This was the eponymous cocktail from my Lords of Misrule series (December 2020). It celebrates old-fashioned flavors of the season and, by extension, references the late medieval / early modern English and Scottish Christmas traditions. This batch recipe is meant to be divided into small bottles and adorned with little tags, or to be mixed and kept on your bar so that anyone who comes into your home during the holiday season may partake in a festive cocktail.

This Manhattan variant is inspired by Harry Johnson’s Manhattan from the 1900 edition of his book. The original features the addition of Curaçao or absinthe, so I plugged crème de cacao into that slot, which gives the cocktail a luscious texture. I’ve stuck with Johnson’s choice of garnish, a simple expressed lemon twist, which plays off the deep base notes of the chocolate and quinquina.

This cocktail is based on the Commodore No. 2 from The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, a Sour comprised of bourbon, crème de cacao, lemon and grenadine. We kept the general makeup of the cocktail, choosing rye over bourbon, lime over lemon, and demerara syrup for the grenadine. A very good variation, I think.

Based on two great drinks of the early twentieth century ― the Elk's (Club) Fizz from the Hoffman House book and the Chicago Fizz, which made its way to the Waldorf-Astoria Bar sometime before Prohibition. In both, the basic fizz template is at play, with the great addition of some aromatized, fortified wine working in concert with aged spirit, citrus, sugar, egg white and soda.

A riff on the Fox River Toddy from the Hoffman House bartender guide (1905). This cold-weather sipper is perfect for November, presaging the holidays with flavors of rich chocolate, malt and nutmeg.

This imagined Julep is one I think could have existed in the 1860s in New England, where October brings Concord grapes, and sage and apples are abundant.

Adapted from Jerry Thomas’s 1862 Fancy Brandy Cocktail recipe, this variation on an Old-Fashioned puts boiled cider in the role of sweetener, which lends a certain dimension to the whole.

Even back in the 1860s, not all drinks were simply iterations on the major templates --- there were one-offs, too. This liqueur-laced sour is inspired by a Jerry Thomas original called the Knickerbocker, wherein we swap out rum and raspberry syrup in favor of autumnal apple brandy and Concord grenadine.

Essentially a single-serving sparkling punch, our Daisy honors the apple harvest with apple brandy, boiled cider and dry fizzy cider on top.

Back in October 2020, I wanted to create a riff on the classic with unaged apple brandy as the star. So I called on the exceptional gin from Neversink, which uses apple eau de vie as the base and features some beautiful spice notes. This married perfectly with “Jersey Lightning,” an unaged apple brandy from Laird’s. The aromatized wines weren’t hard to choose; I used an extra dry vermouth by Noilly Prat and the Bodegas Hidalgo Manzanilla “La Guita.” The combination of the two gave the drink a bright salinity, which is further bolstered by homemade Martin “brine.” I added a small measure of Salers to bring out the earthy flavors already present in the drink. I called it a fall Martini, but this would be equally appropriate for spring which is, blessedly, not too far off.

I came up with this cocktail for a peaty Scotch lover who… didn’t want Scotch that night. I settled on a Negroni build and used super piney gin (St. George Terroir). Vanilla-heavy Carpano Antica in the vermouth spot. And I switched out the Campari in favor of two great amari from the Italian alps: Braulio, a coniferous beauty (and my all-time favorite) from Bormio, near the Swiss border, and Sfumato Rabarbaro, a product from Trento’s Cappelletti distillery, a rhubarb-based bitter with a smoky edge. (That was in response to the peaty Scotch note.) Think of this as the classic, urbane Negroni hitting the slopes!

This dessert cocktail was one I developed during the winter of 2019-20. I wanted to give the classic Alexander template, which emerged in the years before Prohibition, a banana-nut profile. Dry and spicy rye was the perfect accompaniment for this combination of liqueurs.

I came up with this one when a customer at Gigantic requested something for their last drink of the night and alluded to a craving for coffee. I thought I’d combine three of my favorite after-dinner drinks, Cognac, coffee and amaro, in a Manhattan-inspired format. The basic idea comes from early versions of the Manhattan from the late nineteenth century. But it also has commonalities with the Hanky Panky or the Fanciuli, wherein a Manhattan skips the bitters in favor of amaro.

The Jack Rose, traditionally made with apple brandy, is a great cocktail at any time of the year. This version, with Scotch, is yet more appropriate for winter. It’s Jack in a tuxedo and fur coat!

In the olden days of coastal New England, a pineapple on the fence post was a sign of hospitality. It meant the captain who lived there was back from his voyage, ready to regale the townsfolk with his stories. This punch is what I imagine he would have served, on a snowy December evening, with his community gathered around his hearth, pipe smoke in the air and cheer in their hearts.

Back in February 2020, I had a wonderful trip to the region where Cognac is produced. This drink, a sort-of Negroni, is my recollection of that week in a glass.

This Negroni riff was one of three drinks featured in my Autumn Aperitivo class (2021). It combines aged apple brandy, amaro, and Madeira or sherry, with a small measure of maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Served over a big cube and garnished with an orange twist.

This drink follows a classic Collins template. But it’s a “royale” Collins, meaning it’s topped with Champagne instead of soda. And it’s got this great interplay between the yeasty flavor of the Champagne and the maltiness of the genever.

I love flips. From sailor’s drink to tavern classic, this drink morphed into one of the antebellum nineteenth century’s favorite cocktails. And on a beautiful sunny spring day that’s still quite cold, this tropical flip brings the comforting taste of brûléed custard to your golden hour or, fittingly, your dessert course.

When I was developing this drink for a potential slot on Gigantic’s 2020 spring menu (sadly reopening was postponed until 2021), I kept thinking of the nursery rhyme “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary,” because it’s all about spring flowers and honeybees. And because I’m about 500 years old. Anyway, this song is probably about Mary Tudor, but it may also be about Mary Stuart, commonly known as the Queen of Scots, who was eventually beheaded by her cousin Elizabeth I.