the smoke also rises

2 oz White Rum (Hamilton's White Stache)
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lime wheel (omit).Two Sundays, I decided to make an intriguing Hemingway Daiquiri riff called The Smoke Also Rises from Punch. The recipe was crafted by Orestes Cruz at Atlanta's Empire State South, and I was intrigued for I have enjoyed Daiquiris with Amaro Sfumato in the Island Time and the Lush Interlude. In the glass, the drink proffered herbal, smoky, and nutty cherry aromas. Next, a lime, grapefruit, and roast-noted sip flowed into rum, smoky, and bitter-herbal flavors on the swallow with a nutty cherry and char finish.

midnight at the menagerie

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey
1 1/2 oz Pasubio Vino Amaro
1/4 oz Lazzaroni Amaretto (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Saigon Cinnamon Syrup (Cassia Cinnamon Syrup)
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
5 drop Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for the Patterson House in Nashville, when I came upon the Midnight at the Managerie that seemed like an interesting Black Manhattan of sorts using the wine-based blueberry amaro Pasubio and accents of amaretto, cinnamon, and chocolate. As for a time frame, I was able to spot the drink on Yelp menu photos from September and October 2020. In the glass, the Midnight at the Managerie started with an orange, almond, and blueberry bouquet. Next, the blueberry continued on into the sip that was followed up with rye, nutty, additional blueberry, cinnamon, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

migration

3/4 oz Goslings Rum
3/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
3/4 oz Cynar

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I was scanning through a collection of Sasha Petraske-related online recipe flashcards when I came across the Migration that reminded me of Blossom Bar's Palm Viper given the two rum, vermouth, and Cynar structure. I was later able to find a post on Reddit that narrowed the source down to Milk & Honey. In the glass, the Migration traveled to the nose with orange and molasses aromas. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip flowed into dark rums, caramel, and funky vegetal flavors on the swallow.

thieves in the night

1 oz Sombra Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 oz St. George Terroir Gin
1/4 oz Amaro Braulio
1/4 oz Maple Syrup

Build in a Julep tin, add crushed ice, stir, and top with more crushed ice. Garnish with a mint bouquet and dark chocolate (grated).Two Thursdays ago, I opened up the Death & Co. Welcome Home book and honed in on the Thieves in the Night by Jarred Weigand in 2018. This split based gin-mezcal Julep was accented by Amaro Braulio and maple with mint solely acting as the garnish. Since Braulio has worked well with both mezcal and gin in drinks like the Montañista and Ibsen's Door, respectively, I was curious to try out this combination. Once assembled, the Thieves in the Night amassed a mint and dark chocolate bouquet. Next, caramel and maple notes on the sip smuggled in smoky, vegetal, pine, and menthol flavors on the swallow.

spanish lady

3/4 oz Angostura 7 Year Rum (Havana Club 7 Year)
3/4 oz Benedictine
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing an old bartender's collection of recipes from Eastern Standard here in Boston when I spied the Spanish Lady. The combination reminded me of Damon Dyer's Monte Cassino but with aged rum, Montenegro, and a dash of bitters in place of rye and Yellow Chartreuse. Once prepared, the Spanish Lady ventured forth with a caramel, floral, and herbal aroma. Next, lemon and caramel on the sip twirled into rum, bright clementine, and herbal flavors on the swallow.

man in the yellow hat

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Walnut Liqueur (Russo Nocino)
1/4 oz Cinnamon Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Tuesdays ago, I recalled having seen a reference to the Man in the Yellow Hat on my Instagram and was intrigued in trying it out. I was able to hunt out this Curious George tribute recipe to the January 2020 issue of Imbibe Magazine which pinpointed it to bartender Sean Saunders at the now closed Devon in Manhattan. The recipe reminded me of the Bourbon for rye and no cinnamon syrup drink, the Social Animal, from around the same time frame and the opposite coast, so I gave this a go. The Man in the Yellow Hat led off with an orange, cinnamon, and walnut bouquet. Next, caramel on the sip gave way to rye, banana, cinnamon, and walnut flavors on the swallow.

