mucho picchu

1 1/2 oz Macchu Pisco
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a flute glass, top with Champagne (2 oz 90-Plus Cellars Prosecco), and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Two Thursdays ago, I selected the Death & Co. Cocktail Book for the evening's refreshment. There, I was drawn to Joaquin Simo's 2008 sparkler, the Mucho Picchu that appeared like a cross between a French 75 and a Hemingway Daiquiri with pisco as the base spirit. Once prepared, the Mucho Picchu greeted the nose with a grapefruit and nutty cherry aroma. Next, grapefruit and wine on the carbonated sip led into earthy pisco on the swallow finishing with Maraschino's nutty fruit note.

imperial egg nogg

1 Tbsp Sugar (3/4 oz Simple Syrup)
1 Whole Egg
1 wineglass Brandy (2 oz Courvoisier VS)
1/2 wineglass Jamaican Rum (1 oz Smith & Cross)

Fill with rich milk (2 oz Half & Half), shake once without and once with ice, and strain into a large bar glass (split into 2 punch cups). Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Two Wednesdays ago, I discovered that the 1888 The Police Gazette Bartenders Guide was digitized on EUVS; I was glad to be reacquainted with the book after having a chance to peruse the 1901 edition back at Gary Regan's Cocktails in the Country in 2015. The recipe that caught my eye was the Imperial Egg Nogg that paired brandy with Jamaican rum as the spirit base. Since there was no other flavor modifier or spice in the mix other than the nutmeg garnish, I opted for a funky rum to add some pizazz to the drink. In the glass, the Imperial Egg Nogg issued forth a nutmeg and rum funk aroma. Next, a creamy sip shared a caramel note from the aged spirits, and the swallow proffered the expected duo of Cognac and high ester Jamaican rum.

curzon

1/3 Daiquiri Rum (DonQ Añejo)
1/3 Courvoisier Brandy (VS Cognac)
1/3 Grapefruit Juice
1 dash Crème de Cacao (1/4 oz Tempus Fugit Cacao + 1/4 oz Simple Syrup)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry (grapefruit twist).
Two Tuesdays ago, I delved into the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book and spotted the Curzon which for a second reminded me of the Curazõn on the Green Street menu. The Curzon here was not a misspelling of the Spanish word for "heart" but was a British family name which matched the drink book's origin. The grapefruit as the only citrus here reminded me of the Commercial Free, so I was curious to see how similar in feel the two were. Once prepared, the Curzon offered grapefruit and chocolate notes to the nose. Next, grapefruit and a darker note from the cacao or perhaps the barrel aging filled the sip, and the swallow broadcast brandy and rum flavors melding into chocolate with grapefruit's bite on the finish.

forbidden colors

2 oz Espolon Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz Cucumber Syrup (*)
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass, and garnish with a cucumber wheel.
(*) Cucumber was peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces, blended, and fine strained. The juice was mixed with an equal volume of sugar and stirred with a spoon to dissolve it without heat.
Another of the syrups that I made for the Cocktail Lab at Earl's two weeks ago was a cucumber one. I decided to take it in a tequila direction since agave often pairs well with cucumber flavors such as in the White Buddha. For added herbal and spice elements, I added a touch of Yellow Chartreuse and Angostura Bitters to the mix. For a name, I stuck with the Yukio Mishima theme and dubbed the concoction Forbidden Colors.

confessions of a mask

2 oz Bols Genever
1/2 oz Kiwi Fruit Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
10 drop Herbsaint

Shake with ice, strain into a glass, and garnish with a floated lemon peel mask.
(*) Per peeled and chopped kiwi fruit, blend with 1/2 oz water, fine strain, and mix with an equal amount of sugar. Dissolve sugar by stirring without heat.
As I was thinking about what produce to utilize for my night at the Cocktail Lab at Earl's Prudential, I spotted kiwi fruit at the store and remembered how tasty the shrub I used in the Kiwi Kollins was. Therefore, I decided to go with it and take it this time in the syrup direction instead. As I contemplated the soft fruit notes of kiwi fruit, I latched onto Genever as a base for it often pairs well with other fruit flavors such as rhubarb in the Old New York Cocktail, peach in the Under Lock and Key, and pear in the Church Key. To balance the sweet, I paired the syrup with lemon juice, and to accent the Genever's botanicals, I added a hint of Herbsaint. When it came time to naming the drinks, I went with a literary angle, and named all three after Yukio Mishima novels. This one I dubbed Confessions of a Mask after the first book I ever read from that author, and I shaped the garnish into a mask to link it back to the name.
My second drink in the trilogy that night began with a syrup that I made from oregano from my garden. I originally thought about pairing it with sweet vermouth to match the Italian cooking spices, but I ended up switching to Pimm's. While I took it in a Pimm's Cup sort of direction with a split base of gin akin to a Tom Collins, it was much more herbal and less fruity than most Pimm's Cups and more flavorful than a Tom Collins. For a name, I kept on the Mishima track with The Sound of the Waves.

The Sound of the Waves
• 1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin
• 1 1/2 oz Pimm's #1
• 1/2 oz Oregano Syrup (*)
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass with 2 oz soda water, add a straw, and garnish with a lemon wheel and oregano sprig.

the truce

2 oz High West Double Rye (Old Overholt)
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Maple Syrup
1/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist on the cube.
Two Sundays ago, I was perusing the Brooklyn Bartender book when I spotted The Truce by Torrey Bell-Edwards at the Willow. The drink started as a maple-Chartreuse Sazerac riff before progressing into its final form, and the Rye Old Fashioned with Green Chartreuse structure reminded me of a less bitter Clint Eastwood. Once prepared, The Truce gave forth a lemon oil over rye bouquet to the nose. Next, sweetened malt with a bit of mouthfeel from the maple syrup on the sip gave way to rye followed by a maple-Chartreuse herbal combination on the swallow.

mero mero

1 oz Mezcal (Fidencio Espadin Joven)
1/2 oz Reposado Tequila (Lunazul)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (unflamed).

Two Saturdays ago, I spotted an interesting drink called the Mero Mero in Imbibe. The recipe was created by Jason Eisner at Los Angeles' Gracias Madre, and the name roughly translates to "top dog" or "godfather" in Spanish. Moreover, the ingredients appeared like an agave version of Death & Co.'s Grand Street so I was definitely curious to try it.
In the glass, the Mero Mero proffered an orange, smoke, and light cherry aroma. Next, grape and cherry notes filled the sip, and the swallow shared smoky agave flavors along with earthy bitter notes melding into nutty Maraschino ones.

haitian divorce

1 1/2 oz Barbancourt 8 Year Rum
3/4 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Sombra)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Oxford 1970)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Build in a rocks glass, add a large ice cube, and stir. Garnish with both orange and lime twists.
Two Fridays ago, I restocked Pedro Ximenez sherry at the home bar to make the Haitian Divorce from Amanda Schuster's New York Cocktails. The recipe was crafted by Tom Richter when he was at the Beagle, and the form reminded me of the McKittrick Old Fashioned which also utilized the rich sherry as a sweetener. Here, the Haitian Divorce gave forth smoke and raisiny aromas along orange and lime oil notes. Next, the sherry's robust grape filled the sip, and the swallow offered rum, smoky mezcal, and raisiny sherry flavors with a clove spice-driven finish.

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