Site Change

So the domain jswells.com now points to the new site away from the Blogger platform. Any new updates will be on there and, unless there is a reason otherwise, I have no need to cross posts from there to here.

Sunset Cocktail: Good Striker

1 oz Copper & Kings American Brandy
1 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
2 dashes Dr. Adam Aphrodite Bitters
rinse Copper & Kings Absinthe Blanche

Rinse a chilled Cocktail glass with Absinthe. Stir remaining ingredients with ice and strain into the Absinthe rinsed glass. Garnish with an expressed orange peel.

I took this from an entry on Kindred Cocktails called the Holy Striker but made some drastic changes on everything but the inspiration. I may adjust the ratios a bit but all in all this is a lovely herbal cocktail with all of the ingredients playing well together. This is one of those cases where the Orange peel is essential.

This one is named after a kenning of the deity Sucellus, a Gaulish Hammer God who is often depicted with, not only his hammer, but with a barrel or olla of wine and sometimes a faithful dog. From my understanding his hammer is more of a craftsman's mallet than a weapon but it could also be a barrel of beer on a pole.

He's a depicted as a middle aged guy with a beard who's into his Underworld girl, Nantosuelta, from the Underworld, I can relate. Hopefully he likes this offering. Sucellus does like his drink (and goth chicks).

Sunset Mythos Absinthe Cocktail: Yig & Tonic

2 oz London No.1 Gin
3/4 oz Suze
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Haint Absinthe
3/4 oz Liber and Co. Spiced Tonic Syrup
Soda Water
2-3 dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Boker's Bitters

Build first 5 ingredients in an ice filled Copa de Balon glass (Or a bulbous red wine glass) that is garnished with a long, snake-like Lime peel (Horse Neck). Top with Soda Water, give a little stir and dash the bitters onto the drink.

Another entry to the Mythos Absinthe Cocktail list, The Yig & Tonic. This was inspired by the Suze Gin & Tonic I made the other day on World Gin Day and the desire to give the Suze and Tonic a more interesting name. Of course I wanted to include it into the Mythos Absinthe Cocktail list so, in order to be included in the list, it needed Absinthe.

In the Lovecraftian Mythos Yig is the Father of Serpents, though with the flavor profile of botanical earthiness from the Gin and Suze I was tempted to name this the Ygg & Tonic. However, naming it for a great and terrible gallows tree would take this out of the Lovecraftian Mythos and place it in the realm of either Norse or Westeros.

I did specifically want to use the Lime peel over a Lemon or an Orange peel for the color green’s closer association to snakes. I added the lime juice so I wouldn’t waste the rest of a peeled Lime and also for color which was also aided by the combination of the yellow Suze and blue Gin along with the delightfully green Haint Absinthe.

I was torn as to how to do the Yig Snake/Horse Neck garnish. At first I wanted to be able to express the Lime oils over the drink as the Channel Knife drew over the Lime, however, it’s much easier to get the whole Snake/Neck into the glass as a garnish when adding the ice but before adding the drink itself. Ultimately I did the latter after reading this good post on making the Horse Neck though it did still start to float up by the time I took a halfway decent picture.

Sunset Cocktail: Chasing Fireflies on National Tequila Day

1 1/2 oz Espolòn Tequila Blanco
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake everything with ice and strain into an ice filled Rocks glass. garnish with a Lime wedge.

As today is National Tequila Day I went out and picked up a bottle just to make something for the holiday. I wanted to make something other than another goddamned Margarita and saw this cocktail which also uses one of my favorite things in the world, Chartreuse. It was a nice shade of glowy green without the use of any kind of crappy artificially colored liqueurs and with a little light positioned behind the glass I was trying to emulate the firefly's butt-glow.

I know that I just don't have a taste for Tequila (or Mezcal for that matter) so I went about looking for something that was a good representation of the spirit that didn't cost too much. I'm well familiar with Cuervo and Patron thanks to Chilifest on Martha's Vineyard (there are things I will never unsee...) but I wanted something better, or at least different. While I did get a few suggestions from people more learned than I, my quest ended with a bottle of Espolòn Tequila Blanco. This was a staff pick at Bottles and, lets face it, how could I turn down a skeleton riding a rooster into a fight with other skeletons wielding machetes?

I'll try once again to get into this renowned Agave spirit with this bottle here. I can's say for sure that this is my gateway Tequila yet, but it's worth trying out. I already like that tequila in the drink here more than this one...

Week 47: Haint [52 Whispers from the Muse]

Haint

Overall Rating: 3.6
Appearance: 4.0
Louche: 3.0
Aroma: 3.5
Flavor/Mouthfeel: 3.5
Finish: 3.5
Overall: 4.0

Style: Verte

ABV: 62.5%
Country: United States

Distillery: Dogwood distilling

Appearance: A light yellow green, clear and natural.
Louche: Very slow and light louche that seems to crave very cold ice water. It did start with lovely blue swirls ending in a semi-translucent green.
Aroma: Botanical and bright, a bit of alcohol on the nose but at this healthy 125 proof it wasn't unpleasant..
Flavor/Mouthfeel: Not nearly as sweet as I expected, in fact it had a nice Wormwood and Fennel presence with a refreshing hint of mintiness. Anise was there, not as far back as being in the background but it was by no means overbearing. I expected to want to drink this at a low dilution but despite the lightness and brightness it seemed to hit my palate right at just over 3:1 water to Absinthe, I may have stopped just before 3.5:1
Finish: Lovely Wormwood finish with a bit of a bitter tingle. The mintiness tries to stretch into the lingering flavor but doesn't last very long.
Overall: Overall this is a solid American Absinthe. It may be a little light to use as just an absinthe rinse in cocktails, but as a measured ingredient it has played well with every drink I've made with it (especially Gin drinks).That being said, if I do use this as a rinse, I've just use a heavier splash and never, never consider discarding it (who am I kidding, I never discard a rinse).

