spaghetti western

2 oz Davidson Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Amaro Braulio
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
2 dash Bittermens Buckspice Ginger Bitters (King Floyd's Scorched Pear & Ginger)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube.Two Wednesdays ago, I was perusing online recipe flashcards and landed upon the Spaghetti Western at Urban Grub in Nashville. This one was different from Death & Co.'s Spaghetti Western and La Pentola's Spaghetti Western #2 and had the curious combination of Braulio and Montenegro. In the glass, this Spaghetti Western opened up with clementine, caramel, and pine aromas. Next, the caramel from the amari continued on into the sip where it was chased by Bourbon, pine, ginger, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.

heavy artillery

1 1/2 oz James E. Pepper Rye (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Giacomo Sperone)
1/4 oz Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup (1/8 oz Cinnamon Syrup + 1/8 oz Brown Sugar + 1/8 oz Water)
1 dash Fee's Old Fashioned Bitters (Fee's Whiskey Barrel-Aged)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Tuesdays prior, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco and selected the Heavy Artillery. The recipe was confirmed by a 2015 SFist article on Old Fashioned variations, and the bar's Instagram attributed the drink to bartender alum Darren Crawford. The Instagram post declared, "A high octane cocktail that will get you ready for battle. The rye, rum, and Chartreuse are all over 100 proof. Locked and loaded, are you ready to take on the world?" This rye-Jamaican rum Tipperary or perhaps Bijou in Old Fashioned format began with an orange, herbaceous, and rum funk bouquet. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip were beseiged by rye, funky rum, cinnamon, and herbaceous flavors on the swallow. Overall, the other ingredients did a surprising job toning down the Chartreuse in this combination.

xingu cocktail

70% Arrack (2 oz Batavia Arrack von Oosten)
10% Maraschino (1/2 oz Luxardo)
10% Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
10% Absinthe (1/8 oz St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Mondays ago, I revisited my reprint of the 1936 book 1000 Misture and landed on the Xingu Cocktail which reminded me of the Xingu black lager from Brazil that I first tried in the mid-90s. The combination made me think of the egg white Arrack Sour which has Peychaud's Bitters for the anise note instead of absinthe. In the glass, the Xingu opened up with lemon, anise, and funky Batavia Arrack melding into nutty cherry on the nose. Next, lemon and cherry notes on the sip flowed into earthy, nutty, cherry, funk, and anise flavors on the swallow.

tobacco road

2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Barenjager Honey Liqueur
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with spritzes of Laphroaig Scotch (6 drop floated).Two Sundays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcards for 1 Tippling Place in Philadelphia, and I opted for the Tobacco Road. Overall, the Tobacco Road reminded me of the Bottom Line that paired Scotch and honey liqueur but with Manzanilla sherry instead of dry vermouth here. Once in the glass, the drink showcased a peat smoke bouquet from the floated Laphroaig. Next, a honey and white grape mix on the sip flowed into Scotch, honey, and clove flavors on the swallow.

mountebank

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1/2 oz Apple Brandy (Morin Calvados Selection)
1/2 oz Amaro Sfumato
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Absinthe (6 drop St. George)

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

Two Saturdays ago, I was inspired by the apricot-Sfumato combination in the previous night's Smooth Operator. I swapped the Armagnac-rye duo for Scotch-apple brandy, dropped the Benedictine, and exchanged the two bitters for absinthe. Originally, I tried Peychaud's Bitters here since they generally work well with Scotch, apple brandy, and apricot, but the balance was just too dark especially with the Sfumato, so I replaced it with the brightening action of absinthe. For a name, I kept the Smooth Operator in mind and dubbed this the Mountebank which dictionaries define as "a person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan" and "a person who sells quack medicines from a platform." Once prepared, the Mountebank gave forth a roast, orange, apricot, and anise aroma. Next, roast and apple notes on the sip sold off Scotch, apple, bitter apricot, smoky roast, char, and anise flavors on the swallow. Overall, I wished that I had reached for a more flavorful Scotch here like Cutty Sark Prohibition or mixed in a little high impact Islay single malt for some of the blended whisky, but Andrea and a few folks who tried it on Instagram enjoyed it as written.

