April 25, 2025

What I’m Drinking: Mercurio Punch

Whether its Mother’s Day, or graduation, or Memorial Day, or just a darn good day for a party, many occasions for serving a group of people drinks are coming up. Make it easy for yourself and pick up a punch bowl and punch it up. That is, if you don’t have a punch bowl already, but maybe you do? I was on the radio (you kids might not remember such) once, on a call in show, talking about having two punch bowls, one fancy, one not, and a caller called in to say they had eleven punch bowls! Eleven! Now, that person knows how to party. Not saying you need eleven, but one or two, yes. And then, you can make this punch in one of them. It sounds like a Shakespeare character, and admittedly hearkens back in a way back-a-ways, with a hearty red wine base (like a Cabernet or other robust red wine) mingling with some juice (grape, here), and sweetened with some simple syrup. But then! We are also adding mysterious French herbal liqueur Bénédictine, and a heaping helping of brandy, plus club soda (which helps lighten it up, and make it okay for brunching as well as later affairs). The first item in that list really gives this punch an intriguing personality, and one that is sure to make your late April, May, and June events memorable (as well as events in the other nine months, to be clear). Punch it!

Mercurio Punch from Dark Spirits

Mercurio Punch, from Dark Spirits

Block of ice, or ice cubes

16 ounces brandy

16 ounces purple grape juice

8 ounces Bénédictine liqueur

8 ounces simple syrup

One 750-milliliter bottle red wine

One 2-liter bottle chilled club soda

Red grapes, for garnish, if you want

1. Add the block of ice to a large punch bowl, or fill the bowl halfway full with ice cubes. Add the brandy, grape juice, Benedictine, and simple syrup. Stir well.

2. Add the red wine to the cast, and stir again.

3. Smoothly add the club soda, and stir a final time (or maybe a few final times—you want to get it good and combined). And a handful or two fresh red seedless grapes, if you want. Sometimes I feel the grapes, sometimes I don’t. I’m weird. Serve in punch glasses. Or with straws.

April 11, 2025

What I’m Drinking: Enjoy the Nickname

It’s April, you old so-and-so! That means summer (or Mr. Sunny Suntimes, as it’s called by some) isn’t too far around the corner, what with its rum drinks and poolside parties and pirates. With that, I suggest you start practicing your summer drinks now, so you can be known as Drinkmaster HW (for hot weather) when it gets here. And here’s one to start practicing with, not a known drink worldwide yet (though known enough to carrying its own second moniker, “rum-daddy”), but a darn good one, featuring a hearty base (or spirit-kick, as they say) of Flor de Caña rum shimmying close with Brovo’s delightful Lucky (it already has a nickname in its name!) Falernum, Pierre Ferrand’s now classic orange curaçao, Scrappy’s dancing on the tongue Orleans bitters (did you know Scrappy was a nickname of a real person? It is!), and a touch of lemon and simple. The very latter I like, as it seemed to smooth the edges (or tan lines, if you will), but if it’s too sweet for your taste, drop it like a name you’re not fond of.

Enjoy the Nickname rum cocktail

Enjoy the Nickname

Ice cubes
2-1/2 ounces Flor de Caña Añejo Oro gold rum
1/2 ounce Brovo Lucky Falernum
1/2 ounce Pierre Ferrand orange curaçao
1/4 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes Scrappy’s Orleans bitters
Lemon twist, for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add all of the liquid ingredients. Shake well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

March 28, 2025

What I’m Drinking: Underlined Passages

Though we’re well past Valentine’s Day, really, if you’re a perfect paramour or partner, you should be showing the love every day, right? Right! And what’s the best way to show the love? Making that favorite person of yours a dandy cocktail, perhaps one a bit sweet to show you think they’re the sweetest? Too much? Well, it makes for an interesting intro idea to this cocktail, which isn’t overly sweet, mind-you, thanks to the bountiful base of brandy (the most under-utilized base spirit). One top of which are two other dancing partners that might be a stitch sweet, but also deliver lovely (!!) flavors: Navan vanilla liqueur and the Italian charmer Dumante Verdenoce pistachio liqueur. Those three alone play together quite cozily, but adding an egg white, as we do here, gives a wonderful silky mouthfeel (as they say), one that’ll have you and yours canoodling happily any day of the year as you sip it.