While there are plenty of distilleries that produce nice Absinthes that are painstakingly recreated from a century's old recipe, I find it just as exciting to find a modern expression of this spirit that still stays true to being a true Absinthe. Haint is a modern but true Absinthe made by Dogwood Distilling in Oregon that has its roots in New Orleans which is expressed on the label and in the name. 

The label depicts one of New Orleans' distinct cemeteries with the black foil representing the wrought iron co common to the city and decorations representing the grapes of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Wormwood. The name 'Haint' is an old southern word for a restless spirit of the dead that has not passed on to the afterlife, forever wandering. Perhaps, under certain light, you'll see the one of the restless dead as you stare into the bottle of Haint.

Mi-Go-Ji-To on National Mojito Day

8 Mint leaves
1/2 oz Gomme Syrup
1 oz Plantation 3 Star White Rum
3/4 oz Adnams Absinthe Rouge
1/4 oz Suze
1/2 oz Lime Juice (juice of 1/2 Lime)
Soda Water

Muddle Mint leaves and Syrup in a Collins glass. Fill 2/3 with ice and add the Rum, Absinthe, Suze and Lime juice. Give it a stir, top with Soda, and garnish with a sprig of mint and husk of half a Lime like a Mushroom head.

Following up yesterday's Piña Fhtagn for National Piña Colada Day, I made this Mi-Go-Ji-To for National Mojito Day adding yet another entry into the Mythos Absinthe Cocktails. While I never made a Mojito, or even had one before, I had a feeling I'd like it way more than the Piña Colada. I was right.

I did stick to using a White Rum here but decided to try a Rouge Absinthe instead of a Blanche to add a bit of tint, going for pinkish instead of green. From there I really wanted to try to make this a little more of a unique variation than by just adding some Absinthe to a standard recipe. I feel like that where most of my Mythos drinks are and I want to go back and revisit some to give them a little more expression than that. I decided to try the Suze as it's a new found joy and I though the rootiness would give it that earthy, spore-like tone deserving of the Fungi from Yuggoth documented in The Whisperer in Darkness.

As with all of the Mythos Absinthe Cocktails that filch on a classic, I try to go back to as close to the original version as possible and build my variation from there. Many drinks I have enough of a history with that I have a good source for a cocktail's best, true form to go off of, but with one I've never made before I have to work the Google-fu.

It's always frustrating when you look these drinks up and find the recipe for the "True", "Real", "Original", "Authentic", or "Perfect", version of the cocktail and they're all a bit different, even if they cite the same source for their recipe. The difference between muddling 3 Mint leaves as opposed to 12 can be significant. So, I usually end up using all of those as a baseline, find the most common consistencies and go from there, eventually ending up with something not too far off the standard cocktail.

Then, there are ones like this baffling recipe that has you add all of the ingredients to a glass, including the ice, and then muddle... with everything in the glass... including the ice...  Is this something that anyone does?

Piña Fhtagn on National Piña Colada Day

1 oz Plantation 3 Star White Rum
1 oz Butterfly Absinthe
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Oleo Saccharum
2 dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab Aphrodite Bitters
1/4 cup Diced Pineapple
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 1/2 oz Chaokoh Coconut Milk
1 1/2 cup ice

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a Cthulhu Tiki from Horror in Clay (or any other Tiki, Collins, or Piña Colada glass). Garnish with some ridiculous fruit and leaves.

Goddamnit, i wasn't going to make a freaking Piña Colada. I don't like frozen drinks and I wasn't really sure if my tiny blender was an adequate enough blender to really break up ice for a wretched smoothie. But then, as I uttered a dark curse against this drink, and  as the words in the ancient guttural tongue of the blackened depths were spoken, the name 'Piña Fhtagn' came out. The will of the nameless ones spoke, I had to make this drink.

I did come across a more modern variation on the Piña Colada that was shaken and poured over ice, but I wanted to keep this as honest a variation as possible. There was no way in Hell I was going to buy a premade mixer so I got a couple brands of Coconut Milk to try, favoring this Chaokoh. It was a bit on the heavy side, but not as much as others so I cut it to 1 1/2 oz from a suggested 2 oz. I knew I had to fit in an absinthe to fit it into the Mythos Absinthe Cocktails but I also wanted to add a little something else to give it some more depth. To help that depth, and a bit more green tint, I added the Chartreuse but also experimented with some newly made Oleo Saccharum and a couple dashes of Aphrodite Bitters which have a desired ginger-ness to them along with a bit of coffee and chocolate that I hoped wouldn't be too pronounced.

I'm not sure if I'm comfortable publicly admitting how much I enjoyed this drink going down but I did soon regret drinking it. Super fruity, sugary drinks are absolutely not for me and this one made me more than a wee bit ill. Let me know if there is a better way to make these with a better form of Coconut Milk that won't be as stupid heavy but still has that coconut richness. I don't want to use any kind of coconut water and mixers are just right out...

P.S. It's not like I don't like Coconut and Pineapple... with the leftover ingredients I made this Coconut Rice with Pineapple Chicken I'm really digging...

