How To Make a Great Cocktail

Melon Popper

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:11:57 PST

Melon Popper

Ingredients:

1 oz Melon Liqueur

1/4 oz Pop Rocks candy

Fill a shot glass 1/4 way full with your chosen flavor of Pop Rocks popping candy (preferably strawberry or watermelon). Add Midori melon liqueur and shoot.

Blue Freezie

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:09:41 PST

Blue Freezie

Ingredients:

1/3 oz Blue Curacao liqueur

1/3 oz Melon liqueur

1/3 oz Lime juice

Fill a mixing glass or shaker with ice to the halfway mark. Add the ingredients and shake well. Strain into a shot glass and serve.

Midori Jello Shots

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:07:13 PST

Midori Jello Shots

Ingredients:

2 large boxes Lime Jello

1 packet unflavored Gelatin

1 fifth Midori Melon liqueur

1 cup water

Set the bottle of Melon liqueur into a saucepan half full of water. Loosen the cap on the bottle and then turn it up to high heat, checking the bottle constantly until it is warm to the touch.

At the same time, bring 1 cup of water to a rolling boil. Stir the Jello and Gelatin into the boiling water, stirring rapidly until dissolved.

Once the Gelatins are dissolved, stir in hot midori. Pour mixture into a flat bottom pan and c cool, either by setting out or by placing in a refrigerator. When it is cooled, slice the Jellow into cubes or place in small cups for serving.

Bible Belt

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:04:00 PST

Bible Belt

Ingredients:

2 oz Jack Daniels

2 oz Rose's Lime juice

2 oz sour mix

1 oz Triple Sec

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Frost the rim of a highball glass with sugar. Strain the mixture into the glass and add ice.

Blue Hooter

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:01:05 PST

Blue Hooter

Ingredients:

3/4 oz DeKuyper Island Blue Pucker schnapps

3/4 oz DeKuyper Watermelon Pucker schnapps

Pour the ingredients in a shot glass and stir before serving.

Bitter Bikini

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:58:30 PST

Bitter Bikini

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Campari

1 oz dry Vermouth

1/2 oz Triple Sec

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.

Mangled Frog

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:55:53 PST

Mangled Frog (shot)

Ingredients:

1/2 oz Melon Liqueur

1/2 oz Bailey's Irish Cream

1 tbsp Grenadine Syrup

Pour the Melon liqueur into a shot glass. Float the Bailey's Irish cream on top. Drop the grenadine down through the center, creating a dead, mangled frog effect, and serve.

Bazooka Joe

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:53:14 PST

Bazooka Joe (shot)

Ingredients:

1/2 oz Bailey's Irish cream

1/2 oz Blue Curacao liqueur

1/2 oz Banana liqueur

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add all the ingredients and shake. Strain into a shot glass.

Black Licorice

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:50:13 PST

Black Licorice (shooter)

Ingredients:

1/2 oz Sambuca

1/2 oz Kahlua

Pour the Sambuca and Kahlua into a Brandy snifter or shot glass

Black Manhatten

cyluley@gmail.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:47:29 PST

Black Manhatten

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Old Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey

1/4 oz sweet Vermouth

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and stir. Strain into a chilled Martini glass or rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a Cherry.

What is an Aperitif?

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:27:30 PST

In the olden days, an aperitif was almost always taken before meals. This was done to encourage the appetite. Much eating had to go on whenever food was available, which was not every day, and people often just couldn't eat enough. Most people were starving most of the time. There were huge meals, such as those still served in Italy and Mexico today, and long hours were spent eating and resting. People really had to scarf down as much as they could stomach and hope it would last them until the next meal, which was often days away. A great deal of energy went into preparing meals, as well, making large amounts of flour pasta or mashing beans into mounds. Families were large but it wasn't only families at the table most of the time. Neighbors, relatives, friends and just lucky passersby would be welcomed at the repast. If you've ever toured the castles of old you are familiar with the size of their dining tables. Whole animals were tossed onto platters and served with bread and wine, mostly. So aperitifs, which were, at that time, liqueurs made of herbs and alcohol, were served and taken to stimulate the stomach lining and get people eating as much as they had to in order to survive.

In these days, the idea of stimulating an appetite is actually humorous. Most of us outright laugh at the thought of eating as much as we can and end up thinking about how much running and dieting it would take to rid ourselves of the fatty results. Most of us would like a drink that would kill our appetite instead. But aperitifs are actually light and warming, low in calories and good for the stomach before eating. They must always be a light spirit, such as wine, champagne or herb based liqueurs, which does not fill the stomach or quench the appetite. Hearty drinks like Bloody Marys, Frozen Drinks, Imported Beers or drinks made with Cream are not recommended before a meal because they fill you up. There are many aperitifs made and bottled for sale today. One popular brand is Lillet Aperitif from France, which comes in both red and white. It is a wine based drink with orange flavoring. Dubonnet also makes an aperitif, both a sweet red and a dry white version.