Underlined Passages brandy cocktail

Underlined Passages, from Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz

Ice cubes

1-1/2 ounces brandy

1 ounce Navan vanilla liqueur

1/2 ounce Dumante Verdenoce pistachio liqueur

1 egg white, preferably organic

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the brandy, Navan, Dumante, and egg white. Shake exceptionally well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

March 14, 2025

What I’m Drinking: The Tipperary Cocktail

Okay chums, I realize that Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner (Monday, I believe), and so many are looking for drinks specifically to celebrate it this weekend and the days around the day. Which is dandy! Though, I am very much of the opinion that you shouldn’t restrict your drinking of Irish-inspired tipples to this time of the year, as there are so many delicious products made there, and so many delicious drinks using said liquid delights. Take the Tipperary, for example. It’s a lesser-known (but should be better known) classic from the 1930s, which combines a nice helping of Irish whisky with two herbally heroes, the sometimes-hard-to-track-down-but-worth-the-tracking Green Chartreuse, along with Punt e’ Mes sweet vermouth (you could sub in another, but the slightly drier Punt e’ Mes goes perfectly here).

Speaking of subbing, you could go subbing in a range of Irish whisky in here, but I’m going with McConnell’s Irish Whisky, which delivers an amiable taste, with vanilla, nutmeg, spice, and a little smokiness. Blended and aged five years in American oak, it plays well with our other bottled partners, and has quite a history, as McConnell’s began whisky making in 1776, before a fire destroyed 500,000 gallons of whisky and a chunk of the distillery itself, not long after which U.S. prohibition came and finished the job. But like a tipsy phoenix, the distillery rose again and began sending out whisky around the world not too many years ago, whisky to be enjoyed any day, and in cocktails like this one.

The Tipperary Cocktail

The Tipperary Cocktail

Cracked ice

2 ounces McConnell’s Irish whisky

1/2 ounce Green Chartreuse

3/4 ounce Punt e’ Mes sweet vermouth

Lemon twist, for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add everything but the twist. Stir well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the twist.

March 7, 2025

What I’m Drinking: The Bowling Roberto

Not but weeks ago (a short time in the grand scheme of time, which is quite a scheme indeed, and when you think about it, sort-of a mug’s game in a way, but one we can’t get out of, outside of one ending way, much is the pity) I had a variation on The Bobby Burns called The Midshipman Burns. And now, already, I have here another sort-of variation on the theme – but it’s a mighty good theme! This variation takes us a little farther afield, but also, not so far afield. Man, I’m musing today! Which is what happens when you drink a drink as flavortastic as this one, but also one that has a decent-sized wallop of Scotch as the base (going Speyburn single-malt 10 year, which is tasty, and also mixes well while maintaining its Scotch-ness). Makes the mind move, as Mr. Robert Burns himself would agree with. And then our other ingredients, legendary French herbal monk-a-rific liqueur Bénédictine, itself a wonder of time, and spicy, rich, smokey wonder Ancho Reyes chili liqueur, another wondrous number, are such intriguing players on this particular cocktail stage, which bring a very individual nature to this drink, a nature given another highlight via our last ingredient, earthy Peychaud’s bitters. Altogether, they won’t stop time, but they sure will make it more fun to follow.

The Bowling Roberto cocktail

The Bowling Roberto

Cracked ice

1-1/2 ounces Speyburn 10 Year Single Malt Scotch whiskey

1/2 ounce Ancho Reyes ancho chile liqueur

1/2 ounce Bénédictine

1 dash Peychaud’s bitters

Big ice cubes (or a couple sorta big ice cubes)

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full of cracked ice. Add everything but the second selection of ice. Stir well.

