mocking bird

1 1/2 oz Krogstad Aquavit
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Cane Syrup 1:1

Shake with ice, strain into a Collin glass (double old fashioned) with fresh ice, and garnish with a pineapple leaf or lime wheel (omit).Two Mondays ago, I was perusing the ShakeStir site's drink database when I spotted a curious Jungle Bird riff called the Mocking Bird. The recipe was crafted by Natasha Mesa in 2017 at Raven & Rose in Portland, Oregon; here, the base spirit was swapped from rum to aquavit, and the pineapple juice to pineapple syrup akin to the Unique Bird and Jungle Bird Negroni. With aquavit in the mix, the drink proffered a caraway and star anise aroma to the nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow came through with caraway, bitter orange and pineapple flavors with a star anise finish.

cooper's regard

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Tio Pepe Fino)
1/4 oz Falernum (Velvet)
2 dash Celery Bitters (Homemade)

Build in an old fashioned glass with ice, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I decided to make a cocktail that one of my Instagram friends had made from Punch Drinks called the Cooper's Regard. The recipe was created circa 2016 by Caitlin Pfeiffer at Los Angeles' Break Room 86 which would place its creation around a year after I met her during our session of Camp Runamok on the Bourbon Trail in 2015. Once prepared, the Cooper's Regard donated a lemon and rye bouquet to the nose. Next, a cherry-driven sip flowed into a rye, savory, and cherry swallow.

1910 cocktail

3/4 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
3/4 oz Cognac (Du Peyrat Selection)
1 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

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

I recently came to the realization that the 1910 Cocktail on the blog was off by an ingredient, and I decided to redo the drink two Saturdays ago. Drink bartender Ezra Star created the 1910 as a tribute to the start of the Mexican Revolution and based it off of the house classic, the 1919 Cocktail. When I was served this in 2012 by another Drink bartender, it was made with a split of mezcal and reposado tequila akin to the Oaxacan Old Fashioned. Difford's Guide lists 2014 as the 1910's birth year but with Cognac instead of aged tequila, so either the recipe developed over those two years or the bartender who served it to me made a mistake (and thus Difford's Guide has the wrong year). Regardless, both versions are delicious, but the Cognac version adds more flavor diversity being a grape distillate instead of another agave one.This more modern version of the 1910 began with orange oil, smoke, and nutty cherry aromas. Next, grape and cherry notes on the sip were overturned by Cognac, mezcal, nutty, and anise flavors on the swallow.Postnote 9/19/22: I discovered this in the "Drinks of Drink" notebook at work and found the Rosetta Stone -- it was created as a tequila-mezcal cocktail and switched to Cognac-mezcal one later.

touch of evil

1 1/2 oz Cynar
1 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum (El Dorado 5 Year)
1/2 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1 tsp Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 tsp Fernet Branca
1/2 dash Saline Solution (1 pinch)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with orange oils from a twist.After my bar shift two Fridays ago, I opened up Death & Co.'s Welcome Home and found the Touch of Evil. Bartender John Armstrong was inspired in 2015 by Brad Bolt's Cynar Julep from the 2011 Beta Cocktails book (misattributed to Maks Pazuniak in Welcome Home). The touch of evil that was added to the original's rum-Cynar split was scant amounts of Fernet Branca and Maraschino plus a little saline solution to round out the balance. In the glass, the Touch of Evil greeted the nose with an orange, caramel, herbal, and minty aura. Next, Cynar's caramel notes flowed into the sip, and the swallow conjured up rum, vegetal, nutty cherry, and bitter menthol flavors.

golden phone

1 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a lemon twist and two cherries on a pick (lemon twist only).Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make an intriguing dessert cocktail of sorts that appeared in Punch Drinks called the Golden Phone. It was crafted by Michael Fifelski at the Harvey House in Madison, Wisconsin, and the idea was a stirred riff on Jim Meehan's 21st Century. Once assembled, the Golden Phone greeted the senses with a lemon, chocolate, and herbal aroma. Next, a roast note on the sip from the chocolate liqueur flowed into tequila, minty-herbal, and chocolate flavors on the swallow. Overall, it was a touch on the sweet side as expected which is why I did not mind that it was three quarters the size of my usual cocktail build.

close but no cigar

1 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Sagamore Rye (Templeton)
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Tio Pepe Fino)
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass rinsed with Laphroaig Scotch and containing ice, and garnish with an orange twist (lemon twist).Two Wednesdays ago, I ventured back to my new San Francisco Cocktails book and spied the Close but No Cigar. The drink was crafted by Anthony Stewart at the Commissary as an Old Fashioned riff even though it came across more of a Manhattan to me. In the glass, the Close but No Cigar presented a lemon and peat smoke nose. Next, the honey notes filled the sip, and the swallow donated rye, savory, honey, and chocolate flavors with an anise finish.

part time lover

1 1/2 oz Dorothy Parker Gin (Bombay Dry)
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry (Tio Pepe Fino)
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 tsp Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass (cocktail coupe), and garnish with lemon oil from a twist (include twist).For the cocktail hour two Tuesdays prior, I selected Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and found Jillian Vose's 2014 Part Time Lover. It came across as a Martini mixed with a hint of Last Word, but it was different from the hyphenated Part-Time Lover. Here, the nose was greeted by lemon, nutty cherry, and herbal aromas. Next, a semi-dry white grape sip flowed into gin, briny, savory herbal, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow with a light anise finish.

brooklyn holiday

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse Bonded)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Mondays ago, I cracked into my new purchase of Trevor Felch's San Francisco Cocktails and spotted the Brooklyn Holiday. The recipe was created by Tyler Groom at The Vault as a classic Brooklyn going on an European vacation. The combination of whisk(e)y, sweet vermouth, and Lillet reminded me of the Hoots Mon, and the Aperol-Lillet duo of the Unusual Negroni (or the Mercy, Mercy). Once prepared, the Brooklyn Holiday proffered an orange and grapefruit bouquet to the nose. Next, grape, orange, and apricot notes on the sip slid into rye and herbal flavors on the swallow.

home stretch

1 oz Añejo Tequila (Cimarron Reposado)
1 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
3/4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Lacuesta Rojo)
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
1 dash Miracle Mile Pecan Bitters
1 drop Root Beer Extract (1 dash Bitter Queens Sarsaparilla Bitters)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with an ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Sundays ago, I returned to Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book where I spotted Jeremy Oertel's 2016 Home Stretch. The Home Stretch was a Manhattan riff that had the tequila-Calvados combination that I experienced in the Spanish Caravan and used in my Hasta Manzana a few weeks later. In the glass, the Home Stretch approached the nose with an orange, apple, and vanilla aroma. Next, grape and apple notes on the sip flowed into vegetal, apple, and root beer flavors on the swallow with a vanilla and pecan finish.