Prime 49

1 1/2 oz Ketel One Vodka 

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice 

1/2 oz Galliano 

1/2 oz house cranberry syrup 

An eye dropper of house lavender tincture 

Shake and serve in a cocktail glass 

Garnish with macerated cranberries  

Front Porch Flames

1 1/2 oz Booker's Bourbon 

1/2 oz Velvet Falernum

1/2 oz agave nectar 

1/2 oz Cynar

3 dash house bitters 

Stir and place aside

In a gimlet glass pour a small pool of absinthe and set it ablaze.

Let it sit for 20 seconds or so and pour over the flames to extinguish 

El Chupacabra

1 1/2 oz Hornitos Reposado

1/4 oz Jonny Walker Black Label 

1/2 oz fresh lime

1/2 oz agave 

1/2 oz Galliano

1/4 oz blood orange bitters 

Pinch of salt 

Shake and serve in an old fashioned glass

Garnis with a lime wedge 

The Russian Imperialist

1 1/2 oz Breakout Rye

3/4 oz house cranberry syrup

3/4 oz apple brandy 

1/2 oz lemon 

2 dash apple bitters 

2 dash cranberry bitters 

Shake and serve up

Garnish with the macerated cranberries

Don Montenegro

1 1/2 oz bourbon

3/4 oz Carpano Antica

3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro

1/4 oz house thyme syrup

3 dashes Peychaud's bitters 

Stir and serve in an old fashioned glass

Garnish squeezed orange peel then discard 

The Divine Comedy

1 1/2 oz Bourbon

1/2 oz Averna

1/4 oz Falernum

1/2 oz house pineapple gum syrup

2 dashes Bar Keep Fennel bitters

Shake and serve in a cocktail glass

Garnish with slapped mint 

Happy Hump Day

1 1/2 oz Death's Door Gin

3/4 oz St. Germaine 

3/4 oz fresh orange juice 

1/4 oz house brown sugar syrup

2 dash Paychaud's bitters

Shake and serve in a cocktail glass

Garnish orange peel 

The Colombo

1 1/2 oz Bourbon

1/2 oz Punt e Mes

1/2 oz Amaro Averna

1/4 oz Gran Classico 

Stir and serve in an ice filled old fashioned glass. 

Garnish with an orange peel

Beach Boiz

1 1/2 oz 10 Cane Rum

1 oz Lillet Rose

1 oz fresh orange juice 

1/2 oz Falernum 

2 dash Bar Keep Chinese Bitters 

Shake and serve up

Garnish with an orange peel 

Galileo's Dream

1 1/2 oz Don Julio Reposado 

3/4 oz Galliano

1/2 oz brown sugar syrup

1/2 oz fresh lime juice 

Shake and serve in an ice filled old fashioned glass

Garnish with a line wheel 

The new menu

Things are looking good!

So, I am adding two more specialty cocktails and two classic cocktails to the menu.

Let me know what you think!

First, the specialty.

Key Wish (for the bar, not the original)
2 oz Bulleit Rye
1/2 oz Grand Marnier 
1/2 oz Aperol
3 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
Stirred and serve in a gimlet
Garnish flamed orange

The Florist (Updated)

1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin
1/4 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
3/8 oz creme de violette
1/2 oz house made rosemary syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes of lavender bitters
3 dashes of orange flower water
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Now add the Sloe Gin to the middle of the cocktail so it sits at the bottom
Garnish with a seasonal flower or flower petal. You can also use a lemon peel

Now for the classic cocktails.

Last Word
3/4 oz Death's Door Gin
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 fresh lime juice
3/4 Luxardo Maraschino
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino Cherry

Ward Eight
2 oz Woodford Reserve
1/2 oz fresh orange juice
 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz house made grenadine
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish with an orange peel

Hope these additions go well with the others we have.

Steps to Shadows

1 1/2 oz Hornitos Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz Monte Alban Mezcal
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2 oz house made brown sugar syrup
1/4 oz blood orange bitters
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino Cherry and a pinch of Kosher salt over the top of the cocktail

Odin's Libation

1 1/2 oz Templeton Rye
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Chambord
1/2 oz Cherry Herring
Bar spoon of Benedictine
Shake and serve in an ice filled old fashioned glass
Garish with a mint sprig

Henry Miller

1 1/2 oz Kentucky Straight Bourbon (something like Booker's or Woodford Reserve)
1 oz fresh orange juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz St. Germain
3 dashes apple bitters
Shake and serve in an old fashioned glass

An ode to one of my favorite writers. American and French all in one.

The Whimsy

1 1/2 oz Ketel One
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz house made rosemary syrup
3 dashes lavender bitters
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Add 3 gentle dashes of cranberry bitters to the top and have them sink to the bottom of the glass so it is almost as if the cocktail is sitting on a red foundation.
Garnish with a few cranberries

Central Park Sunset

1 1/2 oz Don Julio Reposado
3/4 oz Apple Jack
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz house made pineapple gum syrup
1/2 oz house made hibiscus syrup
1/2 oz blood orange bitters
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a pineapple piece

I made this cocktail the day after my girlfriend and I came back from New York. We had a fantastic sunset evening in Central Park eating macaroons and people watching. The colors really represent the sunset we enjoyed together.