Sunset Cocktail: Sale of Indulgences on World Chocolate Day

2 oz Copper and Kings American Brandy
1 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 dash Scrappy's Chocolate Bitters

Stir everything with ice and strain into a chilled Cocktail glass.

I freely admit that I was wholly unprepared for World Chocolate Day. After consuming a shit-ton more than I should have during a series of trainings at work that the instructor provided to keep us happy and awake, I took it upon myself to re-cut back on sugar again with the hopes of balancing  my terribly fluctuating diet. That and my nose breaks out when I eat too much chocolate and it's finally recovering from that goddamned training.

I was looking for a drink that used a nice chocolate liqueur but wasn't some sickening diabetic shock in a glass like most are opting for the Vodka and sugar boosts to a stomach wrenching dessert Hell. I came across this Sale of Indulgences on Kindred Cocktails. The original called for a VSOP Cognac but I wanted to use the Copper & Kings Brandy. It also called for the standard Godiva Chocolate Liqueur over the Dark but I think the Dark has a richer flavor that blended well to the complexities of the Fernet and Luxardo..

Sunset Cocktail: The Marswalk

1 oz Cranberry Juice
1 oz Cointreau
3 drops Rose Flower Water
Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry Champagne

Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled Flute. Top with Sparkling Wine. 

Following up on the previous Independence Day Moonwalk Cocktail post, I set my sights ahead. It's a simple swap of Cranberry Juice from the Grapefruit of the Moonwalk which I actually like much better.

As much as I hate to give a compliment to Trump (I guess a broken clock is right twice a day), I am very excited to see how much focus he seems to be putting into the Space Program. As Buzz Lightyear and Buzz Aldrin say... "To infinity and beyond!"

Buzz Aldrin: To infinity and beyond!

Trump: This is infinity here. It could be infinity. We really don't know. But it could be.

LMAO. pic.twitter.com/CVDQ2NYIWe

— Lauren Werner (@LaurenWern) July 1, 2017

Sunset Cocktail: The Moonwalk on American Independence Day

1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Cointreau
3 drops Rose Flower Water
Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry Champagne

Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled Flute. Top with Sparkling Wine. (I added a Blueberry and a Raspberry as a garnish for color that didn't show up in this pic)

When looking for a drink to make for this country's illustrious celebration of independence i was torn about what to make. I did a cursory glance through all of the godawful red white and blue drinks out there then thought I'd make some kind of Idiotocratic (not ideocratic, there's difference, bigly) statement with some kind of  trashy drink or an explosion like my Covfefe cocktail. But I gave it some thought and wanted to do something more... truly American, something from our proud past.

Lexington Common, 19th of April 1775
by Don Troiani.

The perception of what it is to be America has developed over the years, starting out as batshit crazy religious folks who fled their homes to practice their faiths in freedom (well, that's the perception anyway), to rugged pioneers and adventurers exploring and developing a new world, to innovators and artists who revolutionized industry, art and music, to a world power awakened like a slumbering giant to enter the world's battlefield and kick serious bad guy ass, to the terrifying world police with their eyes and fingers stretched into every corner of the earth, and now... back to batshit crazy religious folks, however not ones who want to pursue freedoms but ones that would rather plunge the nation into an oligarchical state of controlled ignorance. Where in this short but varied history would I find a good drink? I'd considered a Bourbon drink as it's a wholly American Whiskey, or maybe a Rum based Flip to give nod to The Shot Heard 'Round the World. No, I went with outer-fucking space.

According to Saveur:
"Joe Gilmore, legendary Head Barman at the Savoy Hotel's American Bar, invented this cocktail in 1969 to commemorate the first moon landing. The drink—a combination of grapefruit, orange liqueur, and a hint of rosewater, topped with Champagne—was the first thing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin sipped upon returning to earth."

The idea to do the Moonwalk was wholly inspired by one of my lifetime heroes, Buzz Aldrin. There is little in our history that expresses how the best of America can come together to than our first Lunar Landing (and our space program in general, no thanks to Nixon, that fuck) and I'm amazed that this happened within my lifetime. Granted, I was only 74 days old when they first walked on the moon but I was here! Buzz is still a strong and viable voice in the future of space exploration in his 80s and his Twitter feed is often hilarious.

Buzz Aldin has always been an inspiration and continues to be until this day. He's amazing, kind of an asshole and a wiseass, has walked on the moon's face, and is nobody's idiot.

Sunset Cocktail/Cocktail From Beyond: Bio-Zombie

1 1/2 oz Appleton Estates V/X Jamaican Rum
1 1/2 oz Plantation Grande Reserve Barbados Rum
1 oz Lemon Hart 151 Rum
1/2 oz Falernum
1/4 oz Butterfly Absinthe
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
2 dashes Scrappy's Orleans Bitters

Shake everything but the 151 with ice and strain into an ice filled Collins or Tiki. Float 151 on top and garnish with a lemon wheel and a Zombie arm swizzle. If I had mint I would have added it, but look, there's a stupid umbrella!

To make a proper Zombie variation you would actually blend all of the ingredients with a little ice before pouring into the glass but I really didn't feel like hearing the blender whine so I just used a shaker. I probably should have also used Lime juice to get a green tinge but I was out of limes just as I'm out of mint. I suck. Instead of sugar or some other syrup I used some of the Orgeat I made the other day to help use it up. I figured that if the Third Ward could use Hazelnut in their Zombies, I could use Orgeat in this here Bio-Zombie. More has to be done to this drink to distinguish it though... it's kinda generic...

