Auburn Courtesan

Before we head into another round of the Around America series, let's end the summer with an original creation with a bit of sweet sophistication, yet still easy on the pocketbook and made from spirits that you can get at rural Wisconsin liquor stores. We had to use up a crate of Idaho peaches left over from a school function, so here at the Firewater Lounge, there is no hesitation to whip up a batch of peach cocktail syrup. Mostly, this peach syrup will go into bourbon and rum old fashioneds, but this time I thought I'd class it up and elevate an old college shooter: The Red Headed Slut.

Summer Sours

With the summer heat upon us, we needed to break in the new deck furniture at the Firewater Lounge. The only way to do this properly is to cool off with a few drinks, so let's give you a few. A week ago or so, Cindy and I found some good grapefruits on sale in Madison. Besides Durango's Strater Hotel whiskey sipper, the Bustamonte 1957, and anything in the Firewater Lounge that contains Don's Secret Mix (see FWL blog post from September 2011), there isn't a whole lot of grapefruit juice straight up in this venerable blog.

To correct that, Cindy was looking to add a paloma to the Lounge. Now, the paloma is a classic drink for sure, but pretty boring. It's simply Squirt soda and tequila at a 2 to 1 ratio with a splash of lime juice. Yeah. Like a rum and coke. That doesn't do it for us here at this bar. So we made a modern-day accepted riff on the paloma that has more flavor and more real juice.

Mezcal Paloma

2 ounces mezcal (we used Bozal)
2 ounces fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
top with club soda or 7-Up

Shake the first three ingredients with ice. Strain over ice in a Collins glass. Top with soda and stir gently a few revolutions. Garnish with a grapefruit swath. If you like it sweeter, rim your Collins glass with sugar prior to icing it.

Now, the Paloma isn't the only sour worthy of your summer enjoyment. I poured myself a Jasper's Planter's Punch for my deck excursion. What's that? A funky Jamaican rum in Jasper's Secret Mix (see FWL blog post from June 2010). The key to this flavor bomb of a drink is the esters created from the traditional pot still distillation of Jamaican rums. Esters are formed through a chemical reaction between alcohols and acids during fermentation and distillation, creating fruity and floral aromas and flavors that are banana and/or mango-like. It's referred to as 'hogo' or 'funk', and it's great in Jasper's mix. Whip yourself up a batch of Jasper's and try it in Smith & Cross, Wray & Nephew, or Hamilton rums (or all three)! Here's the recipe:

Jasper's Planter's Punch

1 part Jamaican rum (I used Hamilton)
1 part Jasper's Secret Mix

Build in an old-fashioned or rocks glass over ice. If you need it sweeter, top with 7-Up.

Chicago, River North, Part 3

After drinks and a vaudeville act at the speakeasy The Drifter, we headed into the cool night air and traveled the seven or so blocks to the next bar of the night, the world-renown tiki bar Three Dots and a Dash. One of the first tiki bars in the country to focus on mixology, Three Dots made the 2014 World's 50 Best Bars list with the likes of famous bars like Milk and Honey, Dead Rabbit, and PDT. If you don't have a reservation for their Bamboo Room, you'll probably have to wait in line for a while.

The decor of Three Dots screams sunny beach shack; grass roofs, bamboo shelves, and tiki art abound. The drink menu is pan-island and separated into single and group drinks. The single drinks are divided into modern cocktails, classic cocktails, and Mai Tais (including the Trader Vic classic). The group drinks come in a monster cocktail bowl of some tiki design. We opted for one of the single drinks first. I nabbed a Caribbean Punch, a kitchen-sink tiki concoction comprised of aged Caribbean Rum, Panamanian Rum, Lime, Pineapple, Sarsaparilla, Falernum, and Fassionola Red. I won't bother assembling a recipe for you since there is very little chance you will find true Fassionola syrup. If I try my hand at making it in the future, I'll put it up in the FWL for all the Lizards!

Cindy ordered a tried-and-true Painkiller. We can gladly estimate that classic pour for you:

Drink: Painkiller
Establishment: Three Dots and a Dash
Location: Chicago, Illinois
First Connoisseur: Cindy

2 ounces Caribbean Rum blend (the classic uses Pusser's Navy Rum) 4 ounces pineapple juice 1 ounce tangerine juice 1 ounce coconut cream

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until cold. Strain into a hurricane glass or large tiki mug with shaved ice. Garnish with grated nutmeg and a pineapple wedge.

Now, we couldn't leave Three Dots without one of the really big group drinks. I elbowed my way through the busy bar and brought back a bowl of Lapu Lapu and two straws. Three Dots' Lapu Lapu is a mixture of aged Demerara rum, dark Jamaican rum, and a trio of fruit juices: passion fruit, tangerine, and lime. Needless to say, after a bowl full of rum and juice, we thought it appropriate to take a walk down to the Chicago River to finish off the evening.

A running drink total of my night in the River North Neighborhood of Chicago-

1 Whiskey Old-fashioned 1 Slam Banana Thank You Ma'am 1 Caribbean Punch 1/2 a bowl of Lapu Lapu