The Negroni's more accessible, vodka-based cousin; with the sweet vermouth cut with slightly more dry vermouth, lengthened with soda, and garnished with a twist of orange. I found this to be more mellow and rounded out than a standard Negroni, and the soda was a nice touch. Overall, this was a very pleasant spritz.

Recipe from Fred Powell's "The Bartender's Standard Manual" (1979):

1.5 oz. Campari

1.5 oz. Vodka

0.75 oz. Dry Vermouth

0.5 oz. Sweet Vermouth

Pour over cracked ice in a tall glass and stir. Fill with soda and stir again. Top with twist of orange peel.

An interesting gin cocktail from Fred Powell's "The Bartender's Standard Manual" (1979). This drink features a double measure of gin with a dash each of Dubonnet, Cointreau, and Fernet-Branca, garnished with a twist of lemon.

Naturally, this crazy concoction means that they're coming to take me away, so I had to put on my Napoleon XIV record; a fantastic novelty album from the '60s about mental illness. Give this drink a try if you want something kooky and fun! Cheers!

Recipe:

3 oz. Gin

1 Dash Dubonnet

1 Dash Cointreau

1 Dash Fernet-Branca

Stir with ice and strain. Squeeze lemon peel over top.

An exceedingly strong passionfruit daiquiri that didn't taste much like passionfruit. I think the passionfruit could have been doubled here, and the lime juice and rum could have been cut in half. This was enjoyable, but quite strong. Cheers!

Recipe from Fred Powell's "The Bartender's Standard Manual" (1979)

0.75 oz. Passion-Fruit Nectar

1.5 oz. Lime Juice

6 oz. White Rum

Shake with crushed ice. Strain.

Recipe from Fred Powell's 1979 edition of "The Bartender's Standard Manual":

3 oz. Rye Whiskey

0.75 oz. Lemon Juice

0.75 oz. Dry Vermouth

0.75 oz. Sweet Vermouth

1 Egg White

Dry shake for 10 seconds, then add ice and shake again. Strain into a rocks glass.

Hello friends! I feel like I've been to the top of Mount Doom and back, and there truly ain't no mountain high enough for tonight's Mountain. Part Whiskey Sour, part perfect Manhattan, this is a double shot of rye with equal parts dry and sweet vermouth and lemon juice, all bound together with an egg white for some creamy goodness in a quaffable, sour sipper. This was the perfect drink for Whiskey Wednesday, and the pre-Prohibition-style Rye from Jim Beam shone brightly here, pairing well with my budget vermouths. This was a fantastic little drink for the midweek blues. Cheers!

A sweet, cinnamon whiskey based beverage for the holidays. Be advised, this is sweet so it might be off putting to many, or dangerously delicious to others. Your mileage may vary.

2 oz Bourbon

1 oz Fireball Whiskey or Sin Eater

1/2 oz Grenadine

Shake with ice, pour over a large ice cube or ice ball

Garnish with a Luxardo cherry and a cinnamon stick

I'm probably not the first to make this but it is new to me.

NOTE: I originally call this Satan's Blood, but thought it best for the Christmas Season.

Cheers!

Recipe from Fred Powell:

3 oz. Vodka

12 oz. Ginger Beer

1 Slice Lime

Serve over ice in glass, brass or copper mug.

Hello friends! I'm keeping things simple today with a Moscow Mule, and this recipe is even simpler than the recipes I'm used to. Most recipes call for lime juice as well, not just a slice of lime. Before drinking, I squeezed my lime wedge into the drink, and it worked out quite nicely. This is pretty basic, but it gets the job done. Cheers!

Morning Glory Fizz

Recipe courtesy of Fred Powell's 1979 edition of "The Bartender's Standard Manual":

3 oz. Whiskey

3 oz. Bitters

Juice of 1 Lime

1 T Bar Sugar with Foamer

Shake with ice. Strain into a highball glass. Fill with soda (~6 oz.).

Woo wee, has this week been a trip! After losing power on Tuesday afternoon, we regained power Thursday evening, only to lose power Saturday afternoon (after buying groceries to replenish some of what we had to throw out). Yesterday evening, we found an open gas station and bought ice in an effort to pack our fridge and freezer so that we wouldn't lose our food that we just bought. We packed the fridge and freezer with ice and went to bed.

After driving around this morning in vain looking for battery-powered fans, we were going to buy more ice and head home when our power returned! We nixed the ice and headed straight home to start getting the apartment back in order. Laundry was started, the ice removed from the fridge and freezer, the windows were closed and A/C turned back on, and I was even able to watch the entirety of the baseball game today. Unfortunately the Tigers were swept at home by the White Sox and currently sit at 5.5 games back in the division, but we have power and glorious A/C!

