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The Wicked Word

The Story

This one is a little crazy. But if you do it right, you look like a cocktail wizard! The key to this “flaming cocktail” is to use Black Sambuca (for the color change element) and to not leave the alcohol aflame too long.

This is a cocktail with a heavy anise flavor, so black licorice fans should be pleased. If you are put off by the Aperol (as I was initially) you needn’t be worried. The combo of the sambuca and the lemon really tamp down the bitterness. I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve appreciated how a bitter spirit like Aperol can enhance an otherwise sweet and tart cocktail.

So be careful with your fire as you enjoy this Anders Erickson Original!!

And here is it in action!!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1.0oz Cognac

1.0oz Aperol

1.0oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1.0oz Black Sambuca (set aflame)

The Build

Add Cognac, Aperol, and Lemon Juice to a shaker

Add ice and shake for 20 seconds

Double strain into a coupe glass

Pour Sambuca into a large tulip style glass

Swirl the sambuca to coat the sides

CAREFULLY, light the liquid on fire with a long match or lighter

Swirl the flaming sambuca to keep lit (do not wait long at this step, or glass will get dangerously hot)

While still aflame, slowly pour the sambuca into the couple glass (turning the pink drink pitch black)

Give the tulip glass a brief shake to put out the flame.

NOTE OF CAUTION: whenever you work with flaming cocktails, have a fire extinguisher handy and don’t mix this after you’ve had a few. Drink responsibly!

Source: Anders Erickson Original Recipe

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Chambord Bramble

The Story

It is rare that we highlight “build in glass” cocktails. Part of the fun of home bartending is getting to use the tools! Mixing Glass, Boston Shaker, Lewis Bag and Mallet!! They are all fun, and make you feel like a pro. But sometimes it’s nice to just throw something together in the glass, which brings us to the Chambord Bramble.

Chambord is a raspberry liqueur that comes in a very distinct bottle. A quick search for most popular drinks made with it led us directly to the Bramble. This is a Gin cocktail, and generally calls for London Dry. But here at the Runaway Anchor, we tend to lean on the smoother gins of Plymouth and Old Tom, and that’s no different here. The Gin Bramble also uses a different liqueur, Creme de Muir which is not as sweet as Chambord. Use whatever gin you like best for this one though, no judgement!

As the days get colder, take one more sip of summer in a glass, and bonus, you won’t have much to clean up afterwards!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1oz Gin (Old Tom, Plymouth)

1oz Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

The Build

Fill a lowball glass with ice cubes

Add each ingredient in the order listed above to the glass

Top with extra ice if needed

Give it a swirl and start sippin’

Source: google search for chambord cocktails…

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The Clapping Monkey HOC – A Runaway Anchor Original

The Story

This original cocktail is inspired by a local coffee shop in Fridley, Minnesota. The signature flavor is a mix of vanilla, hazelnut, and banana. So, we took those elements and combined them with coffee and chocolate liqueurs to make this tasty dessert cocktail!

You can ramp the intensity up by adjusting the hazelnut and banana down a half ounce. And you can adjust the cream to your specific choice, though heavy cream will give you the thickest, richest version.

We hope you enjoy this dessert option on the Runaway Anchor menu. Go bananas!!!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1oz Mr. Black Coffee Liqueur

1oz Dark Creme de Cacao

1oz Banana Liqueur

1oz Hazelnut Liqueur (Frangelico)

0.5oz Heavy Cream

The Build

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker

Add ice and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds

Double strain into a chilled lowball filled with ice cubes

Source: Inspired by signature flavor of “The Clapping Monkey House of Coffee” located in Fridley, Minnesota.

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Home on the Range

The Story

Sometimes it is just nice to leave all the bartools in the drawer and just mix up a quick cocktail in the glass itself. If you are an Old Fashioned purest, that’s even how you build that classic drink (muddle sugar cube and bitters, top with bourbon and add ice). I prefer the mixing glass most of the time though…

The Home on the Range is a fun twist on the Manhattan, adding the orange liqueur, Cointreau to the mix. If Cointreau isn’t already a staple of your home bar, it needs to be, if nothing else to mix up the Cable Car or make your Margaritas a bit more interesting (technically it is a triple sec, which refers to how it’s made versus what it “is”…)

This cocktail wraps up our list for Fall 2024. It’s been a fun exploration of bourbon this season, so be sure to go back and try all the others, even if that means pulling our a mixing glass or a cocktail shaker in the process. Cheers!

