Watching a classic Joel McCrea movie: Border River

For those Naval Aviators who have soared forward and upward to the pyramid's pinnacle.

I became inspired by the cachaça, apple brandy, and cinnamon trio of the Cinnamon Girl that I had made recently, and I merged parts of that with a Negroni given that it was Negroni Week and the cinnamon-Campari duo of Erick Castro's Babbo's Toddy. I dubbed this one the Maria Bonita which was the nickname of Maria Delia who joined Lapião and his bandits in criminal adventures in Brazil circa 1930; Maria & Lampião became entrenched in Brazilian folk history akin to Bonnie & Clyde in the United States.

Found that the combo of rainwater madeira and Cocchi Americano could be an intriguing stand in for sweet vermouth, so made up this Manhattan riff.

Made for the October 2025 Reddit Original Cocktail Competition: Apple and Cinnamon.

After having Nick Jarrett's Prizefighter No. 2, I was inspired to riff on it like I did after imbibing his Prizefighter No. 7 with my Cornerman riff. For a bittering agent to be mollified by the salt, I opted for Malört, and I figured that apricot liqueur would pair rather well with it. For the third element, I was going to go with the more traditional sweet vermouth until I remembered how well Swedish punsch works with apricot -- something that I learned from the classic Havana Cocktail that I utilized in the Tainted Love, Gunwale Punch, and other drinks. Finally, the name Cutman came to me the last time I riffed on the Prizefighter series, and I kept it in mind for the next time. Indeed, a good cutman is invaluable in the corner to minimize the effects of absorbed strikes and thus prolong the fighter's unobstructed vision and breathing, and in the end is not as gruesome as it sounds.

Some new cocktail adventures end with something perfect.
Other new cocktail adventures end with something Slightly Off.