Submissions & Ideas

I will be using this post continuously as a public digital legal pad list of flavor combination and drink spec ideas. Please leave a reply if you have any ideas! I love to find new combinations of flavors and tasting notes.

Dear Diary…

5.28 I am loving perfume note charts as vision boards for drinks.

earl grey infused spirit, italicus, perhaps a cream of some sort? or just something that acts like a cream. egg white perhaps. maybe a foam. re: grapefruit rose yuzu coffee drink i saw the other day on instagram. hojicha brown butter. perhaps kinako garnish. negroni spec but not too bitter or dry? carajillo-adjacent? gin, green chartreuse, milk punch, luxardo?

5.31 truly autistic about cocktailing. i am never not thinking about cocktails

honey overload. honey infused something, honey liqueur, honey syrup, honeycomb garnish honey drizzle. coffee drinks. carajillo riffs. coffee infused rum. rum based coffee liqueur. orange? campari + grand marnier? coffee negroni? coffee + maraschino. coffee rum maraschino + cherry. coconut yuzu mojito. simple syrup made from coconut sugar and coconut water. reduce what i don’t use to caramel for my lattes. yuzu foam. tj’s coconut yuzu seltzer. sugarcane. coconut lychee too? coconut negroni? is that even possible .

6.8 sweet treat o’clock

tiramisu. amaretto tequila espresso carajillo lady finger garnish? rocks glass. amaretto espresso coffee liqueur milk punch ? ladyfinger infused tequila? what liquor comes from italy. a bar in japan called americana. trinidad sour riff using rum instead of rye and a fruit from somewhere in trinidad. perhaps tobago. fig infused vodka or gin. white tea, peach, passion flower, chamomile, lemon balm. negroni spec with 3 infusions? yellow citrus triple negroni? ice cream or sorbet as ice in shaken drink. tart cherry cordial. date syrup. nước chấm martini. clarified chai. blood orange gin negroni and old fashioned. elder fashioned riff with italicus and absinthe or green chartreuse. marmalade. cider in highball format for low abv drinks. shrubs w/ ACV. charanda. ruby but negroni spec – coral

6.10 back to perfume

cucumber bergamot hibiscus negroni. clarified perhaps.

6.11 in my younger years

in my younger years i made many a batched margarita. one gallon, sometimes 2. one spicy. work on mondays me only for a few hours? 530-830? cocktail book with this title. chapters as dates. one drink or two per chapter with text prefacing. color hardcover. mung bean jelly garnishes

6.12 today i Went Out™

today i went out. now, i am no drinker. not anymore. too old for that shit. however, around 10 times per year, i will have a few drinks. tonight was one of those nights. we went downtown to see my sculpture and started at thick as thieves. ampersand idea: get 1930s cocktail books and riff those drinks. rotating nightly menu based on what i collect. i.e. lisa’s herb garden and facebook marketplace someone’s auntie’s yard u-pick cherries. prep is my homework morning of or night before. don beach. social media campaign with hand drawn or graphic designed by a friend art posts. i.e. tiki night! old fashioned night! how fun. i love thinking about this. amaro angostura. talk about how many people i am typically handling at once in the bar. moreso if its with #Her. blackstrap rum coconut cream saline passionfruit + hibiscus bitters. amarula perhaps. salt rim ? these bartenders in the 30s-60s that just made great cocktails and published books purely for the love of the game and to leave their mark on the industry? how cool. my book idea,,should i just do that? is this how to be remembered and get the things you want? how do i find an investor to let me open a bar. is this my life’s purpose. english degree and art degree + side quest bartending leads to career bartender who metalsmiths her own barware and chooses the art in the gallery while also making some of it and writing books. how does anyone do anything. joan didion simply lived that life and told us about it. i wanna live that life and tell people about it. thanks for coming to my ted talk. notes from tonight: syrup + cordial matching flavor = silky texture. pandan old fashioned TAT incredible. need pandan + coconut. apricot banana milkshake. don the beachcomber was so cool. how cool to just travel around and bartend. hire an intern to produce youtube videos / reels. drink of the day at heritage! chalk board inside outside with a weekly batched special written on it. limited availability. 4th of july competition if i win the drink for next year is broadly: tiki. burnt sugar syrup. basque cheesecake. salted egg foam / cheese foam / salt cream (like at the boba shop). cocktail inspired by the world’s best matcha latte in seattle for the 2024 symposium. mochi balls boba size and red bean. OOO red bean clarified something or other…sweet red bean soup drink. make grenadine 1:1 pom juice to sugar. maybe brown sugar…

