Potable tribute to my diverse Queens neighborhood. Southside Fizz by way of the Rangoon Fizz by way of Thai basil. If Thai basil cannot be found, regular sweet basil can be substituted; the Peychaud's shoud donate the licorice notes of true Thai basil.

The wide lime twist should resemble a snake in swamp water.

The PDT Cocktail Book does not specify whether the Cuervo blanco or reposado is called for but Payman Bahmani of PDT recommends the blanco. Named for the elite eagle warriors of the Aztec army. Melon-ginger-violet is a surprisingly good flavor combo.

Riff off the White Negroni substituting Tennessee Whiskey (or bourbon) for gin. Cocchi Americano and Salers/Aveze play well here. Named after boxing great/American hero Joe Louis.

Fruit preserves are 1) a great way to emphasize familiar, approachable flavors for cocktail novices; 2) highly concentrated, textured, balanced by acidity, and cheaper than liqueurs or syrups. This format works equally well with other fruit preserves; try orange marmalade or apricot.

UPDATED/CURATED: Replaced KC contributor's proportions with those published in an article later in 2013. The main difference is a reduction in Averna from 1 oz to 1/4 ounce.

Also, the original recipe used 2 dashes of a cardamom tincture (recipe below), although 2 dashes of Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters also works well.

Cardamom tincture: Add 1/2 cup cardamom pods to 1 cup of a high proof neutral spirit. After five hours pods should be open and tincture should be a greenish hue. Strain/filter the tincture, leaving it in contact with the pods too long will make it too bitter.

Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.

Aromatic & lovely. Hayman's Old Tom can't be substituted here; Ransom's is intensely aromatic, malty, and drier.