Is someone really excited? Is someone seriously muscled? Is someone or something really FU as in the old military acronyms SNAFU or FUBAR? Depending on context, the phrase "all jacked up" refers to any, some, or all of those things. In 2016 Jordan Brower at Mayahuel in New York City created the All Jacked Up, and the great Artist With A Cocktail on Instagram introduced me to it.

1 ounce mezcal
1 ounce sweet vermouth
.75 ounces apple brandy
.25 ounces Fernet Branca
.25 ounces maraschino liqueur

Combine in a mixing glass with ice, stir with overly strong and energetic rhythm, and strain into a chilled glass. Apple fan garnish optional.

Subtle is not a word I'd use to describe the All Jacked Up. Complex is. Mezcal (tequila's smokier cousin used in drinks such as the Pura Vida), sweet vermouth (a key component of classics such as the Boulevardier), and apple brandy (a mainstay of drinks such as the Pan Am Clipper), combine better than you might think to give the All Jacked Up a robust foundation. Comparing apples to apples, apple brandy and applejack are similar but not the same, and either works well here. A touch of Fernet Branca and maraschino liqueur add a little bracing bitterness and sweetness.

One (at most two) All Jacked Up will get you jacked up in a positive way. More than that, you might be looking at the negative way. Be positive and enjoy!

You may get carded at a bar, and you need a card to check things out of a library. Combine an impressive curated spirit collection with knowledgeable people and a library theme, and you get the Brandy Library in New York City. Located in the Tribeca neighborhood down the block from the firehouse featured in Ghostbusters (really), Ms. Cocktail Den and I recently spent some time at the Brandy Library.

Just as a library can open a person's mind to new ideas, books, and authors, the Brandy Library gives you a great opportunity to expand your drinking horizons. Even though its name suggests it exclusively focuses on one spirit, the Brandy Library has an extensive selection of spirits not named brandy. For example, Ms. Cocktail Den tasted some mezcals. If you're into brandy or curious about it, whether it's cognac, armagnac (from the Armagnac region of France), torched Dutch grapes from countries around the world, or another fruit based spirit, odds are good you'll find something you like. As another example, with some friendly guidance from Ethan, I experimented with a tasting flight of calvados, a brandy hailing from the Normandy region of France (as in the Flower of Normandy) made from apples or pears. And don't forget the cocktails. I enjoyed the Musket, a concoction of armagnac, fig, honey, and lemon.

The selection list at the Brandy Library is an easy to read book, and you don't need to know the Dewey Decimal System (yes, I am that old) to understand it. Maybe you'll like something you try, maybe you won't. At least you tried. Experience the Brandy Library, and declare "I ain't afraid of no library!"

Operating from 1937 to 1966, the Hawaiian Room was a popular venue featuring Hawaiian entertainment alongside Hawaiian and Polynesian food. Located in the gorgeous art deco Lexington Hotel in New York City (Ms. Cocktail Den and I have stayed there), the Hawaiian Room was a "see and be seen" kind of place, like the Brown Derby in Hollywood. This was its eponymous cocktail.

1 ounce applejack
1 ounce clear rum
.25 ounces Cointreau
1 ounce pineapple juice
.25 ounces super simple syrup

Combine in a mixing glass with ice, stir with some island rhythm, and strain into a chilled glass, preferably coupe. Orchid garnish optional.

The Hawaiian Room is a cocktail in which I suggest using the exact ingredients specified. Substitutions will throw it off. For example, applejack, a spirit from New Jersey (there's a reason it is the base of drinks such as the Jersey Girl), has a lighter taste and color than apple brandy. The same goes for Cointreau (used in drinks such as my Gintriguing) compared to other triple secs such as Grand Marnier (used in drinks such as the Burnt Fuselage). As with cocktails in the Den that use citrus juice, use fresh pineapple juice if you can.

Put it all together, and the Hawaiian Room evokes the relaxed vibe of Hawaii with an undertone of New York City dynamism. So when are you going to enter this room?

The Boulevardier was an English language literary magazine in Paris in the 1920s. Erskine Gwynne, the editor, was a loyal customer of Harry McElhone, who founded the eponymous Harry's New York Bar. Even though it's not clear if Gwynne or McElhone created the Boulevardier, McElhone mentioned it in a footnote in his 1927 book Barflies and Cocktails.