6.13 apples and oranges

american trilogy riff using apple brandy and cointreau or grand marnier. blackstrap rum maraschino luxardo cocchi americano coffee? absinthe? licor 43? next. limoncello. bitter version of limoncello. more pith on lemon peels for infusing. peels in a jar in general. multi fruit. stock. coconut water infused havana club 3. benday dots graphic on liquor bottles that i make. i want to be a set photographer. style drinks like this for ig

6.15 different paths

i think it would be so fun to write drinks for people’s weddings. custom drinks that are created for the couple, based on where they’re from, where they met, things and places they love, etc. it would be fun to bartend for private events with an open bar. cherry’s espresso martini no. 2. using luxardo instead of frangelico. cuban coffee. private event with push n pour where i make several different types of espresso martini with a bunch of different kinds of espresso and a bunch of different spirits. (re: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqPTEJOxoRo) could do shot size cocktails so people could have a few different ones and not have consumed much alcohol. smoked rocks glasses atop the espresso machine. one pulled shot (2oz?) could be served with one half shot in the cocktail and one half shot alone. maybe even served side by side on a plate. alongside pastries? what to palate cleanse. topo chico? have topo chico reps come out and local distributor and spirit reps. coffee related ones as well. maybe some roasters could attend. honey coffee drink. honey foam on a tonic? salesman hhh into letting me do this on a monday rsvp only date TBA based on when the headcount is full. cuban coffee with cuban rum. brulee top maybe. pop up market too for artists at the event? i want to create community with other businesses in town. rum for one of the drinks is made in one of the locations of specific roasters of the coffee for that drink. coffee and angostura bitters. pick spirits based on where the coffee bean is from. bean garnish all of them. obviously . brulee banana coffee. bananas foster. BARTENDING ZINE ? ! zine version of book. zines for each chapter as i write and photograph and design them and then after every one except the last is published i publish the book which comes with a special edition final zine that is laminated and spiral bound as a recipe book. szechuan peppercorn bitters or infused spirit. pink pepper something. honeydew? 2 cents as last word riff stirred. fat wash or clarified perhaps. alternatively fine print as name.

6.16 soda

mr. q’s cucumber beverage. gin fizz. gin highball? add exorbitant garnishes. army & navy alt fruits riff. words for complementary colors on the opposite side of the color wheel. little attachment for the bottle cap on a spout. way to connect them so all bottles can be closed every night. whiskey daisy no. 3 but with coffee. hatozaki yuzu rice whiskey daisy no. 3 riff. mochiko + kinako. hojicha. cocktail book of drinks from specific cities and journal entries from each place. photos of drinks and day collage style. full page photos followed by text standalone. eating & drinking in [city] . make my own espresso liqueur. collab with roasters

6.17 negroni spec enjoyer

luxardo mr black the botanist?

6.18 back to perfume

coconut cream + salt / saline? sherry colada riff with wine. lillet blanc!!! i should have a chalk board at work with a drink of the day. limited quantity. filter cocktail through pourover filter with grounds. spirits room temp. like japanese dot line.

6.19 milk punch

tiramisu milk punch. mr black amaretto and something else. unsure of main spirit. japanese whiskey? plymouth gin? liquified mascarpone as ‘milk’. PR coquito milk punch. called nydia. barenjaeger wild turkey american honey honey syrup honey foam. strawberry balsamic. strawberry basil. umeshu umeboshi negroni. strawberry negroni grapefruit twist mulholland gin. saffron infused spirit.

6.22 back to coffee

limoncello coffee drink. roots & rituals. yuzu curacao. low abv daisy style cocktail maybe with egg white using this. yuzu bergamot clarified. PF yuzu DC + italicus + sea gin negroni. rose pistachio orange blossom. kimchi juice ‘bloody mary’. melona drink cantaloupe honeydew banana. saffron infused something! liquor bottles that look like a high end perfume bottle.

6.23 ur unemployed friend at 3pm on a monday afternoon:

make videos re-spec known cocktails that have potential. kiwi caipirinha. luxardo sour. bar spoon with enameled cherry that is a lid for a tiny measurement spoon. yuzu dry curaçao + haku / coconut rum + matcha + coconut water / milk. dashi dirty martini. bonito flake or furikake garnish. kimchi dirty martini. coconut water ice.

