saratoga cocktail

1oz Brandy (Hine H Cognac)
1oz Whiskey (Weller Bourbon)
1oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes aromatic bitters (Fee Bros Whiskey-Barrel Aged)

Garnish with a lemon twist. Recipe from pg. 255 of Imbibe! by David Wondrich.

Notations above as prepared by Hugh @ES for Husband and surrogate-husband (I was sticking with gin for the evening, for whatever reason). I'm always skeptical of Bourbon but in this context, it was actually quite good -- for me, in that "oh, I'll drink that" way versus "oh, I'll order that". The recipe as printed called for Rye whiskey instead of Bourbon, and Angostura bitters by name.

hearst (variant)

2oz Gin (Beefeater)
1 1/2oz sweet vermouth
dash Angostura bitters
dash Angostura Orange bitters

I've been anxious to try something new: I've been out at least weekly for this past month yet as you can see, my blog entries would not seem to indicate that fact! I've been sticking to things I've had before -- enjoying myself quite a bit of course! But not ranging too far from a grouping of drinks -- and so I was psyched when Hugh @ES suggested this drink last night because I thought it was new to me! I'd forgotten I'd had it before... This was a little bit different in proportions and I really rather enjoyed it. And once the hot weather comes, I'm sure I'll be even more enthusiastic to tread new ground.

This month was all about rye whiskey for whatever reason! Hardly a terrible thing.

prospect park (variant)

2oz Michter's US1 Rye
1/2oz Punt e Mes
1/2oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2oz Aperol

Stir over ice, garnish with proper cherry.

My partner-in-cocktail-crime is going away for the summer (bastard gets to visit all those delicious-sounding Bay Area cocktail joints), and had scrawled this recipe in my notebook during one of our last jaunts to the Standard. I did not have the proportions for the Prospect Park in my previous entry, so here you go. Perhaps I'll remember to ask for the classic proportions next time...

brandy crusta

1 1/2oz cognac
1/4oz maraschino
1/4oz Cointreau
1/4oz lemon juice
dash Angostura bitters
sugared rim
curl of lemon peel

Another recipe I found is here.

Kevin @ES brought this over for Husband and I to try -- you can definately taste that this is a Sidecar precursor. Very pretty presentation, and had a Lemonhead-y sort of aftertaste: not a bad thing in my book! God, I used to eat those things until my teeth hurt... perhaps that explains my current citrus problems. :/

:: note to self: ::

Don't keep wondering why you feel so afflicted by a couple of drinks when the rye whiskey in all of them is Rittenhouse 100.

Because that is why.

diamondback cocktail

1 1/2 oz Rye
3/4 oz Applejack
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse (*)

Several recipe variants can be found in this blog entry.

On our way to Ladies Night, we came across F&A waiting for a bus: apparently it was so crowded that they'd been unable to order drinks at all and were bailing to go to Green Street. So, they climbed into the backseat and we all went off to Cambridge to the very uncrowded Green Street and hung out with Andy for a few drinks.

I was on a rye thing last night, so for my second drink I went for this guy. Yummy bite to it, still smooth enough to sip. Interesting color as well.

(*) Postnote 05/30/18: The Diamondback is traditionally a Yellow Chartreuse drink as first published in Ted Saucier's 1951 Bottoms Up where it was listed as the "Diamondback Lounge" from the Lord Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore. The drink was also served over crushed ice with a mint sprig, although these days, it is often served up or down without ice or garnish. Green Chartreuse is a swap supported by Murray Stenson while at Seattle's Zigzag circa or before 2005. --Frederic

chicago fizz

1oz 15-year Barbancourt Rum
1oz tawny port
1/2oz simple syrup
1/2oz lemon juice
egg white

top off with soda water. Recipe from Kit @Eastern Standard. Slightly different version at CocktailDB.

Mmm mmm eggy goodness! I was a bit leery of the lemon juice, but my old lady teeth were okay with it and it really added to the complexity of the smooth flavor. really pretty, creamy thing: it looked nourishing, you know? And that's exactly what it was, and not too sweet or heavy either.

green point

2 oz Rittenhouse 100 proof bonded rye
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse

above recipe from Eastern Standard, Boston.

How odd that I didn't have this drink on this here blog before now! It's one I rather like and proves what a weirdo I am when it comes to rye... I often go for gin instead of brown spirits (y'know, being the fairest sex and all) but for some reason, Rittenhouse 100? Does a girl good.

Another variation of this recipe calls for 1.5 rye, and a dash each of orange and Angostura bitters. We prefer the above.

mint fizz

grappa
lemon juice
mint-infused simple syrup
egg white

Add a spray of soda water while pouring over ice. Drip orange blossom water onto the foam, garnish with a mint sprig.

This was... an interesting drink. I felt like I was having it two months early! It was a really awesome blend of flavors, apparently one of Tommy's originals. Really refreshing, and not so much lemon that this old lady couldn't enjoy it. It'll be a really lovely thing to enjoy on a sweltering August night.