11 + 2 / 12 + 1

1 1/2 oz Rabarbaro Zucca Amaro
1 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
2 dash Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters

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

Two Thursdays ago, we got dinner at Tasty Burger in the Fenway and headed across the street to the Citizen. There, John Mayer and Katie were tending bar, and for a first drink, John suggested a Zucca cocktail. The curiously named "11 + 2 / 12 + 1" might have stemmed from the proportions all having 1's, 2's, and /'s; however, John explained that both "11 + 2" and "12 + 1" both have the same 13 letters in them. And that seemed like a good enough reason to have a drink!
The 11+2/12+1 began with a bright grapefruit aroma over herbal notes. A sweet grape sip gave way to a swallow where the Green Chartreuse was smoothed over by the Zucca. Finally, light citrus notes finished off this simple but elegant libation.

primrose hill

1 3/4 oz Aviation Gin
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
1/4 Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1 barspoon Fernet Branca

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Saturdays ago, I was looking through Imbibe Magazine's online supplement to the March/April 2014 issue, and I spotted the Primrose Hill created by Erik Carlson of Bastille in Seattle. Erik named the recipe after a stylish London neighborhood, and the idea of a Martini variation seemed rather appealing. Once mixed, the Primrose Hill offered a light minty and menthol aroma. A soft wine sip gave way to juniper, nutty, and cherry notes on the swallow along with a lingering menthol finish. Overall, the balance reminded me of a dry offspring of a Martinez and a Hanky Panky.

three's company

1 oz Bols Genever
1 oz Carpano Antica (Dolin Sweet Vermouth)
1 oz Avèze Gentian Liqueur (Saler's)

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

After the Merry Widow Cocktail, I turned to a recipe I had spotted in an entry on the Bols Bartending's Traveling Cocktail Book via their Facebook page. The Three's Company was a recipe crafted by Tommy Klus back when he was at Kask in Portland, Oregon, and it came across like a fuller and sweeter variation on the White Negroni. And perhaps similar to the Manhattan riffs out there using gentian liqueurs like the Second Wife and Harry Palmer.
The twist's orange oils brightened the malty aromas from the Genever. A semi-sweet malt and grape sip gave way to the Genever's wormwood and other botanicals complementing the Saler's gentian notes on the swallow. Overall, the Three's Company was much more grape and malt forward than I recall the White Negroni being.

merry widow cocktail

1/2 Dry Gin (1 1/4 oz Wireworks)
1/2 Dry Vermouth (1 1/4 Dolin)
2 dash Benedictine (3/8 oz)
3 dash Absinthe (1/8 oz Butterfly)
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

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

Two Thursdays ago, I opened up Hugo Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks and spotted the Merry Widow Cocktail. The combination of gin, dry vermouth, Benedictine, and absinthe reminded me of the Joan Blondell with different proportions and bitters, so I was definitely willing to give this one a go. If I had to guess, I assume the drink was named after the operetta The Merry Widow that opened in 1905 and later got adapted into film and was still rather popular when Ensslin published his book.
The Merry Widow Cocktail began with a lemon oil and herbal aroma with hints of anise. A dry wine sip led into a swallow where the gin melded with the Benedictine's herbal and the absinthe and Peychauds' spice notes.

kekua

1 1/2 oz Avuá Cachaça
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a spritz of Chichicapa Mezcal.

For my second drink at Backbar, I asked bartender Sam Treadway for the Kekua. Sam described how this was Joe Cammarata's creation where he crossed Ben Sandrof's Esmeralda with Josie Packard's Prosecutor. In searching for a name, Joe google-searched "Esmeralda" and spotted that it was the name of the female character in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. That got him to thinking about the Notre Dame football team, and how linebacker Manti Te'o faced adversity with the death of his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, during the 2012 season. The story got a lot of press for the wonderful concept of powering through a game despite the grief, and it received even more press when it was discovered that the girlfriend was imaginary. This drink was real though... I swear!
The Kekua offered grassy and smoke aromas before giving way to a dry lime sip that shared a vague fruit note from the St. Germain. Next, the swallow began with a grassy and herbal combination that was followed by a floral and mineral finish.

transatlantic scaffa

1 1/2 oz Rhum Clément VSOP Rum
1/2 oz Laird's Apple Brandy
1 oz Cappelletti Aperitivo
3 dash Buddha's Palm Tincture

Build in a rocks glass and stir without ice. Serve room temperature.