I felt that this was a good drink to make today as it's really fucking hot and I just got done watching the best Bio-Zombie film, if not one of the best Zombie films I've seen in a very long time (if you don't know the difference in the 2 subgenres I don't know how we're friends). Even if you don't like (Bio)Zombie movies I highly recommend "The Girl With All The Gifts". Great story that hooks you early and finally explains everything it needs to explain after you really want need to know what the fuck is going on, mostly. Probably the best child acting I've seen in a very long time from  Sennia Nanua and probably my new favorite roll by Glenn Close. It's on Amazon Prime for free for those who have it and even if you don't, it's worth looking out for. I'm still contemplating the ending...

Sunset Cocktail: Mai Tai on National Mai Tai Day

1 oz Clément V.S.O.P. Rhum Agricole Vieux
1 oz Appleton Estate Extra Dark Jamaican Rum
1/2 oz Lime juice
1/2 oz Orgeat syrup
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Gomme Syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice and pour unstrained into a double Old Fashioned glass or Tiki. Garnish with mint and Lime husk.

June 30th is here and it's National Mai Tai Day. I tried to make this as close to the old Trader Vic version as I could with only a small change or 2. Strangely enough, there are dozens of Mai Tai recipes out there that claim to be the 'Original Trader Vic Mai Tai'. So, I cobbled together this from what I gathered.

Back when I did my short stint as an actual bartender serving drinks to people other than myself for fun and profit, I made a bunch of these and other 'Polynesian' drinks. We used a lot of premade everything and all of these types of drinks always came out say too sickeningly sweet for my taste. I can't say that I make anything like this for myself but it's not because I'd grown sick of them because of overexposure unlike other things from other jobs I've had. I just don't like super-sweet/sour/fruity drinks. This is why I cut back the Lime juice from a full ounce to a half.

I also tried my own Orgeat this time. I've been using a brand that I can't remember the name of because the label fell off the bottle but, after making a Pistachio Orgeat a while back, figured I'd take some advice and make my own for this. I followed this recipe because I liked the article, though scaled back a half.

From Toby Cecchini, T Magazine

Homemade Orgeat Syrup

1.1 pounds blanched or toasted blanched almonds
1.5 pounds sugar (1/2 demerara, 1/2 white)
1 tablespoon orange-flower water
2 teaspoons almond extract.

Combine almonds with 11 ounces of water in a blender and blend briefly until uniformly but roughly chopped. Pour into a nonreactive bowl and add one liter of boiling water. Stir well and let stand for three hours. Line a sieve or chinois with overlapping layers of fine cheesecloth, arranging them in an X pattern and leaving a fair amount trailing over to grab hold of. Pour in the mixture and allow it to filter through, assisting with a wooden spoon if necessary. Fold up the ends of the cheesecloth carefully to trap the pulp in a bag and squeeze out the remaining liquid. (This is important, as the pulp retains a fair amount of emulsion.) Discard cheesecloth and pulp. Place emulsion mixture in a pan, add sugar and heat mildly through (140 degrees or less), stirring until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add orange-flower water and almond extract and funnel into a clean, capped bottle to refrigerate. Optionally you may add 2 or 3 ounces of vodka to the syrup, as a preservative. Yields about 1.6 liters.

Note: The syrup will separate after a short while. Simply shake it up again before using.

Sunset Cocktail: Old Lumberjack

2 oz Pikesville Rye
1/2 oz Maple syrup
2 dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Boker's Bitters

Stir everything with ice and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Express a Lemon over the drink and discard.

Really just a Maple Manhattan made with a nice, hearty Rye. Sometimes it's just the simple things...

Sunset Cocktail: Corvus Infernum

2 oz Pikesville Rye
1/2 oz Bénédictine
1/4 oz Sevil Absinthe
1 (light) bsp Campari
1 ds Elixir de la Grande-Chartreuse

Stir everything with ice and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a flamed Orange peel.

This is sort of based on the Dante’s Requiem. I was going to name it after something faust but after taking the pic I decided to name it after my potential new brand after Mindless Heron amy or may not go away.

My initial version used a full 1/4 oz of campari and 2 dashes of Elixir de la Grande-Chartreuse which i feel really didn't compliment each other well. Cutting them both back really did work much better though the mix could still use some tweaking. The sensuous Sevil Absinthe was a good choice but the Pikesville Rye may have been a bit overbearing. I may suggest stepping down just a little to a Rittenhouse.

Mythos Absinthe Cocktail: Zaman's Hill on the Summer Solstice, F'tahgn

2 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1 1/2 oz Plantation 3 Star Rum
1/2 oz Death's Door Gin
1/2 oz Copper & Kings American Brandy
1/2 oz Dogwood Distilling Haint Absinthe

Add everything but the Absinthe to a shaker with ice and shake. Strain into an ice filled Highball or Tiki, especially if you have the Innsmouth Fogcutter Tiki Mug, and carefully float the Absinthe on top. Garnish with an Orange wheel and a sprig of Mint.

And over Zaman’s Hill the horn
Of a malignant moon was born,
To light the weeds and vines that grew
On ruined walls I never knew.
The fox-fire glowed in field and bog,
And unknown waters spewed a fog
Whose curling talons mocked the thought
That I had ever known this spot.
Too well I saw from the mad scene
That my loved past had never been—
            Zaman's Hill - H.P. Lovecraft

Happy Solstice/Midsummer. I figured that such a day deserved a Tiki cocktail as it is the Summer and the year's longest day. So, why name a summer drink on the longest day of the year from a poem of an evening's bleak darkness and horror? Because this drink is based on the Fog Cutter for which this poem relates and I like horror and bleak darkness more than the heat and stark sunlight.

