk Rum, Luxardo Espresso Liqueur, amaretto, and Amarula Cream Liqueur. The combination of Green Chartreuse and curaçao always makes me think of the Knight from David Embury's The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks and its appearance in more modern recipes like the Prospector, and Green Chartreuse and Aperol were last seen here in the Monk's Mystery with Montenegro instead of curaçao. Once prepared, the Liquid Swords swung at the nose with a lemon and orange aroma. Next, orange and red fruit on the sip opened up into rye and herbaceous flavors on the swallow with a citrus pith and orange finish.

dust jacket

1 3/4 oz Aged Dark Rum (1 oz Coruba + 3/4 oz Hamilton 86° Demerara)
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1 tsp Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Two Sundays prior, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and found the Dust Jacket by David Molyneux at The Everleigh in Melbourne circa 2017. The combination of spirit, fortified wine, Ramazzotti, and Maraschino reminded me of the Williamsburg that has Cocchi Americano instead of sherry and the Caretaker with dry vermouth and a mint leaf instead of sherry. In the glass, the Dust Jacket revealed a woody rum and nutty cherry bouquet to the nose. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the rums and amaro flowed into funky rum, root beer, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

charlie hustle

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Applejack (Laird's Bonded)
3/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
3/4 oz Amaro Nonino

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I began searching The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app and landed upon the Charlie Hustle by Jon Nutter at Manhattan's Attaboy in 2019. Overall, it came across like a split amaro Black Manhattan with a split base akin to Sam Ross' Grandfather. Once prepared, the Charlie Hustle conned the nose with an bright orange oil, caramel orange, and apple aroma. Next, the amari's caramel came through on the sip where it was pursued by Bourbon, apple, bitter orange, and caramel flavors on the swallow.

man maker

3/4 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Cognac (Courvoisier)
3/4 oz Averna
3/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Fridays prior, I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book and landed on the Man Maker by Hayden Lambert at Above Board in Melbourne. Averna and Benedictine (with or without bitters) as the sole modifiers appear in the Bolt from the Blue and Sucker in a 3 Piece, so I was curious to try it with the New Orleans-style feel of the rye-Cognac split base. Once mixed, the Man Maker presented a lemon, caramel, and herbal aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip from the two liqueurs opened up into rye, brandy, herbal, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

davinci

1 1/2 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Alessio)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato

Stir with ice, strain into an old fasioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Thursdays ago, I began perusing The Bartender's Choice Volume 3 app when I spotted the DaVinci crafted in 2023 by Roger Scandela at Manhattan's Attaboy. In the structure of spirit, Campari, Sfumato, and vermouth drinks, the Mean Old Man with Scotch stands out in my head, and I did a similar drink but with port called the Preceptor. Also in the ballpark is Cure's Ghost of My Life with gin, Campari, and Zucca (another rabarbaro like Sfumato) but no vermouth. Once mixed, the DaVinci gave forth a fresh orange aroma over Campari's orange and Sfumato's herbal and roast. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip flowed into gin, bitter orange, smoky, and earthy herbal flavors on the swallow.

where eagles dare

1 1/2 oz Dewar's 12 Year Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse)
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with Smith & Cross Rum. Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted on an online recipe site the Where Eagles Dare created at State Park in Cambridge that was named after either the 1968 Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton WWII action film or the 1979 song by The Misfits. The Punt e Mes-banana combination appears in a few drinks such as the Social Vampire and the Banana Manhattan, but none with Scotch muchless a funky Jamaican rum rinse. Scotch and banana though were last seen in the Cupid Deluxe (that post has links to two other Scotch-banana drinks on the blog), so I curious to give this one a try. In the glass, the Where Eagles Dare soared to the nose with a pineapple rum funk and banana aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip swooped into Scotch, bitter herbal, and banana flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

southern gentleman

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Averna
1/2 oz Gentian Liqueur (Suze)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist. Two Tuesdays ago, I received the new issue of Imbibe Magazine (September/October 2026), and I immediately picked out the Southern Gentleman as a Black Manhattan riff by Sean Skvarka and Matt Ross at Whisler's in Austin. It appeared like an Averna for sweet vermouth variation on Happiness Forgets' Harry Palmer, so I was game. Once stirred and strained, the Southern Gentleman greeted the senses with a lemon and earthy herbal aroma. Next, caramel from the Averna filled the sip that led into rye, gentian, and herbal flavors on the swallow.