Two Sundays ago, I paid a visit to Backbar where Sam Treadway and Kyle Powell were tending bar. For a first libation, I asked Kyle for the Transatlantic Scaffa, one of the two room temperature cocktails on the menu. The recipe was described as a team effort with Joe Cammarata leading the concept, and Kyle and Sam helping to polish up the details. The sweetener here was Cappelletti, a bitter aperitif that came across as a mix of sweet vermouth and Campari. The other Scaffa was the R & B, a 3 to 1 ratio of rye to Benedictine accented with a dash each of Angostura and Angostura Orange Bitters.
The Transatlantic Scaffa began with an herbal grape aroma with hints of apple. Next, a sweet grape sip led into a mineral and herbal swallow. Overall, the Scaffa reminded me of Scott Holliday's Defensio, a rhum agricole-based Lucien Gaudin.

rubberband man

1 oz Spiced Caña Brava Rum
1 oz Pierre Ferrand Cognac
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1 dash Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with 2 cherries and flame an orange twist over the top.
Two Thursdays ago, I ventured down to Downtown Crossing after work to visit the Highball Lounge. There, I found a seat in front of bartender Shaher Misif and requested his tribute to The Spinners, the Rubberband Man. Once mixed, the cocktail provided an orange and herbal aroma that led into a dry grape sip. The swallow contained mostly Cognac flavors at first with a spice finish; later, the swallow had more rum notes with the ice melt dilution. Overall, it came across a bit more like an Old Fashioned given the spirits' heat than a Manhattan or a Vieux Carré variation that I first envisioned given the recipe.

old ironsides

2 oz Spiced Rum (Kraken)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Cynar

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a cherry (omitted).

After the Kangaroo, I switched speeds and picked up a newer book, Food & Wines: Cocktails 2013, for inspiration. The drink that called out to us was Sean Kenyon's Old Ironsides that he crafted at William & Graham in Denver. The combination of Cherry Heering and Cynar seemed appealing for it worked well in drinks like Not the First Cyn, and I felt their richness would pair well with Kraken spiced rum.
Old Ironsides shared a rich caramel, vanilla, and cherry aroma that led into a caramel sip. The swallow then offered a complex rum, cherry, vanilla, and spice medley. Overall, it was interesting how the cherry notes played hide and seek in this darkly flavored mix over successive sips.

kangaroo

2/3 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Beefeater)
2 dash Yellow Chartreuse (1/2 oz)
1 dash Maraschino Liqueur (1/4 oz Luxardo)
1 dash Dry Vermouth (3/4 oz Dolin)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Wednesdays ago, I was flipping through Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 when I re-spotted the Kangaroo. I had originally skipped the recipe for there is a better known Kangaroo, the Vodka Martini, and I felt like I should avoid confusion. However, this did not stop me when it came to the gin Cosmopolitan that pre-dated the 1980's born phenomena. Similarly, this Kangaroo pre-dates the Vodka Martini being called that name, so I decided that I should make it as well. The parallels between the two Cosmopolitans and the two Kangaroos are similar with the older one being gin and the newer one vodka. While the newer Kangaroo is more similar to akin to a Martini, this gin one is like a gussied up Puritan Cocktail. In interpreting the recipe, I made it a bit more dry vermouth heavy than the proportions suggest in order to balance the larger-than-a-dash-or-two amounts of the other ingredients.
The Kangaroo began with a honey herbal aroma with a hint of Maraschino's nutty cherry notes. A honeyed white wine sip led into a gin swallow with herbal notes from the Yellow Chartreuse being rounded over by the Maraschino's fruity finish.