I've been really happy with both the Dogwood Distilling Haint Absinthe and Copper & Kings American Brandy in drinks. I also have the Copper & Kings Absinthe Blanche as well as a few other new Absinthe bottles I haven't even opened yet. I'm sure I'll get to them all at some point but both the Copper & Kings and the Haint both deserve a proper tasting and their own and reviews. I'm really looking forward to making time this weekend for both.

I did mean to make a homemade Orgeat for this but didn't get a chance. I'm really going to try to make an effort to have some made for National Mai Tai day on the 30th. This, and every drink that utilizes Orgeat, really benefits from a good homemade one. The Pistachio Orgeat I made for National Pistachio Day turned out great.

I also wanted to order this special Innsmouth Fogcutter Tiki Mug from Horror in Clay when I planned this drink based on the Fogcutter. I was bummed that I found it long after any chance of having it delivered in time only to realize that I had already sleep-shopped a previous edition of this very Innsmouth Fogcutter Tiki Mug in green. It was nestled in with my Cthulhu Tiki mugs, also from Horror in Clay. Sometimes insomnia makes everything a surprise and, yeah, I ordered the purple one too.

Naked Martini on National Martini Day

3 1/2 oz London No. 1 Gin
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1 dash Hella Bitters Orange

Place all ingredients in the freezer for several hours, including the Martini Glass. Once completely chilled measure liquids into the Chilled glass and garnish with a Lemon twist.

When trying to decide what form of Martini I wanted to make for National Martini Day, Classic, Dry,  Sweet, Perfect, Dirty, 50/50, etc., I settled on a Naked. Unfortunately, when looking up references to how I wanted to put one together, I ended up getting a bit of mixology nerd rage.

I guess I must have taken a much harder line on Martinis in the recent past.  I know that there are wonderful variations to Martinis but it's perplexing to see at all of the  recipes online that call for Vodka in Classic Martinis, at just how many Martini recipes called for shaking them, and at so many "Naked" Martini recipes were just a base spirit (often Vodka again) chilled with ice (often shaken) and dumped into a glass by it's diluted self.

My understanding of what makes a Naked Martini 'naked' was that all of the ingredients were chilled in a freezer ahead of time so you could have a completely undiluted drink that was still as chilled as possible. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I went with. The London No. 1 Gin shined here with its rich citrus flavor undaunted by dilution.

I did reach back to see if I could get away with using Bitters at all and it does seem that Orange or Aromatic Bitters were often used way back when so I happily dashed some Orange. I opted for a Lemon twist over Olives as I never do put Olives in my Martinis. There are plenty of things that I like dirty, but a Martini isn't one of them.

Sunset Cocktail: Bluegrass Smash on Father's Day

2 oz Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon
3/4 oz Honey Syrup
2 Lemon quarters
2 Orange quarters
1 Rosemary sprig

Muddle the Lemon, Orange, and Rosemary in a shaker. Add Bourbon, Syrup, and ice. Shake and strain into an ice filled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with more Lemon and another Rosemary sprig.

Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers out there, especially my own. Not much of a sunset but a Hell of a drink for a Hell of a guy.

While the household Whiskey of choice for the family is usually Jameson, I couldn't resist making this Bluegrass Smash in honor of the man that raised us listening to Bluegrass. It would be bad form to use anything other than a Kentucky Bourbon for such a drink.
I remember going to Bluegrass festivals when I was a kid and meeting all of the musicians with my father. I still have the albums I got signed as a kid back when vinyl was all you got when you were looking for music.

Of course he still goes to all the shows and all of the bands know him by name and are friends with him on Facebook. You can catch him sometimes filling in the DJ spot on Country Corner from WTCC in Springield MA, spinning Olde Time Country and Bluegrass on Saturday Afternoons.

Once or twice I've been on his show (of the show he filled in for at WRSU when we lived in NJ) and have tried to find something interesting and out of the ordinary to play. maybe I'll have to dig up some more of this wonderful culturally appropriated stuff and see if it's worth playing...

Sunset Cocktail: Man's Ruin on National Bourbon Day

2 oz Booker's Bourbon
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Gomme Syrup
1 dash Elixir Vegetal de la Grande-Chartreuse
Rinse Butterfly Boston Absinthe

Rinse a chilled Old Fashioned glass with Absinthe, add a rock of ice. Shake remaining ingredients with ice and strain into the Absinthe rinsed glass. Garnish with an expressed Lemon peel.

Today, June 14th, is National Bourbon Day and to celebrate I figured I'd put together something I've been trying to get right for a while. This is based loosely on a drink called Vincent's Ruin that I came across looking for various other Whiskey/Absinthe drinks. The name flickered a memory of another ridiculously hot day...

A few years ago I took the Pretty on a trip to NOLA for her birthday along with her cousin and our good friend Muppet. Despite the heat was probably the best vacation I've ever been on. On our last night my pretty companions and I abandoned Bourbon Street for Frenchman Street once again for our revelry, visiting The Spotted Cat for a second time, pub crawling for a bit, eventually ending up at d.b.a. for some live rockabilly performed by The UnNaturals. At one point the Pretty One directed my attention towards her cousin to observe an aptly placed sign by her head... From then on she was duly nicknamed 'Man's Ruin'.

