gasoline boots

1 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 oz Punt e Mes
3/4 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/8 oz Demerara Syrup
1 dash House Hellfire Bitters (my own Hellfire Bitters)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with a lemon sidewinder twist.Two Fridays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set for the Patterson House in Nashville and found the bitter and spicy mezcal recipe, Gasoline Boots, that was created circa 2022. With Punt e Mes, Cynar, and Benedictine in the mix, it reminded me of the Chachita that I crafted at Loyal Nine years ago. Once mixed, the Gasoline Boots ignited with a lemon, vegetal, dark, and smoky aroma. Next, caramel and grape notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow smoldered with vegetal, bitter herbal, smoke, and red pepper spice flavors on the swallow.

left hand of darkness

2 oz Redemption Rye Whiskey (Templeton)
1/2 oz Walnut Liqueur (Russo Nocino)
1/2 oz Averna
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed (St. George) coupe, and garnish with a cherry (Luxardo).Two Thursdays ago, I came across a recipe called the Left Hand of Darkness on the KindredCocktails database. Unlike the Ursula Le Guin tribute at Backbar that was more of a Left Hand (Boulevardier-like) riff with the same name, this one was crafted and recently posted by Pasadena home enthusiast Todd Brant and shared similarities with the rye, walnut, and Averna Oakshade. Once prepared, this Left Hand of Darkness opened up with a bright anise aroma over dark notes from the walnut liqueur and Averna. Next, a caramel-driven sip gave way to rye, walnut, herbal, anise, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

squeaky wheel

1 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1 oz Campari
3/4 oz St. George NOLA Coffee Liqueur (3/8 oz each Kahlua + Mr. Black)
1/4 oz Amaretto (Disaronno)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Wednesdays ago, I came across the recipe for the Squeaky Wheel in a 2019 Imbibe Magazine article as created by Nicholas Bennett at Cedric's at the Shed in Manhattan. Bennett was the beverage director at Cedric's in Hudson Yards concurrent with his time at Porchlight which are both under the umbrella of Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. Since the idea of a mezcal-coffee Negroni has worked in the Sailor's Negroni, I was game to give this one a go with amaretto and Angostura Bitters in the mix. In the glass, the Squeaky Wheel opened up with orange, vegetal, coffee, and smoke aromas. Next, roast and almond notes on the sip flowed into smoky agave, roast, nutty, and clove flavors on the swallow.

smokey old quartermaster

1 oz Bacardi 8 Rum (Don Q Gran Añejo)
1/2 oz Balvenie Doublewood Scotch (Royal Brackla 12)
1/4 oz Johnnie Walker Black Scotch (Ardbeg 10)
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)
3 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe.Two Tuesdays prior, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I came across the Smokey Old Quartermaster. The drink was created by Matt Pietrek and published on his CocktailWonk blog in 2014 as a riff on the Old Quartermaster at Rum Club in Portland, Oregon. Given the name and the combination of rum, whisky, and sherry, I assume that it is a riff on the Quarter Deck #2 that I found in Trader Vic's 1947 Bartender's Guide. In the glass, the Smokey Old Quartermaster revealed a peat smoke, malt, and raisin aroma. Next, grape and dried cherry notes on the sip sailed into rum, smokey Scotch, fig, and grape flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.

devil's own mistress

1 1/2 oz Planteray OFTD Rum
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
6 drop Absinthe (St. George)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large cube.

Two Mondays ago, I uncovered a note that I had made on my phone with a riff on the Away Colors that I had thought up. To the rum, Fernet, and banana combination, I added in Benedictine and Punt e Mes and took the rum into overdrive with Planteray's OFTD. The combination did not work as well as planned, but switching the aromatized wine to regular sweet vermouth helped a lot as did adding in a few drops of absinthe to brighten the balance. Since I was already in my phone's notepad, I went to a list of drink names that I had turned up in my reading, and I found the Devil's Own Mistress from Stephanie Schorow's The Combat Zone book that was listed as a nickname for one of the performers, Amy Walker.The Devil's Own Mistress stepped on stage with a dark rum, caramel, and anise bouquet. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip twirled into burly rum, caramelized banana, and bitter herbal flavors on the swallow with an anise finish.

greenwood

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt 86°)
1/2 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina
1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
2 dash Angostura Bitters
1 Orange Peel

Express the orange peel into a mixing glass and drop in, add the rest of the ingredients and ice, stir, and strain into a coupe.Two Sundays ago, I returned to a set of online recipe flashcards for Raines Law Room in New York City and landed on the Greenwood. As a Manhattan variation with a split of vermouth and quinquina, it reminded me of the Aime from Louis' Mixed Drinks from 1906 and perhaps California Gold's Bicycle Thief with Cynar in the mix at the Blue Room. Once stirred and strained, the Greenwood showcased a grape, plum, and rye aroma. Next, grape with a hint of dark fruit on the sip transitioned into rye, plum, and allspice flavors on the swallow with orange and clove notes on the finish.

pedantic revisited

1 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1 oz Brugal Añejo Rum (Don Q Gran Añejo)
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino
2 peel Lemon

Express the lemon peels into the mixing glass and drop in, add the rest of the ingredients and ice, stir, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.Two Saturdays ago, I returned to the online recipe flashcard set from the Patterson House in Nashville and was tempted by the Pedantic Revisited. Overall, it read like a rum-Cognac Martinez of sorts with Cocchi Americano as the aromatized wine, and the feel reminded me of the Genever-Old Tom gin Precursor that I had a few weeks prior. In the glass, the Pedantic Revisited opened up with a Cognac and nutty cherry bouquet. Next, orchard fruit and caramel notes on the sip flowed into Cognac, rum, and cherry flavors on the swallow.

smooth operator

2 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum (R.L. Seale 10 Year)
1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
1/2 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau)
Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, garnish with a cherry at the bottom of the glass, and gently sink 1/4 oz Benedictine.After finding the That'll Take the Edge Off on KindredCocktails that was sourced from the Be Your Own Bartender book by Carey Jones and John McCarthy, I ordered a copy. When I finally opened up the book, I landed on the authors' Smooth Operator in the rum section that seemed like a great start. With rum, sherry, and Ramazzotti, it reminded me of the East India Trading Co. and the structure plus the sherry and Benedictine aspects made me think of the Neutral Ground. Once mixed, the Smooth Operator launched with a nutty, rum, and root beer aroma. Next, a semi-dry grape and caramel sip yielded a rum, nutty, caramel, and root beer swallow. Moreover, as I got down a little over half way, the Benedictine began getting into the picture, and the balance shifted to smoother, sweeter, and more herbal.

bayonet

1/2 oz Hine Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/2 oz Roger Groult Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/2 oz Blume Marillen Apricot Eau de Vie (Shalakh Armenian Apricot Eau de Vie)
1/2 oz Cynar
1 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I found another online recipe flashcard set from Death & Co., and I selected the Bayonet from their Fall 2021 menu; Yelp helped me to identify the location as Death & Co.'s Denver branch. I was curious as whether the Bayonet was more a three-brandy Little Italy of sorts or whether it was more akin to a Negroni in structure with the two aged brandies as the spirit component and the Cynar-apricot eau de vie acting as the bittering agent. Moreover, I was drawn in further for apricot liqueur and Cynar have been magical together ever since I first tried them in the One One Thousand at Brick & Mortar. Once affixed, the Bayonet charged to the senses with an orange and apricot aroma. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip were attacked by Cognac, apple, apricot, and herbal flavors on the swallow.