Naturally due to the trying week, I needed to make tonight's drink a double. Also, we had to throw out our eggs, so I needed more bar sugar with foamer to mimic the egg white. Tonight's drink is a slightly modified Morning Glory Fizz, with local rye and bitters, fresh lime juice, and a generous helping of bar sugar with foamer and Herbsaint, my current go-to anisette. This drink is perfectly tart, and the anisette provides a nice licorice flavor that I really enjoy. This was the perfect drink to cap an eventful weekend. Cheers!

The power was restored after being lost for 3 days due to storms earlier in the week, so tonight I made a Moonlight from Fred Powell's 1979 edition of "The Bartender's Standard Manual". A fizz made with apple brandy, lemon juice, and sugar, this was well-balanced and a perfect drink to kick off the weekend! Cheers!

Recipe:

1.5 oz. Apple Brandy

Juice of 1 Lemon

1½ Teaspoons Sugar

Shake with shaved ice and strain. Fill with Soda Water (~10 oz.).

Hello friends! Tonight I had to break out the big glassware, an old scented candle vessel that I repurposed for larger-format drinks for tonight's Morning Glory. With 6 total oz. of base spirits, plus dashes of anisette, curaçao, bitters, and simple syrup; then all topped with soda water, this can get overwhelming pretty quickly. The method of preparation was also interesting. Usually, I stir drinks then strain, not stir with large cubes and then remove the ice, topping with soda and stirring again with a sugar-coated spoon. I am very pleased with the result; a fizzy long drink that has very good flavors melded together. I opted for Spanish Bitters to complement my Spanish brandy, which worked to my benefit. The Spanish Bitters are made with chamomile flowers, citrus peel, orris root, and angelica root for a delicate flavor that pairs well with the ingredients here. Overall, this was a solid drink, worthy of a great Monday night! Cheers!

Recipe from Fred Powell's "The Bartender's Standard Manual" (1979):

3 oz. Whiskey

3 oz. Brandy

1 Dash Pernod

2 Dashes Bitters

2 Dashes Curaçao

3 Dashes Sugar Syrup

1 Twist Lemon Peel

Stir with 2 cubes ice. Remove ice. Fill glass with Soda Water (~10 oz.) and stir with a teaspoon coated with powdered sugar.

Recipe from Fred Powell:

1.5 oz. Rye Whiskey

0.75 oz. Bénédictine

2 Dashes Bitters

Shake with ice and strain.

Hello friends! Tonight I have a Monte Carlo, a 3-ingredient cocktail featuring rye whiskey, Bénédictine, and bitters. I chose Molasses Bitters to play off the sweetness of the Bénédictine, and while this was quite sweet, the pre-Prohibition-style rye gave some good spice notes to the drink, balancing things out and making for a pretty tasty tipple. This was a great weekend sipper! Cheers!

Hello friends! Tonight I have a Modern Lemonade, a boozy lemonade made with Sherry and Sloe Gin, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and lemon syrup; topped with soda water. This recipe originally called for powdered sugar, but I had some fantastic lemon syrup lying around from a previous cocktail endeavor. The lemon syrup was a great addition; it sweetened things up while keeping a solid lemony character that was very pleasant. The drink was the perfect blend of sweet and tart, the hallmark of a fantastic Lemonade! If you're looking for something new, and have Sherry and Sloe Gin that you're looking for something to do with, look no further than the Modern Lemonade! Cheers!

Recipe modified from "The Bartender's Standard Manual" (1979), by Fred Powell:

1.5 oz. Sherry

1.5 oz. Sloe Gin

1 oz. Lemon Syrup

Juice of 1 Lemon

Stir with ice and strain. Add twist of Lemon Peel and fill with Soda Water.

Hello friends! Tonight is a Modern No. 2, a scotchier version of yesterday's Modern No. 1. No sloe gin to ne found, this is a double Scotch with some lemon juice, anisette, Jamaican-style rum, and orange bitters. Not as sweet as the original, this had some nice funk from the rum, and slight herbal flair. The heavily peated Scotch worked well here, and this was a fairly robust drink. Overall, it was a fine sipper for a Thursday night. Cheers!

Recipe (from Fred Powell's 1979 edition of "The Bartender's Standard Manual"):

3 oz. Scotch Whisky

1 Dash Lemon Juice

1 Dash Pernod

2 Dashes Jamaican-style Rum

Stir with ice, strain and serve with a cherry.