Negroni Week Day 7: Eeyore's Requiem

1 1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz OMG Gin
1/4 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1+ dash Hella Bitters Orange

Stir everything with ice and strain into a chilled Coupe glass. Express the oils from the three orange twists then discard them.

We end Negroni Week with something that is not a Negroni though it's much touted as a drink every Negroni lover should try. It's a phenomenal example of taking things too far to the point that too far seems nice and close... and warmly bitter. There is so many strong flavors vying for your undivided attention yet somehow they end up dancing around in your mouth, spinning around in all of their flamboyant bitterness like the waltzing damned (Hmmm... I may need to save that one for a drink name).

Maybe it's because of the Negroni overload this week, but this particular Eeyore's Requiem turned out really fantastic if I do say so myself. Generally drinks just taste better if someone else prepares them (and there is a bit of science behind that). Maybe it's the Gin since I wouldn't swap out any of the other ingredients. It is a good goddamned Gin.

That's it for Negroni Week. I hope some of you went out and had one, especially at a participating bar. Unlike me, I'm cheap and haven't brought myself to hit up too many places here in town without company.

Negroni week Day 6: Classic Negroni

1 oz Gin Sul
1 oz Campari
1 oz Miró Vermut de Reus

Stir everything with ice and strain over rocks into an Old Fashioned glass. Express an Orange peel over the drink and garnish with a full Orange slice.

Here it is, a regular Negroni. I made a variation over this Negroni Week with a Gin from Bavaria so it seemed like a plan to make this with a Gin made in Hamburg. This Gin has a nice citrus peel edge to it that blends itself well in this mix.

I'm happy to say that this little bottle of Vermouth has made it through Negroni Week with a bit left to spare. It will be nice not having a bottle go sour, not that I wouldn't drink it anyway...

I'm not really happy how these pics are coming out though. I'll have to figure out a better way to take pics, still figuring out the new place I guess.

Sunset Cocktail: Suze Gin & Tonic on World Gin Day

2 oz St. George Botanivore Gin
1 oz Suze
3/4 oz Liber & Co. Spiced Tonic Syrup
Soda Water

Pour Tonic, Gin, and Suze into an ice filled Copa de Balon glass (Or a bulbous red wine glass) Top with soda water, give a little stir and garnish with a Lime wheel.

Today is World Gin Day and what better way to celebrate than a refreshing Gin &Tonic? But wait, you say, aren't we still in the midst of Negroni Week? Why yes we are, but it's fucking hot out and a Gin and Tonic hit the spot. I'll post another goddamned Negroni next.

The drink is earthy and the taste reminds me of the smell of the greenhouse my mother used to tend when I was a kid. The Suze definitely adds that root dimension to an otherwise floral Gin. It's just dry enough to really stave off a heavy thirst while maintaining perfect refresh...ing...ness?

I feel like this deserves a more creative name, but haven't thought of one yet. Most of the other Gin &Tonics that add a little something special are just named with that extra ingredient as far as I can tell: St. Germain Gin & Tonic, Blood Orange Gin & Tonic, José's Gin &Tonic... ew...

Negroni Week Day 5: Old Pal

1 1/2 Alberta Rye Dark Batch Whiskey
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth

Stir everything with ice and strain over rocks into an Old Fashioned glass. Express an Lemon peel over the drink and drop it in.

Here is the spicier companion to the Boulevardier, his old pal, the Old Pal. When I made the Boulevardier earlier this Negroni Week the ratio was a bit closer to the Negronis 1:1:1 than this, but, as a variant to a variant, it's still spot on. I do love a good Rye.

Every recipe I see for the Old Pal has it served up in a Cocktail/Coup glass. I put it in an Old Fashioned for consistency with everything else from Negroni Week this week.

I have been drifting along my Whiskey love for some time now. I've followed my nose from the extra-peaty Single Malts through Oaky Bourbons to settle for a while on a Spicy Rye. I'm sure it won't bee too long before my preferences will start sweeping over something else soon as I'm sure I'll come back full circle as time evolves tastes, Brandies are calling me... and Cognacs, and Armagnacs...

Sunset Cocktail/Name Your poison Day Bonus: Donatien A. F.

2 oz St. George Dry Rye Gin
1 oz Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz Suze
Rinse La Clandestine Absinthe

Rinse a chilled Coupe glass with Absinthe. Stir remaining ingredients with ice and strain into the Absinthe rinsed glass. Express an flaming Orange peel over top and drop in.

As it is Name Your Poison Day, I figured I should make a new poison and name it. This came about from my new love for Suze and the White Negroni in addition to my love of Absinthe and The Quill. Having so far made both the White Negroni and the Quill during Negroni Week and, as I mentioned then, the Quill is just a Negroni with an Absinthe rinsed glass, it made sense to try this with a White Negroni as well.

I was considering the idea of changing up the ratios to more closely match the 1:1:1 of a standard Negroni/Quill but I loved the way the White Negroni came out as it was that I kept the ratios to 2:1:3/4 and just added the Absinthe rinse (and flaming Orange because who doesn’t love a little well placed fire). I did change out the type of Gin used from what I originally used, but I stayed dry and all of the St. George Gins blend well with Absinthe so I went with their Dry Rye.

While this won't quite fit into my Mythos Absinthe Cocktails, maybe it could get an honorary addition. I’ll be curious to see who can figure out what the name of this drink refers to and why...

