I mashed up Harry Johnson's Saratoga with the Metropole – a Cognac Dry Manhattan with Peychaud's Bitters (David Wondrich included gum syrup to make it more agreeable to the modern palate) – first published in George Kappeler's 1895 Modern American Drinks. For a name, I dubbed this one Two O'Clock at the Metropole after a James Thurber piece about the 1912 murder of gambling den owner Herman Rosenthal at Manhattan's Hotel Metropole.

In memory of a Naval Academy graduate who often shuffled along Magsaysay.

In memory of a Naval Academy graduate who didn't fly airplanes.

A salute to the daughters of Naval Academy graduates, and their families.

In memory of a Naval Academy graduate who enjoyed Yokosuka.

In memory of a Naval Academy graduate.

When I recently recalled the Metexa, a delighful aperitif of Lillet, tequila, and Swedish punsch from the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book, I decided to riff on it. Instead of the classic's tequila base, I kept the agave theme with some mezcal and split it with rhum agricole for that spirit paired well with Swedish punsch in the Sleeping with Strangers. I also adjusted the ratios to make it more of a cocktail instead of an aperitif. For a name, I dubbed this one the La Savane after a garden and park on Martinique.