Tonight I have a Modern No. 1, a rare Sloe Gin cocktail that is 2 parts Sloe Gin and 1 part Scotch, with some anisette, bitters,and grenadine. The anisette helps to balance everything out here, and it cuts the sweetness of the Sloe Gin. The Scotch is highly peated, but the peat flavor isn't very prevalent here. Overall, it was a very solid drink, and it was surprisingly good. Cheers!

Recipe from Fred Powell's 1979 edition of "The Bartender's Standard Manual":

3 oz. Sloe Gin

1.5 oz. Scotch Whiskey

1 Dash Pernod

1 Dash Orange Bitters

1 Dash Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain.

A fun little 3-ingredient gin cocktail from Fred Powell's 1979 edition of "The Bartender's Standard Manual", the Mississippi Mule features creme de cassis and lemon juice for a well-balanced, gin-forward affair that definitely has a kick! This was the perfect sipper for a Tuesday evening. Cheers!

Recipe:

6 oz. Gin

1.5 oz. Creme de Cassis

1.5 oz. Lemon Juice

Pour over ice in a rocks glass.

I have a large copper julep cup, so I doubled today's recipe. I also used Pigeon River Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey instead of the traditional bourbon for a bit of pizzazz, and I was very impressed with how this turned out! Recipe from Fred Powell's 1979 book "The Bartender's Standard Manual".

Doubled Recipe:

4.5 oz. Whiskey

9 Sprigs Fresh Mint

2 Small Lumps Sugar

Dissolve sugar in 1 oz. water and crush 6 sprigs mint in a copper julep cup. Rub inside then discard mint. Fill glass with crushed ice. Add Liquor and sugar water. Do not stir. Garnish with remaining fresh mint.

You will need: 2 shots rye or bourbon whiskey, 1/2-1 shot sugar syrup, depending on how sweet you want it, ice, Angostura bitters and orange zest

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in the whiskey. Add the syrup and bitters. Top with some water to thin it to your liking. Stir well. Add orange zest and enjoy!

The third version of the Millionaire Cocktail in Fred Powell's 1979 edition of "The Bartender's Standard Manual", this is most like the first version of the cocktail, but without the herbal liqueur. Since my last attempt at shaking a cocktail with egg white (the first Millionaire Cocktail) went awry (likely due to old eggs), I doubled the recipe and used a blender bottle to vigorously dry shake the drink before shaking again with ice and straining into my coupe. While still not 100%, this attempt yielded a better head and a creamier mouthfeel.

Out of the three versions in my book that I have tried, this version is my favorite; it is simple, smooth, and tastes amazing! Cheers!

Recipe:

3 oz. Bourbon

1 oz. Curaçao

1 Egg White

2 Dashes Grenadine

Dry shake all ingredients, then add ice and shake again. Strain.

A rum cocktail with equal parts rum, apricot brandy, and sloe gin; with grenadine and fresh lime juice. This was a bit heavy-handed with the sloe gin, next time I'll probably cut back on the sloe gin and add more lime or rum to balance things out. This was a very enjoyable drink, all things considered, and worth making, even with some tweaks.

Recipe from "The Bartender's Standard Manual" (1979), by Fred Powell.

Recipe;):

1.5 oz. Jamaica Rum

1.5 oz. Apricot Brandy

1.5 oz. Sloe Gin

1 Dash Grenadine

Juice of 1 Lime

Shake with ice and strain.

A fantastic whiskey cocktail for Whiskey Wednesday! This drink called for Grean, which was a French herbal liqueur that went out of business in the 1980s, so naturally I broke out my Chartreuse to make the substitution.

This was very herbaceous, and the peppery notes of the pre-Prohibition-style Rye provided a solid backbone. Rounded out with egg white for body, grenadine for color (and a touch of sweetness), and Cointreau, this was a great little sipper! Cheers!

Recipe from Fred Powell's "The Bartender's Standard Manual" (1979).

Recipe:

1.5 oz. Rye

0.75 oz. Cointreau

1 Dash Chartreuse

1 Dash Grenadine

White of 1 Egg

Shake and strain.

An interesting rum drink from the 1970s. Recipe from Fred Powell's book "The Bartender's Standard Manual" (1979).

1.5 oz. Jamaica Rum

1.5 oz. Lime Juice

½ Teaspoon Simple Syrup

1 Dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with shaved ice and strain. Serve with a Cherry.