6.25 tea s/s 2025 resort

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62sZ9niBm38 & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7kH4fVgmjE

bar that is also a coffee shop but both at the same time. mandarin caipirinha. darkroom developed black and white cocktail photo companion book / zine.

6.26 scent pairings

my friend vivi showed me a place called Cafe Elorea today. calamansi mojito. calamansi coconut water matcha cloud. coconut water mojito with calamansi foam.

6.30 like clockwork

coconut cream lime leaf. hollow lime sugar cube chili flambe demerara sugar cube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdT2tVYHxhg . rent a bar for a night as an event space with cover. serve all final versions of drinks and do a book sale / signing. gallery environment. event planning or staging company for setup. fruit puree floated on top of pebble. honey on pebble so as to crystallize. cantaloupe + fresh herb of some sort. not sure which one. include number of attempted recipe drafts it took to reach the final spec with an icon of a film take thing. maragarita + cola liqueur. or cola bitters. + coconut cream or foam maybe? loopy + coconut cream or dairy free cream. golden hour sour grapefruit spec. grapefruit gin + maraschino + tart cherry + grapefruit juice (blood orange?) egg white sour. tea sour.

7.1 identity

make my own version of fassionola syrup. hibiscus def. fav fruits. fig cheong. matcha syrup. matcha strawberry negroni. matcha bitter liqueur or amaro. hojicha amaro. heavy cream + cacao or curacao cloud.

7.8 my bar

infused waters too for palate cleansing. orange blossom water. zine re: push n pour collab. drink called bull in a china shop. bring tumbler with my ingredients to pnp so i can have proper espresso to pour over them. coconut milk x2coco syrup with espresso. maybe add black sesame to the milk? matcha cloud? lemon puree schmear on rock. peel and all. orange too. re: orange upside down cake. yogurt drink??? fermented lemons. lemon curd.

7.12 tropical

FRESH passion fruit and a super funky rum

7.13 graveyard / tombstone

milk wash plain coca cola to make a syrup. east side banh mi half n half but cocktail. daisies of my choice named after flowers in the same genus. tombstone tuesday. asteraceae.

7.14 back to coffee

carajillo with italicus + tequila, grapefruit + twist, saffron or rose garnish

7.15 nashville hot

apricot shrub. apricot + hot honey. milk washed carajillo. rum espresso martini with mr black. banana bread.

7.16 caribbean

molasses syrup. dragonfruit infused something. rum? sugarcane juice. add citric acid to sweet juices to make them sour? green chartreuse and grape soda.

7.17 diablo

rum + cocchi americano + secret third thing? coffee? bitter? fruit? beet juice interesting. beet dragonfruit coconut? rumhaven infused with dragonfruit. mint lime oregeat. holy trinity of tiki drinks. fourth horseman rum. maybe a gin with this? black tea as an ingredient. slightly overproof for dilution. blanc rum + dark rum + grapefruit + coconut water + molasses syrup + itty bit lime + dry curacao. parfait amour + banana. parfait amour + coffee. gray area.

7.18 whiskey business

olds fashioned with rye, apple cinnamon syrup and peychaud’s bitters. applejack? cereal milk wash.

7.21 to be loved mexicanly

tamarind (jarritos?) highball with hibiscus syrup and tequila. maybe tamarind bitters. hibiscus bitters. hibiscus agave? agua frescas as mocktails. lime leaf bitters. charanda + falernum + grapefruit + lime + coconut water. force carbonated? tequila? rum? prickly pear + charanda.

7.24 new bar

mix drinks but with liqueur instead of liquor for low abv. teeny bit of anchovy paste in bloody mary or dirty martini. anchovy paste infused london dry???

7.25

washington apple as old fashioned. canadian whiskey, cinnamon apple syrup, cranberry bitters. apple garnish. washington apple with applejack. canadian rye. cran-apple syrup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m70PLGdLIQ4

7.28

side quest: a book of cocktails. have lily signpaint the cover art and photograph (scan?) it to use as cover. “it’s a summer drink because we’re drinking it in the summer.” dr bird jamaican rum saturn cocktail riff called vivi.