The Recipe

2oz Bourbon

0.25oz Cointreau

0.25oz Sweet Vermouth

3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Garnish: orange and lemon twist (for the ambitious)

The Build

Add all ingredients to a chilled lowball (in the order listed)

Give it a swirl to combine

Drop in a single large cube (carefully!!) And swirl again.

Garnish with orange and lemon twist

Source: Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske

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Lumberjack in Love (Anders Erickson Original)

The Story

No seasonal menu would be complete without our “Runaway Godfather”, Anders Erickson. And, as per our tradition of this past year, we are featuring an Original Creation from his YouTube Channel. This one is a BEER COCKTAIL, and even you don’t love beer, you’re gonna want to check this one out.

The original recipe calls for roughly 2 oz of liquor and 4 oz of beer. But I found that I liked more of an equal parts approach (2 oz liquor to 2 oz beer), as I am not the beer lover I once was these days. I recommend starting with my 1:1 approach and add more beer until you are satisfied! This drink is pretty spectacular at whatever level of beer you land upon, so find some sugar free tart cherry juice (not hard to find) and get to mixin’!!

Cheers!

The Recipe

1 oz Rye Whiskey

0.5 oz All Spice Dram

2 oz Tart Cherry Juice (no sugar added)

0.25 oz Simple Syrup

0.25 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

Oktoberfest Beer (4 oz called for in original recipe)

The Build

Add all ingredients (except beer) to a Cocktail Shaker

Add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds

Double strain into a chilled Highball glass

Add equal parts Oktoberfest beer (4oz called for in OG recipe)

Source: Anders Erickson Original Cocktail Recipe

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Vanilla Chai Old Fashioned

The Story

Published on the site originally, October 30, 2023; updated for 2024.

The Old Fashioned is my primary go-to. It’s easy and it’s quick. This version will take a bit more time, but the pay off is worth it; trust me.

You’ll need to make chai simple syrup in order to mix this drink, but it’s an easy process of combining chai tea bags, maple, and vanilla. Don’t stress about it. Just give yourself a few hours to allow the syrup to cool before mixing into your cocktail. If you like chai tea or a maple old fashioned (sinatra style) you are going to love this one!

UPDATE!! We adjusted the recipe over the first season and are now including the “Runaway Version” at the bottom of the page. So, be sure to check it out!!

Cheers!

The Recipe

Chai Simple Syrup

4 chai tea bags

1/3 cup real maple syrup (don’t skimp here)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Chai Old Fashioned Cocktail

2oz bourbon (Four Roses is nice)

1oz Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed)

1 dash orange bitters (fee bros is nice)

2 oz chai tea simple syrup

Garnish with Cinnamon Stick and Star Anise (optional but highly recommended for aroma)

The Original Build

Chai Simple Syrup

In medium pot bring 1 cup water to a boil; remove from heat

Add chai tea bags, cover and steep for 15 minutes

Remove tea bags and add maple syrup

Bring back to a boil over high heat; boil 3-5 minutes; remove from heat

Stir in vanilla extract and set aside to cool

Keep in fridge for up to two weeks

Vanilla Chai Old Fashioned

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and add ice

Shake for 15 seconds

Add large ice cube to a low ball

Strain cocktail into low ball glass and garnish with cinnamon stick and star anise

Optional: original recipe has a splash of soda water, but I prefer my drink without it

The Updated 2024 Build

Chai Old Fashioned Cocktail (2024 Edition)

2oz bourbon (Four Roses is nice)

1 oz chai tea simple syrup

1 dash orange bitters (fee bros is nice)

Garnish with Cinnamon Stick and Star Anise

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Mixing Glass and add ice

Stir for 30 seconds

Add large ice cube to a low ball

Strain cocktail into low ball glass and garnish with cinnamon stick and star anise

Source: Runaway Anchor Version of the Original Cocktail

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Ross Collins

The Story

Just because this is a fall menu item doesn’t mean we can’t have a little summer in our glass! This is a rare highball cocktail for the Runaway Anchor and does another unique thing; it has us shaking fruit slices in the shaker!

