08-17-2024

I was introduced to this drink by a Portland friend and bartender, Luis Carrillo. This one was featured on the menu at Flying Fish Co. The dry vermouth is what does it for me here. It simply works. This drink will be a part of a series of drinks where the specs are the same but the liqueur changes. Cheers y’all!

08-16-2024

This drink was created by John Fry at Rumba (Seattle, WA) and was featured on Imbibe in 2021. There are many layers of flavor here: rich molasses rum, fruity banana, and nutty orgeat, which are balanced by the tart lemon and spiced Angostura bitters. The mint adds wonderful aromatics. Cheers y’all!

08-15-2024

This drink comes from Tara McCarron who made it in 2017 at Hale Pele (Portland, OR). If you’ve never tried cachaça, this is your sign to go buy a bottle. It comes from Brazil and is a sugarcane distillate (think Brazilian rum). The name of this drink is a nod to Costa Rica and its tropical environment. Cheers y’all!

08-14-2024

This one is by Jason Alexander, owner of The Devil’s Reef (Tacoma, WA). This drink will surely have you breathing fire. Three full ounces of Rum Fire is no joke. When you taste it, you get a lot of tropical fruit notes and a touch of bitterness in the end. The high ester rum can be polarizing, but it’s my favorite! Cheers y’all!

08-13-2024

Happy National Rum Day! Here’s a split based daiquiri with some lovely Islay scotch. This drink comes from one of my favorite Portland bars, Scotch Lodge, thanks to Jessica Braasch. This one is a smoky tropical delight. The tea syrup gives it an extra layer of flavor. Cheers y’all!

08-12-2024

This low-ABV summer cocktail is by Pranthik Samal (@parttimemixologist). As soon as I saw blanc vermouth as the base, I had to swizzle this one up. This one is tropical, fragrant, crushable! Depending on the sweetness of your white vermouth, you may want to up the lemon to ¾–1 oz. Cheers y’all!

08-11-2024

This cocktail comes from Idlewild, a speakeasy in Charolette, NC. I stumbled across it via Frederic Yarm (@fredericyarm), who has one of my favorite cocktail blogs (Cocktail Virgin). This sipper is packed with botanicals from the amaro, fruity funk from the rum (Smith & Cross), and sweetness and dryness with two vermouths. Cheers y’all!

08-10-2024

This cocktail is a twist on Ryan Margarian’s Pineapple Trainwreck. In this variation by Ebby Kurian, he swaps aged rum out for mezcal. This one, like the original, is a winner. A high quality spicy ginger syrup works wonders here. Cheers y’all!

08-09-2024

This delightful drink was created by Fanny Chu for Donna (Brooklyn, NY). In this Mai Tai riff, banana and cinnamon are added in place of curaçao and simple syrup. This clearly makes it a breakfast drink…or at least something I’d drink while on vacation. Cheers y’all!

08-08-2024

This is an original that Isaiah LaBelle (@onesipclub) and I created. We loved the smoke the mezcal brings here. We went with an acid-adjusted pineapple juice (lime acidity), which balances the two liqueurs and pairs wonderfully with agave. This green drink is a must this brat summer. Cheers y’all!

08-07-2024

Milk punch Mondays? Sure! This is a clarified version of a classic tiki cocktail circa 1950s by Trader Vic. It is not very often you see whiskey in tiki drinks, so this one is fun to try. Omit the milk and serve on crushed ice if you prefer. Cheers y’all!

08-06-2024

This drink was created by the founder of Novo Fogo, Dragos Axinte. He created this one as he pitched his cachaça to Seattle bars. He had no bartending experience but knew bartenders loved taking shots of fernet. I love the balance of tropical flavors, sweet fruit, and bitter herbal notes. This one works with either an aged or silver cachaça. Cheers y’all!

08-05-2024

This modern classic was created by Audrey Saunders in 2006 for Pegu Club (New York; now closed). As the name suggests, this is an excellent introduction to the Italian bittersweet aperitivo. I’ve made this for so many folks and they all enjoy it. It is low(er) in ABV and will take your palate on a delightful ride. Cheers y’all!

08-04-2024

This cocktail was created by Sean Traynor for Counter Intuitive (Scottsdale, AZ; now closed). This sipper takes advantage of a split base, where the spices of the bourbon complement the richness of the rum. It may sound weird, but coffee + pineapple are a dream duo, bringing it all together. Cheers y’all!

08-03-2024

This is an original of mine that is inspired by a fernet cocktail called an Alligator. Fernet is polarizing: some people love its bold, complex taste, while others find it overpowering. It's traditionally consumed as a digestif, though my go-to dive bar drink is Fernet & Coke. Here it is served as a faux tropical drink. Cheers y’all!

08-02-2024

This classic tiki drink was created by Don the Beachcomber to celebrate victory during WWII (three dots and a dash is Morse code for “V”). If you haven’t had this one before, I highly encourage it! I decided to clarify it, so I can have a batch on hand. Cheers y’all!

08-01-2024

This cocktail is by the brilliant Ivy Mix, who created it at her bar Leyenda (Brooklyn, NY). Her inspiration for this cocktail was the New York Sour, but she wanted to put her own twist on it. I then decided to clarify it! Cheers y’all!

07-31-2024

This cocktail was created by Jacob Grier and is one of his favorite cocktails featured his cocktail book, Raising The Bar. He created the drink while bartending an event in Mexico. The combo of tequila, lime, and honey are a no-brainer, but what makes this unique is the bitter Campari and herbal Chartreuse. Cheers y’all!

07-30-2024

This is an original of mine that I am super happy with. It is a daiquiri of sorts, where I use a fat washed rum, giving the it a smooth mouthfeel as well as coconut flavor. The agricole, even though only a half ounce, adds a layer of grassy notes. The name is a play on my hometown. Cheers y’all!

07-29-2024

This Last Word variation is by Adam Robinson, and I came across it in the cocktail book, “Raising The Bar,” by Brett Adams and Jacob Grier. Robinson owns two bars in Portland and is known for his bold flavors. This more straightforward cocktail was created by him in 2011. I love how smooth and mellow this riff is. Cheers y’all!