Oscar's gone Wilde

1 1/2 Hornitos Plata
1/2 Grappa
1/2 Lemoncello
1/2 Fresh lemon
2 bar spoons of Blackberry Preserves
Shake and serve in a Martini glass
Float Brut Rose
Garnish lemon peel

Ben and Nick's

I love this restaurant/bar. All the bartenders are always on point and the burgers are fantastic!

The Sandman

1 1/2 oz Basil Hayden's Bourbon
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Agave Nectar
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz house Hibiscus syrup
3 dashes lavender bitters
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish smacked rosemary sprig

A sleepy and pleasant cocktail. Lavender bitters mixed with rosemary has such a calming interplay. 

Death Before Taxes

1 1/2 oz No. 209 Gin
1/4 oz blood orange bitters
1/2 oz house Grenadine
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino Cheery

It's was tax day and quite a few people didn't want to remember that. I helped.

Summer in Jalisco

1 1/2 oz Hornitos Plata
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz house made black tea and hibiscus syrup
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/4 oz blood orange bitters
2 dashes cranberry bitters
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a lime wheel

This was an experiment that worked out super well. I wanted to see how tequila and aperol would work together so with a little patience  and a lot of error I got this. It's quite warm and tangy.

Bubblegum Lulu

1 1/2 oz Ketel One Vodka
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz house made Pineapple gum syrup
1/2 oz house Grenadine
3 dashes plum bitters
2 dashes cherry bitters
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino Cherry

I came up with this cocktail for a customer at the bar that wanted something with the house made syrups I make that could focus on the taste of them rather than the spirit behind. She is the one that named it but it's fitting. 

Poets and Pirates

1 1/2 oz 10 Cane Rum
3/4 oz Galliano
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz of house made rosemary syrup
Shake and serve in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a lemon peel

The name says it all!

The Florist

1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
3/8 oz creme de violette
3/8 oz house made rosemary syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes of lavender bitters
5 dashes of orange flower water
Shake and server in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a seasonal flower or flower petal

For this drink I wanted to go with a bouquet on the nose and a fruity palate. A rose petal works well as a garnish, if you do a sprig of lavender it takes control of the drink so I would use something more delicate.

Baal's Delight

This is my take on a Negroni

2 oz Death's Door Gin
1 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Aperol
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters
Stir and serve in a goblet
Garnish with a flamed orange

Boyde

2 oz Booker's Bourbon
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2 oz honey syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Shake and serve in n old fashioned glass
Garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino Cherry

Rene

2 oz Don Julio Blanco
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz agave nectar
1/2 oz creme de cassis
3 dashes of grapefruit bitters
Shake and strain into a Martini glass
Garnish with a lime wheel

This cocktail represents my best friend Ryan. He's a big tequila guy so I worked with his nice and inviting personality to create something fun and balanced like all the good times we share together. Funny enough, Rene is his middle name. Such a perfect match.

Midnight Sun

1 1/2 oz Hennessy VSOP
1 oz 10 year Port
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz house made rosemary syrup
Shake and strain into a Martini glass
garnish with a lemon peel

This is another drink inspired by a good friend of mine Jon. He's big on delicacies so what better way then to use 3 of my favorites. This drink is rich and pure with a beautiful deep purple color.

Cecilia

1 1/2 oz Square One Botanical Vodka
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Chambord
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with slapped rosemary sprig

I created this cocktail after my girlfriend and that's how it landed it's name, Cecilia, which is her middle name. I wanted to make something soft and delicate that still has a little bite, just like her. 

Death to Winter

2 oz Bulliet Bourbon
1/2 oz grade B maple syrup
1/2 fresh lemon juice
2 bar spoon fulls of raspberry perseveres
Shake hard and strain wait same ice in a Collins glass
garnish with a lemon peel wrapped around a raspberry 

This is my first day of Spring cocktail, having a hearty yet fruity body.

The Key Wish

If you move the letters in whiskey around you find this cocktail.

2 oz Bulleit Bourbon
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Aperol
3 dashes of Regan's Orange Bitters
Stirred and served in a cocktail glass
Garnish with a flamed orange peel

First time bitters!

So the name is 12 Circles.
My first attempt at brewing my own bitters.
Ingredients as follows:

Wormwood 2 oz jigger fill
Witch Hazel Bark 2 oz jigger fill
Devil's Club Root 2 large pinches
Orris Root 1 oz jigger fill
Star Annis 4 pieces
Tulia Star Flower 2 large pinches
Jasmine Flower 2 oz jigger fill
Rose Hip 3 actual ounches
Lavender 3 oz jigger fill
Hibiscus 2 oz jigger fill
Acacia Flower 4 large pinches
Life Everlasting 6 large pinches
Finished with a 750 ml Everclear.

I'll update on how it turns out in the next 2 weeks for the first part of the bitter making process. I'll have another week after that until I fully know how the taste will culminate. Wish me luck on batch 1 of 12 Circles.