1 ounce bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari

Combine in a mixing glass with ice, stir with some American je ne sais quoi, and strain into a chilled glass. Lemon or orange peel garnish optional.

Fundamentally a Boulevardier is a Negroni with bourbon instead of gin. Another way of viewing it is that it's a modified Manhattan with Campari instead of Angostura bitters. Like other cocktails such as the Old Pal (which McElhone created for another one of his loyal customers), the Bijou, and the Last Word, the Boulevardier is a bartender’s dream because of its simple ratio and short ingredient list. If you want to emphasize the bourbon, a variation I like uses one and half ounces of bourbon and .75 ounces each of the sweet vermouth and Campari. The Boulevardier lends itself to tinkering. For example, add some molé bitters, and you have a Left Hand.

Looking for a simple and laudable cocktail? Have a Boulevardier and look no further.

Greenpoint is a neighborhood in Brooklyn. In 2006 Michael McIlroy created the Greenpoint, a variation on the Brooklyn.  I wasn't in Greenpoint when I was introduced to its namesake cocktail. That happened in the Lower East Side in Manhattan, specifically at Attaboy, where McIlroy and Sam Ross (who created the Paper Plane and the Penicillin) operate.

2 ounces rye
.5 ounces yellow Chartreuse
.5 ounces sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Combine in a mixing glass with ice, stir with a bit of Brooklyn hustle, and strain into a chilled glass. Lemon peel garnish optional.

Spirits and bitters converge to make the Greenpoint a balanced and spirit forward cocktail. The rye stiffens the drink's spine. To me the Chartreuse is the key element separating the Greenpoint from other variations on the Manhattan or the Brooklyn. Joining rye and yellow Chartreuse works well here, just as it does in the Diamondback. If combining rye and green Chartreuse intrigues you (it should if you like strong drinks), try the Final Rye or the Purgatory.

To paraphrase the Beastie Boys song, no sleep 'til Greenpoint!

Known as the "City of Light," Paris is one of the great cities of the world. Ms. Cocktail Den and I have been fortunate enough to explore iconic sites such as the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Élysées, as well as cocktail landmarks to know We'll Always Have Paris. In 1930 the Parisian cocktail appeared in The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock. I slightly adapted the recipe.

1.25 ounces gin
1.25 ounces dry vermouth
.75 ounces crème de cassis

Combine in a mixing glass with ice, stir with Parisian joie de vivre, and strain into a chilled glass.

Crème de cassis is a blackcurrant liqueur used in cocktails such as the classic Kir. It's pretty sweet, so you need something to counterbalance it. That's where the gin and dry vermouth, foundations of the classic Martini, come in.  Aside from a Burnt Fuselage or Scofflaw, normally I wouldn't use more than an ounce of dry vermouth in any cocktail, but it works well in a Parisian (the original has equal proportions of all ingredients, so if you prefer sweeter drinks make it that way). Its rich purple color reminds me of the liveliness of Paris and its people. 

Want your cocktail life to shine even brighter? Have a Parisian.

You may have made and thrown one as a kid. As an adult, you can drink one. The Paper Plane flew onto the scene in 2008 when Sam Ross, the New York City bartender who created the Penicillin, created it for the opening of The Violet Hour bar in Chicago. Named for the M.I.A. song Paper Planes, it took off in Chicago and New York and made its way onto cocktail menus around the world.

.75 ounces bourbon
.75 ounces Amaro Nonino
.75 ounces Aperol
Juice from 1/2 lemon (.75 ounces)

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake to the theme from Rocky (the tune's title is "Gonna Fly Now"), and strain into a chilled glass, preferably a coupe. Lemon peel garnish optional.

Following the equal proportions of four ingredients format of the Last Word, the Paper Plane is easy to make (the same goes for the Naked and Famous). Bourbon and Aperol, used in cocktails such as the Venetian Kiss, are easy to acquire. Amaro Nonino, a bittersweet grappa based amaro from northern Italy, can be tougher to find, but thankfully we have the Internet. Originally the Paper Plane used Campari, but within days of unveiling it Ross changed his mind and used Aperol instead. The result is a really well balanced cocktail. In terms of balance and format, the Paper Plane more resembles the thematically similar Burnt Fuselage than the Aviation.

Looking to rack up some cocktail frequent flier miles? Then it's time to board the Paper Plane.

