daley sour

1 oz Jeppson's Malort
1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, and strain into a rocks glass; I added a few drops of Angostura Bitters as garnish.

Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a drink by the Whistler's Billy Helmkamp called the Daley Sour that I had spotted on the BarNotes app. Billy described how in the fall of 2009, he and other Chicago bartenders bought a case of Malört and held an event featuring drinks that utilized said wormwood-flavored spirit as a base instead of as a minor ingredient. While not mentioned, I have to believe that this egg white Sour was dubbed after Chicago mayor Richard Daley who presided over the city until 2011.
The Daley Sour presented apple aromas from the brandy that were accented by cinnamon from both the syrup and my addition of Angostura Bitters as a garnish. Next, a creamy and lemon sip led into apple and bitter wormwood flavors on the swallow with a cinnamon spice finish. Overall, the combination was perfect for that evening's chilly pre-Autumn weather.

witches' daiquiri

1 oz Gold Rum (Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva)
2/3 oz Strega
1/3 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry (omit).
Two Saturdays ago, I browsed the list of best Strega drinks on Difford's Guide and spotted the Witches' Daiquiri. The recipe was left unattributed which led me to surmise that it might be one of Simon Difford's own creations. With the combination of lemon, orange, and orgeat, it reminded me more of Scorpion Bowl than a Daiquiri, but I was game to give it a whirl. Once mixed, the Witches' Daiquiri gave forth vanilla and anise aromas to the nose. Next, the lemon and orange sip slid into rum, earthy almond, and star anise flavors on the swallow with an orange and vanilla finish.

becky's battle

1 oz Batavia Arrack
1 oz Becherovka
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice

Whip shake, pour into a snifter glass, and fill with crushed ice. Float 3-4 dash Angostura Bitters, and garnish with a lime, cherry, and mint sprig flag.

Two Fridays ago, I found myself in Harvard Square, so I headed to Russell House Tavern for a drink. There, I found a seat in front of lead bartender Lex Russo, and I requested the Becky's Battle off of the cocktail menu. With Batavia Arrack, honey, and lime, I wondered if the name was a reference to the Battle of Trafalgar which just came off their menu after an 8 year run. Lex explained that he crafted this with Corey; the drink evolved in an Iron Chef sort of way where two bottles were blindly grabbed from the well -- Batavia Arrack and Becherovka. And when he listed off the recipe, the split base with Becherovka reminded me of the Flight Deck that I recently made.
The Becky's Battle shared a mint, lime, and clove bouquet with the nose. Next, lime and honey mingled on the sip, and the swallow gave forth Batavia Arrack's funk, pineapple, and cinnamon spice flavors to round out the drink.

saint jacques district

2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Sother Teague's I'm Just Here for the Drinks book for something to wrap up the evening. There, I spotted the Saint Jacques District which was his Canadian tribute to a Quebec neighborhood, and I was drawn in for it reminded me of a Sidecar with elements of a Jack Rose. Once prepared, the drink broadcasted an orange oil nose over Cognac and Cointreau's orange aromas. Next, lemon, berry, and orange on the sip slid into brandy and orange peels on the swallow with a fruity pomegranate finish.

leviathan

2 oz Aged Puerto Rican Rum (Don Q Añejo)
1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice

Build in a Hurricane glass (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Float Horror Infused Fiendishly Tropical Bitters (2 dash Bitter Cube Jamaica #2, 2 dash Bitter Cube Blackstrap), and garnish with an orchid (nasturtiums).

Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing the BG Reynolds site's recipe database, and I spotted the Leviathan. The drink was crafted by Jason Alexander of the Devil's Reef where it won the Iron Tiki Tender 2014 event. As a modification of the South Pacific Punch, I was definitely interested in trying it out. The recipe called for Fiendishly Tropical Bitters which were described on a site as having "a spicy flavour profile redolent of molasses, grapefruit, allspice, cinnamon, and vanilla," so I paired blackstrap and Jamaican bitters to capture many of the flavor and aromatic notes.
The Leviathan began with peppery floral aromas over the bitters' molasses, cinnamon, grapefruit, and floral ones. Next, the sip shared orange and passion fruit before leading into the swallow's rum, gin, passion fruit, and clove flavors. Overall, the tropical and spice notes in the drink were definitely complemented by my choice of nasturtium garnish.

