Redheaded Scot

• 2.0 oz. (smoky or peaty) Scotch
• 0.25 oz. Cherry Heering
• 0.25 oz. Leopold Bros. Michigan Tart Cherry liqueur
• 0.25 oz. ginger liqueur (King’s)
• dash of orange bitters (Regans)

Stir with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with cherries and candied ginger.

I wanted to riff on the classic Scotch and liqueur prototype you see in the Rusty Nail or Godfather. In the end, instead of their simplicity, I ended with a mix of liqueurs and a bitter, but I was pretty happy with the result.

Took a while and iterations for the name. But the cherry and red color of the drink finally delivered. Slàinte Mhath!

Farmstand Special

• 2.0 oz. Sipsmith Strawberry Smash gin
• 0.5 oz. Lillet Blanc
• 0.5 oz. rhubarb liqueur (Giffard)
• 0.25 oz. ginger liqueur (King’s)
• 0.25 oz. lemon juice
• dash of Peychaud’s bitters

Shake with ice then strain into glass. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.

Just had fun mixing strawberry and rhubarb with a bit of ginger for a spicy bite and lemon for the acid hit. Straightforward and enjoyable.

The name came from a name-my-cocktail night. A bit on the nose, but perhaps so is the drink. I don’t mind that.

A Fine Girl

• 2.0 oz. Laird’s bonded apple brandy
• 0.5 oz. apricot liqueur (Marie Brizard)
• 0.25 oz. Cherry Heering
• 0.25 oz. sweet vermouth
• dash of orange bitters

Stir with ice and strain into coupe. Garnish with a spritz of absinthe.

Brandy. Fruit. Sweet. Done.

Went all around the block a few times for a name on this one. This perhaps is not the most original, but it suited it, as brandy was the focus (though in the song she lays whiskey down). My life, my love and my lady.

Dutch Fir Trade

• 1.0 oz. Bothy Gunshot spiced gin
• 1.0 oz. oude genever
• 0.5 oz. Boudier Saffron gin
• 0.25 oz. Douglas fir brandy
• dash of Fee’s Plum bitters

Stir with ice and strain into coupe.

I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with the spiced gin. It almost seems like a spiced rum if your eyes were closed. This was a long experiment to hone in on this combination, which gives an interesting and piney spiced genever. Plum? No idea, but it worked.

I was happy when the name came to me, and it seemed pretty perfect. And no animals were harmed in the making of this drink.

Silk Route

• 2.0 oz. Old Monk rum
• 0.5 oz. Malabar
• 0.25 oz. Tamarind liqueur (Art in the Age)
• 0.25 oz. Turmeric liqueur (Tamworth)
• 0.25 oz. cinnamon syrup
• dash of Crude Attawanhood #37 bitters

Stir with ice and strain into coupe.

I feel breaking this one down is unnecessary. Using the Indian rum as a base I just leaned into the spiced liqueurs, spirits and bitters in my bar. The Malabar has warm spices of cinnamon, cardamom and clove along with orange. The bitters have cherry, clove and cinnamon. You get the idea.

The name might not be the most original, but it is fitting. Why stray from the path?

UK Bouquet

• 1.5 oz. Bloom Jasmine and Rose gin
• 1.0 oz. Cocchi Americano
• 0.5 oz. strawberry gin (Raffles)
• 0.25 oz. Crème de Noyaux (Tempus Fugit)
• dash of lemon bitters
• rose water garnish

Stir all but rose water over ice. Pour into coupe and top with three drops of rose water.

Here’s a nice, floral sipper using the special bottling of Bloom gin. Strawberry brings in some fruit and a little sweet, and the Noyeaux brings sweet nuttiness to round things out. The bitters tamper some of that sweetness.

I went all over the place with a name here before finally hitting on a pretty perfect one, in my mind. Never thought of this rhyme before and am, as the English might say, well chuffed.