Peligroso is the Spanish word for dangerous. The Peligroso comes from the excellent La Factoría bar in San Juan. Ms. Cocktail Den and I visited La Factoria many times when we went to Puerto Rico in 2019 for part one and part two of Tales of La Isla del Encanto. Like the original Peligroso, the danger in my minor adaptation only lies in its smoothness.

1.5 ounces clear rum (I like Don Q)
.5 ounces Campari
.5 ounces Averna
.25 ounces allspice dram
Juice from 1/2 lime
.5 ounces super simple syrup 
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake as if you're a dangerously good bartender, and strain into a chilled glass, preferably a coupe. Lime peel garnish optional.

The Peligroso is creative and complex. Combining rum with amari (bittersweet liqueurs) might seem odd, but it's not. After all, the classic Jungle Bird has rum and Campari, a part of drinks such as the Bitter Rasputin. Incorporating Averna, used in drinks such as the Pura Vida, gives the Peligroso a hint of richness. La Factoría's Peligroso uses spiced syrup with allspice berries and sugar. My easy workaround includes allspice dram, part of the Lion's Tail and my Les Bon Temps Roulé, and super simple syrup.

Do you want to bring some good danger into your life? Have a Peligroso.

Like drinks such as the Margarita and the Jack Rose, the origin story of the Southside is hazy. In the late 19th century the Southside Sportsmen's Club in Long Island featured an eponymous cocktail with soda water. During Prohibition, the no fizz Southside became associated with two cities. New York was home to the 21 Club, a premier speakeasy that served a lot of them to thirsty Scofflaws. It also was popular on the South Side of Chicago, where the Racketeer Al Capone plied his trade. This is the variation I prefer.

2.25 ounces gin
Juice from 1/2 lemon or 3/4 lime
.75 ounces super simple syrup
5-7 mint leaves

To make the Southside, you have two options: (1) Muddle the mint and super simple syrup in a shaker, then add everything else and ice, shake as if you're playing in a tough tennis match, and strain into a chilled glass, or (2) combine everything in a shaker with ice, shake as if you're fighting for control of organized crime, and strain into a chilled glass.  Mint leaf garnish optional.

Lemon or lime? Fresh squeezed juice or citrus wedges? Muddle or not? Granulated sugar or super simple syrup? Ask five bartenders and you may get five different answers. As long as you stick to the basic formula (gin sour and mint), there's no wrong answer. If you use lime, the Southside more or less becomes a gin Mojito. Gin and lemon go well together in the Bee's Knees and the Lemony, and they do here, too.

Pairing the refreshing Southside with music I can go to multiple destinations. Maybe I'll go Southbound with the Allman Brothers, to Sweet Home Chicago with Buddy Guy or the Blues Brothers, or to New York, New York with the one and only Frank Sinatra. All of these musical options are like the Southside itself -- many ways to get there, all of them good.

The people of New Orleans are known for their joyous, free spirited lifestyle. Monks are not. That includes the monks of the small Carthusian Order. The Carthusians are known for their Chartreuse liqueur. Combine it with the Sazerac, the official cocktail of New Orleans, and you get a Carthusian Sazerac. Spice Kitchen & Bar in Cleveland created this drink, and my fellow cocktailian Michael Bounds, creator of the Ides Of March and the Another Green World, introduced me to it.

2.5 ounces rye
.75 ounces super simple syrup
.25 ounces green Chartreuse
2 dashes lemon bitters
Teaspoon of absinthe

Swirl the absinthe so you coat the inside of a chilled glass, then discard the remainder. Combine the other ingredients in a glass and stir with the rhythmic solemnity of a mass or a slow jazz piece. Lemon twist garnish optional.

If you like "spirit forward" (I love this euphemism) cocktails, the Carthusian Sazerac is for you. Rye is a powerful base of any Sazerac or spinoffs such as the Orange Satchmo. Green Chartreuse, a key component of the Bijou and the Last Word, has more alcohol by volume than most whiskies and its yellow counterpart, which you use in drinks such as the Diamondback and the Renegade. Lemon bitters, which are fairly easy to acquire, substitute for the Peychaud's bitters that are an indispensable part of the iconic Sazerac.

Whether you're introverted like a stereotypical monk, extroverted like a stereotypical New Orleanian, or both, the Carthusian Sazerac might be for you.