dove & daisy

1 1/2 oz Milagro Silver Tequila
1 oz Combier Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz Aperol
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3 inch swath Grapefruit Peel

Shake with ice and strain into a salt-rimmed Collins glass filled with ice. Top with ~2 oz soda water and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
The final drink that I had at No. 9 Park was Tyler Wang's Dove & Daisy. Tyler described it as a combination of a Paloma and a Margarita which are the Spanish words for dove and daisy, respectively. Once mixed, the grapefruit twist aroma mingled with the tequila notes on the nose. A carbonated orange, lime, and Aperol sip gave an almost grapefruit-like taste, and the tequila rounded out the swallow.

diversionary dam

1 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz Angostura Bitters
1 oz Lime Juice
1 barspoon Kübler Absinthe

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After my first drink at No. 9 Park, bartender Ted Kilpatrick swooped in from working the floor to make me my second drink, the Diversionary Dam. The recipe was created in honor of two regulars, Noah and Liz, who served as Ted's safe distraction during the craziness of Restaurant Week one night. When I heard the recipe, it seemed like Ted had merged the Silent Order with an Angostura-heavy drink like the Stormy Mai Tai.
Once mixed, its frothy redness attracted the attention of a woman a few seats down who declared that she wanted one. Considering that she asked for a Cosmo for her first round, her boyfriend, the barstaff, and I all deterred her from thinking this was something cute and fruity. Instead, the Diversionary Dam greeted the nose with an herbal Green Chartreuse aroma; as the drink warmed up a little, it gained absinthe notes and spiced ones from the Angostura's clove and allspice. The lime sip was then followed by Green Chartreuse herbal flavors on the swallow and Angostura's dryness on the finish.

spice & wine

2 1/2 oz La Gitana Manzanilla Sherry
1/2 oz House Spirits "Krogstad" Aquavit
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Berg & Hauck's Celery Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top.

Two Tuesdays ago, I ventured down to No. 9 Park for drinks after getting dinner in Chinatown. For a first libation, bartender Tyler Wang suggested a sherry-based number he calls Spice & Wine. His recipe was influenced by Sahil Mehta's Butchertown that Tyler enjoyed at Estragon. Instead of the Butchertown's kümmel, Tyler opted for aquavit, and in place of the honey bourbon, he reached for honey-sweetened Yellow Chartreuse.
The Spice & Wine offered a bright lemon aroma over a savory one from the sherry and the aquavit's caraway. Next, a grape sip was tinged with a light honey-like flavor, and the swallow was herbal and nutty with a light celery note at the end.

the grand tour

1 oz Lustau Dry Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Herradura Reposado Tequila
3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and add a straw.
The drink that Andrea requested at Craigie on Main was the Grand Tour which was a lighter drink featuring Amontillado sherry and a small amount of tequila. Moreover, with the pineapple syrup, citrus, and ice, it was almost Fix-like. The Grand Tour offered up a tequila and lime aroma. A lime and grape sip was followed by a swallow that began with tequila and ended with pineapple and nutty sherry notes.

dusty trail

2 oz Privateer Silver Rum
1/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I decided to do the Chef's Whim at Craigie on Main. Of course we opted for sitting at the bar, and we were greeted by bartenders Ann Thompson and Jared Sadoian. For a first drink, I asked Ann for the Dusty Trail which seemed like a cross between a Rum Old Fashioned and a Pirate's Cocktail (a/k/a Rum Manhattan). Moreover, the concept was similar to Jamie Boudreau's Chet Baker, but instead of a rich Jamaican rum, they opted for a white local one -- Privateer.
Rum and vanilla mingled elegantly on the Dusty Trail's nose. A light grape and vanilla sip led into a rum, vanilla, and chocolate swallow.

red right hook

1 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
1 oz Scarlet Ibis Rum (Smith & Cross)
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/4 oz Campari
2 dash Chocolate Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Two Fridays ago, I made a drink that I spotted on Eric Witz's tumblr that he created called the Red Right Hook. The recipe was a mashup of a Manhattan variation, the Red Hook, and a Rum Negroni, the Right Hand, with a nod to Nick Cave's Red Right Hand song for a name. The only substitution I made was using Smith & Cross in place of the Trinidadian rum he called for; perhaps, I should have reached for a less aggressive rum though.
The orange twist's oils brightened the funky rum's aroma. A malt and grape sip led into a swallow that began with a rye and rum combination that seemed like neither base spirit. The swallow ended with a Campari and Maraschino pairing and a chocolate finish.

[ghost of castle island]

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Select Rum
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Pedro Romero Oloroso Sherry
1/2 oz La Favorite Blanc Rhum Agricole

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top.

The second drink that bartender John Mayer made for me at Local 149 from his Bacardi competition recipes was a rum and sherry Bijou-like drink. For a name, I thought of the beach near the bar in South Boston. A few blocks away on Castle Island, the government built Fort Independence which was a hotspot for ghost activity in the 19th century. In fact, when Edgar Allen Poe was stationed there in 1827, he heard the local lore about how an unpopular officer was bricked up alive in the fort following his killing of a more popular officer in a duel; this tale led Poe to later write "The Cask of the Amontillado." Since the drink has sherry in it, I figured the "Ghost of Castle Island" was a good place holder of a name as any.
The drink began with an orange oil aroma that punctuated that of the Green Chartreuse. A tart and grassy grape sip was followed by the rums' flavor on the swallow. The swallow ended with herbal Green Chartreuse notes and a lingering rhum agricole finish.

face for radio

1 1/2 oz Bacardi 8 Year Rum
3/4 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Pistachio Orgeat (*)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Cinnamon Honey Syrup (*)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
(*) I surmised that using regular orgeat and/or cinnamon syrup or honey syrup here would create a delicious parallel drink.

Two Thursdays ago, Andrea and I met up at Local 149 for dinner. When speaking with bartender John Mayer, he mentioned that he was working on a few drinks for a local Bacardi competition. The one that caught my attention for its ingredients also captured my intrigue with the name, Face for Radio. John explained that the housemade pistachio orgeat led to an unattractive appearance, but the flavor combination was good enough for him to overlook it.
The Face for Radio proffered a rum and nutty aroma. A lime and honey sip led into a rum swallow that finished with pistachio, clove, and cinnamon flavors. Yes, the drink was not very sightly, but its voice was definitely captivating in a spiced Mai Tai sort of way akin to Ben Sandrof's Cuban Anole.

fernet me not

1 1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Honey Syrup 1:1 (I used 3/4 oz)
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
After the Latin Trifecta, I opted for the Fernet Me Not that I had spotted on the Imbibe Magazine website. The recipe was created by Florian Minier of Haddingtons in Austin. Once mixed, the Fernet Me Not started with a lemon and honey aroma. The honey continued into the sip where it mingled with the sweet vermouth's grape. Finally, a honey-tempered Fernet Branca herbal flavor began the swallow that ended with a floral-menthol finish.