Negroni Week Day 4 AND Name Your Poison Day: The Quill

1 oz Death's Door Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Miró Vermut de Reus
Haint Absinthe rinse

Rinse an Old Fashioned Glass with Absinthe. Stir remaining ingredients with ice and strain into the Absinthe rinsed glass. Express an Orange peel over top and drop in.

Name Your poison Day falls smack in the middle of Negroni Week so the poison I'm naming for myself today is The Quill. On paper The Quill is nothing more than a Negroni with an Absinthe wash a-la a Sazerac, but that Absinthe wash enlightens the whole drink. As I was reminded by my fellow Absintheur in his own post yesterday  "To some tastes, a cocktail is much improved by the addition of two or three drops of absinthe." - C. F. Lawlor, The Mixicologist, 1895.

I am again using the Spanish Vermouth that I got this week and switched to Death's Door Gin as I like how Death's Door pairs with Absinthe. That could be from the forward Fennel in Death's Door which doesn't disappoint here. I was ecstatic to try the new bottle of Haint Absinthe from Dogwood Distilling that arrived yesterday though I haven't had a chance to try it on its own yet. It works very well here, adding just the right aroma and added edge that a Quill should have and I look forward to a proper tasting of it this weekend.

Today is Name Your Poison Day! Since this falls in #NegroniWeek I named my poison The Quill. #Cocktail #Cocktails #Absinthe #Gin #NameYourPoisonDay #Campari #DogwoodDistilling #DeathsDoor Read more at www.jswells.com

A post shared by JS Wells (@greenjenkin) on Jun 8, 2017 at 2:45pm PDT

Negroni Week Day 3: White Negroni

2 oz Lucky HANS Bavarian Dry Gin
1 oz Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz Suze

Stir everything with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Express a Lemon peel over top and drop it in as a garnish.

The White Negroni may be the least Negroni Negroni variant I make in this years Negroni Week. There is no Campari or Vermouth and the ratios are way off, but, for the love of Hell, it's a nice, nice drink.

For this I knew that I wanted a dry Gin so I went with Lucky HANS, which I knew to be nice and dry with a hint of fruitiness. I think it all worked very well and I feel like this process ticked me up a notch on my personal Gin game.

I picked up the Suze yesterday when I grabbed some Vermouth. I've seen it pop up in a couple of cocktail recipes but never tried it before. Suze is a French apéritif made with Gentian that's refreshing and bitter, though not quite Campari or Cynar bitter, but also had a nice citrus to it. It compliments the Lillet well. I also imagine that it would work well with Absinthe though I couldn't find too many that use both together. It will be fun to experiment...

Negroni Week Day 2: Boulevardier

1 1/2 oz Burnside Oregon Oaked Bourbon
1 oz Miró Vermut de Reus
1 oz Campari

Stir everything with ice and strain over rocks into an Old Fashioned glass. Express an Orange peel over the drink and garnish with a full Orange slice (trust me, it's really nice to do both).

You can't have Negroni Week without having a Boulevardier. This classic swaps the Gin for Bourbon and brings a whole different flavor profile. I do actually like this over a regular Negroni but perhaps it's because of the greater familiarity and appreciation I have with Bourbon over Gin.

I see the Boulevardier served in either Cocktail or Old fashioned glasses online and I think I've even had them served to me in either glass on the few times I've ordered them. I went with the Old Fashioned Glass here to keep with the consistency of yesterdays post and that every Negroni I've ever had has been served on the rocks. There is also the fact that I just like my bitter drinks to stay as cold as possible.

I do like how most of the ratios I see on line give the amount of Bourbon a little edge as opposed to the most common 1:1:1 ratio of most Negroni recipes. It seems to give the Bourbon a chance to poke through the sweet and bitterness of the Vermouth and Campari that Gin would seem to do with its citrus and botanicals.

As mentioned yesterday, I did need to get a nice Sweet Vermouth for the rest of the week. When I stopped by the store today I was looking to get something other than Dolin, and definitely something I've never tried before. The lovely girl behind the register at Bottles suggested this Spanish Vermouth from Miró which really compliments this Bourbon and Campari well. The bitter is balanced perfectly well and almost adds a nuttiness, but not in every sip. It definitely brings a good dimension to this drink. It's an excellent Vermouth for a nice Negroni and I'm looking forward to finally being able to make a Classic negroni with this later this week. The small size of the bottle should ensure that it won't spoil by the time it goes empty, which might be by the end of this week's drinks.

Negroni Week Day 1: Black Negroni

1 oz Martin Miller's Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Averna Amero
2 dashes Hella Bitters Orange
2 dashes Scrappy's Aromatic Bitters

Stir everything with ice and strain over rocks into an Old Fashioned glass. Garmish with an Orange peel.

Monday, June 5th 2017 is the start of Negroni Week. I was hoping to start the week with a Classic Negroni but it seems I ran out of freaking Sweet Vermouth. So, an Averna variation it is. As mentioned in my posts about Blackened Cocktails, this is one of the drinks that started me on my love for Averna.

Unfortunately I'm really not that savvy with Gin but I did know I wanted a citrusy, dry Gin for this one and this one seemed to fit the bill just fine. I'll probably get a bit more botanical with the Gins as the variations get more... variable.

A standard Negroni doesn't have any bitters but I'm guessing that they're added to help tame the Campari a bit which the Sweet Vermouth would have done if this version called for Sweet Vermouth. Unfortunately, the site that hosted this version seems to be down.

Since the weather continues to be shit, I guess I won't be trying to make any of these for the sunset.

Sidecar on National Cognac Day

2 oz Maison Rouge Cognac

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz Lemon Juice

Shake everything with ice and strain into a sugar rimmed Martini glass.