ukranian negroni

2 oz Tanqueray Gin
1 1/2 oz Carpano Antica (Cocchi Sweet Vermouth)
1/4 oz Campari
1/4 oz Jeppson's Malört

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and flame an orange twist over the top (unflamed, dropped).
After getting home from the Luxardo punch bowl competition at the City Winery that was after the Bacardi event, I was in the mood for a nightcap. Therefore, I turned to the 2009 Chicago Reader article where they challenged Chicago bartenders to craft something tasty with Malort. The one I selected was the Ukranian Negroni by Toby Maloney at the Violet Hour, and the structure was closer to a Hanky Panky (with the bitters being a split of Campari and Malort instead of Fernet) than to an equal parts Negroni riff. Once prepared, the twist added orange notes to the gin's pine aroma. Next, a grape sip gave way to juniper, bitter orange, and bitter wormwood on the swallow. Indeed, the Campari-Malort duo was quite intense so it was wise for Maloney not to proportion this recipe akin to a classic Negroni.

poderoso

1 1/2 oz Bacardi 8 Year Rum
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 wedge Lemon

Muddle the lemon wedge, add rest, shake with ice, and double strain into a double old fashioned with a large ice cube. Here, served as a half size in a sherry glass.

Two Tuesdays ago, I attended a Bacardi event at the Ghost Walks to discuss their Legacy competition as well as drink making and other industry concerns. Besides a trio of Bacardi representatives, one of the hosts was Moe Isaza who is currently the bar manager at the bar, and he presented his 2018 Legacy drink Poderoso that he crafted while at Pammy's in Cambridge. Moe described how the drink idea began at breakfast one morning when he was eating pineapple and sipping on coffee, and he realized how well the combination went. He later discussed the idea with Daren Swisher at Hojoko who introduced him to the Mr. Bali Hai. Instead of lemon juice, Moe opted for a muddled lemon wedge to donate extra citrus aromas, and to add to the citrus diversity, he swapped the simple syrup for Amaro Montenegro.
In the glass, the Poderoso offered up coffee, lemon, and citrus complexity from the Amaro Montenegro on the nose. Next, the sip was filled with the pineapple and coffee roast notes, and this led into rum, mandarine orange, pineapple, and coffee flavors on the swallow.

smoking jet pilot

1 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
3/4 oz Batavia Arrack
3/4 oz Reposado Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
1 dash Herbsaint (1/2 bsp)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with grapefruit and lime twists.

Two Mondays ago, John Gertsen posted a Facebook memory from 4 years ago of the menu from a popup bar that he and California Gold did at Cane & Table in New Orleans back in September 2014. On the list were a variety of recipes created or served at Drink where they both worked such as the Chee Hoo Fizz. Of that collection, the Smoking Jet Pilot caught my eye, so I requested the recipe from John who provided not only the specs but the details that this was a group effort from Drink's early days before they did Tiki Sundays (so perhaps the 2009 era). The trio of mezcal, reposado tequila, and Batavia Arrack reminded me of Phil Ward's Airbag that they were serving at Drink in 2009, and the Batavia Arrack-mezcal duo appeared in another of their cocktails that year, the Esmino's Escape. So perhaps this was Drink's mashup of the Airbag with Stephan Crane's 1950s Jet Pilot.
The Smoking Jet Pilot's grapefruit and lime garnishes filled the bouquet and led quite well into the grapefruit and lime sip. Next, the swallow was a complex smoke, agave, and Batavia Arrack funky rum combination with a cinnamon and anise finish. Moreover, the Batavia Arrack and mezcal seemed to synergize into a burning rubber note at the end as well.

cutlass

3/4 oz Spanish Brandy (Camus VS Cognac)
3/4 oz Rhum Agricole Blanc (Clement Premiere Canne)
3/4 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
3/4 oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Kahlua)
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Two Sundays ago, I continued on with my sherry quest by perusing the Lustau 2018 competition entries. There, I spotted the Cutlass by Jason Saura of Navy Strength in Seattle. Once prepared, the Cutlass donated a grapefruit aroma over grape, banana, and hints of coffee on the nose. Next, grape and lime mingled on the sip, and the swallow proffered grassy rum, brandy, dark roast coffee, and banana flavors. Overall, I was impressed at how well the rhum agricole and coffee liqueur worked on the swallow here.