omertà cocktail

1 1/2 oz Frapin Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/4 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane
1/4 oz Cocchi Extra Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/8 oz Drambuie
8 drop Bittermens Mole Bitters
8 drop Regan's Orange Bitters
1 drop Saline Solution

Stir with ice, strain into a double fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Mondays ago, I returned to the set of online recipe flashcards for Cure in New Orleans and spotted the Omertà Cocktail. This recipe from their Spring 2023 menu was attributed on their Instagram post from a year ago to bartender Scott Hicks with the description of "This spirited take on the Louisiane marries Cognac with banana and dry cacao." Omertà is a code of silence originating in Southern Italian organized crime families such that members are forbidden to reveal details of any activity to authorities even if it means going to prison or worse; I have no clue why that name pertains here, but the combination seemed curiously tempting. In the glass, the Omertà began with lemon, Cognac, and banana aromas. Next, caramel and honey notes on the sip fled into Cognac, chocolate, and banana flavors on the swallow.

tropical lion's tail

3/4 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Appletone Reserve Rum (Appleton Signature)
1/2 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lime wheel.Two Sundays ago, I found a note on my phone to make the Tropical Lion's Tail from an October 2023 article in Imbibe Magazine. This riff of the 1937 classic Lion's Tail was crafted by Brandon Ristaino at Test Pilot in Santa Barbara. Along with the Junior, the Lion's Tail is one of the few classic American whiskey drinks paired with lime instead of lemon for it can often create a flavor clash as described by Donny Clutterbuck in his talk Life Gives You Limes. In those drinks, the Benedictine and rum-based allspice dram perhaps act like bridges between the new charred barrel flavors of Bourbon and rye, and I tried to soften things in this classic with a lemon-driven riff called the Lion's Share. Here, the Bourbon was split with rums which is a technique I previous experienced in the Lion's Fang which also took things in a Tiki direction with additional sweeteners like pineapple syrup here and falernum there. Once prepared, the Tropical Lion's Tail began with a lime, caramel, and allspice bouquet. Next, lime, pineapple, and caramel on the sip wagged its way into Bourbon, funky rums, pineapple, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

regent's punch

2 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
2 oz Brewed Green Tea, Cooled (Choice Organics Japanese Green)
1/2 oz Lemon Cordial (*)

Build in an old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon slice (omit garnish).
(*) Lemon cordial is a scaling of the following: the peel of 1 lemon in 1 oz sugar for 30+ minutes. Dissolve sugar in 1 oz lemon juice and strain.

One of the recipes that I had flagged in Nicola Nice's The Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home was the Regent's Punch as adapted from Eliza Leslie's 1837 Domestic Cookery in Its Various Branches. That source recipe called for "any liquor suitable for punch" and Nicola opted for Bourbon. This recipe was a much more stripped down version of perhaps more authentic versions. David Wondrich in Punch provided a history tracing the original elaborate recipe back to perhaps a Prince of Wales, namely George Augustus Frederick. Getting at an bona fide recipe is challenging for many were recorded over the 19th century. William Terrington in the 1869 Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks listed arrack, brandy, Champagne, Maraschino, pineapple syrup, lemon and orange peels, sugar, and green tea, while Eliza Acton in the 1845 Modern Cookery for Private Families dropped the Maraschino and included Jamaican rum. Regardless, this simple version felt akin to the Zombie Essence that reduced the ten part drink from 1934 to five all while keeping the feel alive (or at least undead).Regardless, I am a sucker for green tea-containing punches such as Cold Ruby and G.M. Gurton's Punches, so I was game to give this one a go. In this cup, this punch proffered Bourbon and lemon oil aromas. Next, a lemony sip succeeded into Bourbon, tea, and lemon flavors on the swallow. Overall, rather pleasant, but I can see how gussying it up with additional flavors from the more extravagant recipes would prosper.