smooth operator

1 1/2 oz Armagnac Marie Duffau (Marie Duffau Napoleon)
3/4 oz Giffard Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
1/2 oz Zucca (Amaro Sfumato)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Wild Turkey 101 Rye (Rittenhouse)
2 dash Spiced Cherry Bitters (King Floyd's Cherry Cacao)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Fridays ago, I found a set of online recipe flashcards from Cork & Cow in Franklin, Tennessee, which is a bar that I first learned of through their To Rome With Love. Here, I selected the Smooth Operator circa 2021 that was different from the Smooth Operator that I had already tried. While I have had a few cocktails with the Benedictine-apricot duo, I have only had one with rabarbaro-apricot which was the Long Eclipse but with only a minor accent of apricot. Once prepared, this Smooth Operator brought forth an orange, apricot, herbal, and roast bouquet to the nose. Next, apricot notes on the sip opened up into brandy, bitter herbal, char-smoky, and spice flavors on the swallow.

mohu

1 oz Johnnie Walker Black Scotch (Famous Grouse Smoky Black)
1 oz Bulleit Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/2 oz Benedictine
1 dash Scrappy's Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

No instructions were provided, so I stirred with ice and strained into a cocktail coupe. An orange twist or cherry would not be out of place as a garnish.Two Thursdays ago, I uncovered a set of online recipe flashcards for the Poodle Room, a private members-only club in Las Vegas. A New Yorker article about the club opening mentioned that the cocktails were named after poodles that won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The recipe that lured me in was the Mohu, and I was able to discover the drink was named after a 6 year old toy poodle from Japan that won in 2024. Previously, the only poodle-themed drink that I can think of was the Pink Poodle at Toro. Given that Ciociaro is often utilizes as an Amer Picon substitute, I was drawn in for the Mohu cocktail was akin to a Bourbon-Scotch version of Deep Ellum's rye-based Creole variation. In the glass, the Mohu offered up a hint of smoke, caramel, and dark orange aromas. Next, a caramel-driven sip gave chase to Bourbon, smoky Scotch, herbal, caramel, dark orange, chocolate, and clove flavors on the swallow.

juan jose cocktail

50% Dry Gin (1 1/4 oz Beefeater)
30% Dry Vermouth (3/4 oz Dolin)
10% Jamaican Rum (1/4 oz Smith & Cross)
10% Crème de Peche (1/4 oz Mathilde)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry.Two Wednesdays ago, I opened up my translated reprint of the 1000 Misture book from 1936 and decided to make the Juan José Cocktail. This Martini riff reminded me of another in that same book, namely the Portorico which is also accented with Jamaican rum, fruit liqueur, and aromatic bitters. Moreover, the combination of Jamaican rum and peach liqueur worked well in the Westward, so I was curious to try this one. In the glass, the Juan José proffered a cherry, peach, and pineapple aroma to the nose. Next, caramel and orchard fruit notes on the sip gave way to pine, peach, rum funk, and allspice flavors on the swallow.

royal port

3/4 oz Hampden Estate 8 Year Jamaican Rum (Monymusk Gold)
3/4 oz Novo Fogo Silver Cachaça (Novo Fogo Bar Strength)
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 tsp Giffard Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Dale DeGroff Pimento Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with lemon twist coin.Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to the Death & Co. market site and found the Royal Port by Joshua White at Death & Co. DC in 2024. He was inspired to create this riff on the Vieux Carré by the legendary pirate haven of Port Royal in Jamaica that also inspired this Port Royal and that one. The split spirit base caught my eye for the Jamaican rum-cachaça duo was one that I enjoyed in the Jah Rule and one that I had recently used in the Overpowered by Funk. In the glass, the Royal Port opened up with lemon, caramel, tropical, and funky aromas. Next, caramel and white grape notes on the sip sailed into funky rum, pineapple, banana, and allspice flavors on the swallow