2. Add a big piece of ice to an Old Fashioned or such glass. Strain the mix over the ice.

February 21, 2025

What I’m Drinking: The Midshipman Burns

The Midshipman Burns cocktail

I am a little late for suggesting this be a new edition to your Burns Night celebrations, that holiday being January 25th. But you know how the days go. And, honestly, I’m not sure this is a perfect match anyways, for two reasons. Reason one being that the classic cocktail known as The Bobby Burns, which The Midshipman Burns is based one, might not have even been created for the poet Robert Burns, said poet being of course the person celebrated on Burns Night – heck, the cocktail might have been created for a vacuum salesman from Queens or the Bronx. The Bobby Burns cocktail does make a nice accompaniment to the holiday even if it wasn’t originally created for the poet, just due to the base of Scotch, he being famously Scottish. Which brings us to reason two why this take on said cocktail might not be a perfect fit: it changes that Scotch base to a base of dark rum, while keeping some other core ingredients from the drink, so unless Robert Burns spent some time in the Caribbean, it’s probably best I didn’t post this drink on Burns Night, so-as to keep the Burns Night purists from cursing me. However! This is a fine variation on the theme, all poetic connections or not aside, so just drink it tonight, love it, and forget all my ramblings.

The Midshipman Burns

Cracked ice

2-1/2 ounces dark rum

1/2 ounce Carpano Antica

1/2 ounce Bénédictine

Lemon twist, for garnish.

1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add the rum, Carpano, and Bénédictine. Stir well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

February 14, 2025

What I’m Drinking: The Poor Harriet

Poor Harriet, she was so sad, as she didn’t have a partner to sip bubbly cocktails with on Valentine’s Day (it is, by the way, Valentine’s Day today, if you’d forgotten), and was thinking she’d spend the whole day alone, staring out the window, sighing as sad music played in the background. But then she came up with this very drink, with a gin base (London-dry style here I think), and lover’s favorite, the pretty Parfait Amour (which, if you don’t know, is florally with citrus and spice cuddles), a bit of fresh orange juice (brilliant Harriet knows fresh is best), a dash of Peychaud’s bitters, some bubbles in the form of prosecco, and a tiny bit of simple syrup (she wavered a bit here – you might too, and dropping the simple is okay). Once she whipped up this drink, she had offers for days from people wanting to be her valentine. But then she realized spending a day alone and not buying into the corporate holiday is actually quite lovely, and she made herself one of these and enjoyed it immensely.

The Poor Harriet cocktail

The Poor Harriet, from Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz

Ice cubes

1 ounce gin

1/2 ounce Parfait Amour

1/2 ounce Simple Syrup

1/2 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice

Dash of Peychaud’s bitters

Chilled Prosecco

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the gin, Parfait Amour, simple syrup, orange juice, and bitters. Shake well.

2. Strain through a fine strainer into a flute glass. Top with chilled Prosecco (should be about 4 ounces). Stir gently.

January 24, 2025

What I’m Drinking: The Black Pearl

Here’s the thing: I was drinking this drink with this name before said name showed up on the tip of the tongue of every pirate thanks to a famous movie that then became like, what, five famous movies? Are there more? I can remember going to the first of said piratical movie franchise in the theater (of all things) and thinking “great, now everyone’s gonna think the Black Pearl cocktail is named after Cap’n Jack’s ship.” But now, upon reflection – does it matter? As long as this bubbly, sort-a romantic (I always suggest making it for two, and why you might ask? Perhaps it’s the bubbly, perhaps the addition of Cognac, a historic drink for those in love, or the sultriness of the Tia Maria, or even the cherries? But I think it’s all combined) number is consumed, that’s all that matters. And anyway, pirates like romance, too.

The Black Pearl cocktail

Black Pearl, Serves 2

Ice cubes

2 ounce Cognac

2 ounces Tia Maria

Chilled Champagne

2 cherries, for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the Cognac and Tia Maria. Stir well.

2. Strain the mix equally into two flute or wine glasses. Top each with Champagne (should be about 4 ounces apiece). Garnish each with a cherry either dropped in, or speared and floated on top.

Rathbun on Film