Today I made a drink I haven't made since Mixology school as it's National Cognac Day and the sidecar is a classic Cognac cocktail. Also, I lack imagination and it was good to find a drink to use up the last of my lemons before they went bad.

The drink is nice if you like sour drinks. The sugared rim of the glass adds just enough sweet without adding any to the drink. I do suggest, for the love of every god, use fresh Lemon juice over bottled, it really makes a difference.

I don't actually know if there is a different classification of drinks that use bottled Lemon juice over fresh like there is with lime (Rickeys use fresh juice while Gimlets use Rose's Lime Juice), but it's worth looking into. Keeping a stock of Lemons can be a pain in the balls. 

There is, yet again, no sunset as the weather has sucked all week. I can't say it was a good week in any sense, but I'll refrain from whining any further. Aaaand vacation is over...

Sunset cocktail: Arkham Sunrise

1 1/2 oz Plantation 3 Stars Silver Rum
1 oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
3/4 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lucid Absinthe
1/4 oz Blood Orange Syrup
2-3 dashes Berg & Hauck’s Jerry Thomas Bitters (top)

Mix first 4 ingredients with ice and strain into an ice filled Highball glass. Add the Blood Orange Syrup and let it seep to the bottom like a resting Shoggoth. Top with bitters so they crawl down the inside of the glass like the tendrils of an eldritch beast.

Did I not post this before? I’ve had this written up for a while but I guess I never posted it. Maybe I never got a good pic of it before and withheld putting it online. Regardless, I made it just as I originally wrote it up and have pretty much the same complaints.

Most of my Mythos Absinthe Cocktails are based on established classic cocktails so I had need to make a variation of the Tequila Sunrise. I also hadn’t come up with a drink named from Arkham yet and here we have something.

I’m not sure I’m sold on this combination but I will definitely be pursuing the Arkham Sunrise as an addition to the list. As a whole, this was pretty bland but, as a whole, it turned out like I should have expected. I ended up thinking of adding the Blood Orange Syrup well after the fact and didn’t really measure well. I was hoping to avoid using it as I didn’t want to over sweeten it and I wasn’t sure if it would settle like Grenadine does. But it settled well, gave me the color effect I wanted and I do think it was a better choice than the crappy, store bought Grenadine I have on hand (I'll have to make some more again).

I specifically used the Berg & Hauck’s Bitters because, aside from being quite tasty, they’re quite dark and travel well and darkly down the inside of the glass when not mixed. I may cut back on the Solerno next time and maybe add some Luxardo, Chartreuse or something a little more complex just to make it more interesting... and more sinister, it's too happy and bland.

Now, to call it Arkham Sunrise or Arkham Sunset…?

Sunset Cocktail: Covfefe

4 oz Vodka

2 oz Gin

1 oz Rum

Orange juice

Find the most bigly glass you have and fill it with ice, make sure it’s the best ice. Use a measuring device, perfectly calibrated and super perfect, to measure out the Vodka, Gin and Rum. Measuring is very, very important and nobody measures better than me, I’m the best alcohol measurer. This ratio is known by the best in the industry, and I know, personally, the very best, they call this the Golden Ratio. I just trumped up the size which, as you know, makes everything better. Fill up the rest of the glass with Orange juice, as that’s the very best thing to make drinks with, and garnish with lots of the really best things… Fuck I don’t have any umbrellas, THE GODDAMNED HATERS AND LOSERS STOLE MY UMBRELLAS!!! After you give it a good stir, dump it the fuck all over yourself because you’re an embarrassment to yourself and everyone you represent.

Oopse, Missed National Mint Julep Day: Making It Up With A Ginger Mint Julep

2 oz Jefferson's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Very Small Batch

1 oz Art In The Age Snap Ginger Liqueur

1/2 oz Simple Syrup

1/2 oz Lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)

10 or so Mint leaves

Add Mint, Lemon juice and Syrup to the bottom of a Julep cup and muddle until the mint is well bruised (the torture smells delightful). Fill the cup about 2/3 with crushed ice and measure remaining spirits into the glass. Give a quick stir and over pack the cup with more crushed ice. Garnish with an untortured sprig of Mint.

Use a large rocks glass
if you have to

I'm just over halfway through a stay at home vacation and have unfortunately spent the last 2 days of it under the weather. The weekend was lovely and I spent a belated birthday with the Pretty One eating and drinking very well. I made the mistake of hungrily downing a bunch of food on a late drive home which, I guess, caught up to me. Monday was an intentionally slothish vacation day, but Tuesday would have probably been a sick day even if I wasn't already home.

So, I missed Tuesday's holiday. I wasn't going to wait until the sunset as I'm pretty sure the sky will not open up by then and, if it actually does, I plan on going out. If the weather does continue to be shit this evening I may just stay home and catch up on the many things I want to get done this week as I am a day behind.

Add Mint, Juice and Sugar

I figured I'd go ahead and do a full post from the bar and see what people think. There are a few things I do still need for the bar, not least of which may be an extension on the bar top. For people to sit at stools (which I also need) in the front of the bar, the bar surface should extend out a bit farther. I'm thinking a piece of natural wood, cut to size, finished and clamped to what I have now would work well and look nice. That's something for another day though. I have a small table with a couple of chairs for now and hope to expand on that as well.

Fill 2/3 with crushed ice

I cheat and use tiny cubes

Give a quick stir

Until it's frosty

Top with ice and
garnish with mint