House of Gin Old-Fashioned (#1)

I don't know why I've never posted this before, because it may be one of my personal favorite creations.  Granted, it's a weird drink, intensely herbal and funky, but I make it every time I have its constituent ingredients on hand.  It doesn't hurt that I'm a Dry Rye evangelist.

2 1/2 oz St. George Dry Rye
1/4 oz thyme syrup
1 dash Luxardo maraschino liqueur
2 dashes Regan's No. 6 Orange bitters
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
2 dashes Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter bitters

Stir and strain over a fresh large cube in an old-fashioned glass.

Genever (especially the Bols aged variety) is a decent, though imperfect, substitute for the Dry Rye.  You might want to save some for a Dutch Quarter.

Jalisco Fashioned

Here's a random tequila-based old-fashioned cocktail, named after the origin of the spirit.

2 1/4 oz aged tequila (I used El Mayor Anejo; another anejo or even a good resposado would be nice too)
1/4 oz creme de cacao
1 dash Regan's #6 Orange Bitters
1 dash Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter bitters (which I'm sadly having trouble finding now...)
1 dash apple bitters (homemade as previously covered)

Stir and strain over a large cube, blissfully ungarnished.

Dual Highballs

Two fairly straightforward highballs, constructed along the same formula.  Nothing too unusual for nightly mixing, but these turned out well enough that I thought they deserved recording.

#1:
1 oz pisco (I used Capel; not necessarily my first choice, but a good value selection)
3/4 oz beet liqueur (homemade)
3/4 oz Mathilde Cassis
3/4 oz lemon juice

#2:
1 oz aged rum (I used Plantation 5 Year)
3/4 oz apricot liqueur (again, homemade)
3/4 oz Mathilde Poire
3/4 oz lemon juice

For both, shake and strain over fresh ice in a highball glass.  Top with ~1 oz ginger beer to taste and stir.

Red Gatling

Another easy riff on the French 75, so I had to name it after another piece of old-school field weaponry.

1 1/2 oz dry gin (Boodles is always nice)

1 1/2 oz cranberry sauce syrup*

1/4 oz lemon juice

Shake and strain (over ice only when there's none outside) then top with 2-3 oz rose champagne or cava.

In the interests of proper logging, I should note that I initially made this with pisco, which was nice, but didn't have quite the snap I was looking for.  Something about that gin-champagne cocktail is just so delightfully speakeasy.

*This was essentially leftover homemade cranberry sauce (made with real cranberries!) that I pureed until smooth, stretched out until pourable again, then ran through a fine strainer.  You may wish to sweeten or tweak this further to your liking.  Mine was still fairly tart, courtesy of fresh cranberries, hence the hefty amount.  You may also wish to double-strain any cocktails you make with the stuff depending on its final texture.

The Great Frost

It's hellishly cold here, and that means cocktails are in order to warm the bones.  Scotch is always an appropriate choice in such matters.  I'm sorry that this one is so brand-specific but I can't imagine this combination working quite any other way.

2 oz Great King Street Artist's Blend scotch (good, good stuff, very mellow)
1/4 oz squash-sage syrup (roasted squash with fresh sage and brown sugar; tastes like Thanksgiving)
1/4 oz sweet vermouth (I used Dolin)
1/4 oz homemade apple bitters (yeah, sorry; I used the apple bitters recipe from Brad Parsons' Bitters book, which I will no doubt be experimenting with further)
1 dash Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter bitters (yum)
1 dash Bitter Truth Celery Bitters (also yum, easily the best celery bitters on the market)

Stir and strain over a large cube in an old-fashioned glass.  Do not let garnish cloud your judgment.