7.29

rum yellow chartreuse and a secret third thing negroni

7.31 &sons

aloe juice! elevated club drinks but with liqueur for low abv. waste reduction / use strat for pickled things at d&s…martinis hello. ramos gin fizz riff with coconut cream (canned) [as mango sticky rice]

8.3

rum and coke as old fashioned with cola syrup and lime bitters lime twist coconut something maybe? old havana. coconut water ice??? over engineering simple recipes series.

8.11

daiquiri with grapefruit and cinnamon vanilla syrup. perhaps the addition of a weird liqueur for a hemingway riff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpsS0wyfX3U this is my dream

8.13

french vanilla ice cream with olive oil and salt as cocktail. or as sidecar with complementary drink?

bar desk like a jewelers bench for culinary school bartending

marmalade drinks by season. buy in bulk and make marmalade prep massive quantity.

mezcal negroni aperol margarita spec with limoncello and italicus as sweetener

southern sweet tea drink (sweet tea syrup) old fashioned? DAIQUIRI WITH WHISKEY!!! lemon wheel coupe mmm

chocolate potato chip as garnish clear traditional martini

9.23

pistachio orgeat. house rum blend, pistachio / honey, orange blossom water

9.28

coconut rum + jalepeno + coconut cream + campari or aperol

10.17: been a minute

coconut sugar demerara syrup + blanc rum or charanda old fashioned? hibiscus tea and coco x2 syrup highball format? hibiscus soda?

10.29

gf + banana oleo + gin + italicus + soda? dehydrate the banana used to make the cheong and use as garnish

10.30

coffee tequila negroni with raspberry or strawberry foam and cocchi americano or averna or montenegro

11.7

milk punch syrup with acid adjusted strawberry juice for milk wash. also acid adjusted pomegranate juice. pomegranate molasses + saffron + rose + pistachio (nut pairing?)

11.12

honey lemon jasmine tea or honey lemon orange habanero gin warm maybe hot honey pepper honey lemon tea float? tequila jamaica agua (or hibiscus tea sweetened with sugarcane juice) sugarcane stick garnish. tequila mojito? tamarind soda? via concentrated tamarind in dropper? with acid adjusted grapefruit juice (or+lime) ? concentrated citric acid suspended in water dropper. re: annamaria and i”s conversation: dilution and everything we do to get it right is organic chemistry. balancing flavors and acids and sugars…all chemistry. i fear she was right. large cambros for tea brewing prep. relatively shelf stable if sealed properly. also a batchable ingredient / prep item if done at the correct frequency. black sesame. Barley Tea syrup. last word spec tequila espolon repo, licor 43, montenegro, orange juice 2:1 lemon juice, up, orange twist but maybe diff garnish. honeycomb? vanilla sugar rim? called the whirlybird (fun word from the lyrics of the song orange crush by R.E.M.) strawberry + fresh flavor (basil?) make cheong with strawberries and basil only, delay addition of lemon juice for milk punch and double batch the fruit. use half of syrup on its own! strawberry basil highball with tequila. perhaps some coconut water. carbonate the coconut water??? coconut extract? in bitters dasher? essentially a tincture?

12.15

rum chocolate salt banana. army navy spec rum banana cacao (tea ? syrup) rootbeer milk punch

12.19

competing at whiskey bar’s SIN new year’s on january 11th. anything goes as long as it has 1.25oz of mellow corn. a few ideas so far. mikeal discovered we had a spinzall at diablo today so that is fun. idea 1 elote, unsure of format. potentially egg white. 1.25oz mellow corn, 0.5oz nixta, 0.25oz ancho reyes, 0.25oz cilantro sryup, heavy 0.75oz lime juice, egg white, taijin rim, corn kernel skewer. next idea: state fair (kettle corn) mellow corn, nixta, something brown butter washed, perhaps an amaro? +miso for salt maybe. next idea salsa macha wash the mellow corn. perhaps a sweet corn foam of some sort. 1.25oz salsa macha washed mellow corn, 0.5oz nixta, 0.25oz ancho reyes(? depending on how spicy the salsa macha makes the whiskey), 0.25oz agave, 0.75oz lime juice, shaken, on big rock. sweet corn cream foam.1 pint heavy plant based cream, 2 ears of corn-de-cobbed, 1/4 cup sugar (perhaps brown?) simmer then let corn sit in cream for 10 min off heat, cool, add to whipper and charge. garnish with extra ground spicy salt dust on foam and single leaf of cilantro. plantain oleo?