The most popular all time aperitifs are Vermouth, which is made with herbs and plants, and comes in both sweet and dry versions and also Bitters, made of aromatic plants, seeds, roots, flowers, herbs, fruits and, sometimes, quinine. Bitters are also often used in herbal medicine. If you mix Bitters with a glass of Club Soda, drinking this will cure an upset stomach and it is great for settling a stomach before a meal. One of the most popular Bitters is Bright Red Campari, which is made in Italy and has a bitter taste that is both aromatic and sweet. Other popular Bitters include Amer Picon, made in France, with orange, quinine and gentian; Punt e Mes Bitters, made in Italy, a sweet and bitter wine and quinine mix; Angostura Bitters, made in Trinidad, so tasty that they are often taken straight; and Peychauds Bitters, made in Louisiana, a bit stronger in flavor than Angostura. The most famous aperitif of all is Pernod, made in France, and is flavored with Anise. Remember to serve Pernod in one part bitters to five parts water and mix until cloudy. Ouzo, made in Greece, is another popular aperitif that is best served in coffee drinks.

Be careful with all aperitifs. Bitters, for instance, average 90 - 95 percent alcohol by volume and should be taken with care. Too much of this you could end up in pretty bad shape. Watch out for your customers, too.

Here are some drinks you can find here on this blog, that make great before dinner drinks: Americana, Negroni, Vermouth Cassis, Knockout, Addington, Puntegroni, Cats Eye, Bitter Bikini, Via Veneto, Depth Charge and Kiss Me Quick.

Assassino

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:17:32 PST

Assassino

Ingredients:

2 oz Whiskey

1 oz dry Vermouth

1 oz Pineapple juice

1 oz club soda

2-3 dashes Sambuca Romana

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the Whiskey, Vermouth and Pineapple juice. Shake and strain into a collins glass. Add the club soda and a few cubes of ice. Top off with the dashes of Sambuca.

Bennett

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:14:58 PST

Bennett

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Gin

1/2 oz fresh Lime juice

1-2 dashes Angostura Bitters

1 tsp powdered sugar

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Aperitivo Cocktail

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:12:43 PST

Aperitivo Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Gin

1 oz Sambuca

3 dashes Orange Bitters

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Banana Moo

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:10:21 PST

Banana Moo

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Banana liqueur

1 1/2 oz cream

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Algonquin

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:07:44 PST

Algonquin

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Whiskey

1 oz dry Vermouth

1 oz Pineapple juice

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Applecar

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:03:06 PST

Applecar

Ingredients:

1 oz Applejack or Apple Brandy

1 oz Triple Sec

1 oz Lemon juice

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Banana Banshee

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:00:00 PST

Banana Banshee

Ingredients:

1 oz white Creme de Cacao

1 oz banana liqueur

1 oz cream

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Barbarella

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:57:58 PST

Barbarella

Ingredients:

2 oz Cointreau

1 oz Sambuca

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Apple Jacques

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:55:45 PST

Apple Jacques

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Lillet

1 1/2 oz Apple Brandy

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and shake. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Alexander's Sisters Cocktail

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:53:34 PST

Alexander's Sisters Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 oz green Creme de Menthe

1 oz Gin

1 oz heavy Cream

Fill a mixing glass with crushed ice. Add the ingredients and shake firmly. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and sprinkle with Nutmeg.

B & B Shooter

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:51:09 PST

B & B Shooter

Ingredients:

1/2 oz Benedictine

1/2 oz Brandy

Pour the Benedictine into a cordial glass. Float the Brandy on top.

Ante

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:48:28 PST

Ante

Ingredients:

1 oz Apple Brandy

1/2 oz Triple Sec

1 oz Dubonnet

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Apricot Sour

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:46:22 PST

Apricot Sour

Ingredients:

1 oz Lemon juice

1/2 tsp superfine sugar

2 oz Apricot Brandy

Pour the Lemon juice and sugar into a mixing glass. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the Apricot Brandy and some ice cubes. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a Cherry and a twist of Lemon.

Bamboo Cocktail

cyluley@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:44:28 PST

Bamboo Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz dry Sherry

3/4 oz dry Vermouth

dash of Orange Bitters

Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the ingredients and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Consider using small bamboo shoots as straws for this drink.