No need to muddle the orange slices; just make sure you shake really hard for 15 seconds or until you feel the ice is sufficiently broken up (you get a feel for it over time).

Top this with some form of soda water (Topo Chico is a nice option), and enjoy a little drop of sunshine before the colder months of the year are upon us!

Cheers!

The Recipe

2 oz Rye Whiskey

0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

0.75 oz Simple Syrup

3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Sparkling Water (top it off)

3 Orange Slices (two for shaker, one for garnish)

Garnish: Orange Slice and Cherry

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Cocktail Shaker

Add ice and shake for 15 seconds

Strain over cubed ice into a Highball glass

Top off with Sparkling Water

Garnish with Orange slice and cocktail cherry

Source: Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske

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The Left Hand (Runaway Style)

The Story

This cocktail was a bit of a journey. At that is all due to the presence of Campari. We introduced our first campari cocktail on the summer menu 2024 with the Jungle Bird. And even that edged towards a bitter level that, for newbies, was almost too bitter. But we are determined to figure out this crazy bottle, so here it is again on our Fall 2024 menu!

The original recipe calls for equal parts Sweet Vermouth and Campari, but we throttled that down a quarter ounce on the Campari to hold off a bit of the bite. And we even stirred a bit in the lowball after straining to take even more bite off the drink. What you end up with is a pretty interesting melding of sweet and bitter and a finishing note of chocolate. Definitely a good cocktail as the season gets cooler these days.

This one can be served up (no ice) or on the rocks (ice). Again, if you are new to Campari (or sweet vermouth) you might want to stick with the dilution you get from ice cubes. Baby steps to the straight up no chaser.

Cheers!

The Recipe

1.5oz Bourbon

0.75oz Sweet Vermouth

0.5oz Campari

3 dashes of Chocolate Bitters

Garnish: Orange Twist wrapped around 3 brandied cherries on a pick (if you are ambitious!)

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Mixing Glass

Add ice and shake for 30 seconds

Strain over cubed ice into a lowball glass

Stir to melt a little ice (and cut that campari a bit further)

Source: Regarding Cocktails by Sashe Petraske

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Figetaboutit!! (A PDT cocktail bar original)

The Story

Our first experience with “jam based cocktails” was the Cosmonaut, which is an amazing riff on the, oh so boring, cosmopolitan. Gin, Lemon and scoop of Raspberry jam. Check that one out! It’ll show up on this site eventually.

For the fall menu, we are introducing a second “jam cocktail” to the mix. This one has lots of interesting flavors that need the right balance to be great. We tried messing with the balance and quickly it was too sweet (upping the amaretto) or too sour (upping the lemon) or boring (lowering either of those). The only modification you might consider is two scoops of the fig jam. That adds a little extra something to the cocktail without throwing it out of balance.

Cheers!

The Recipe

2oz Bourbon

0.25oz Amaretto

0.75oz Fresh Lemon Juice

1 barspoon Fig Jam

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Garnish: Orange Twist wrapped around 3 brandied cherries on a pick (if you are ambitious!)

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Cocktail Shaker

Add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds

Double strain into a chilled coupe (neat)

Garnish with orange/cherry

Source: The PDT Cocktail Book

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The Boo Radley

The Story

This entry for the Fall 2024 Menu is very easy and very interesting. Based in bourbon, this cocktail is all about the balance of sweet and bitter. Cynar brings the bitter and Cherry Heering brings the sweet. As always with Cherry Heering, tread lightly. If you had too much, it will be far too sweet and ruin your cocktail. Start low and add if the bitterness is still too much for you.

Cheers!

The Recipe

2oz Bourbon

0.75oz Cynar

0.5oz Cherry Heering Liqueur

Garnish: Lemon and Orange Peel (optional)

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Mixing Glass

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds

Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora Glass

Source: The Essential Cocktail Book