Continuing my fascination with Pama pomegranate liqueur, I decided to mix it up with some nice gin. I used Bulldog, an nice London Dry Gin, along with fresh lemon juice, a few dashes of Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6, Pama (of course) topped off with tonic or if you so desire soda water. I used Q Tonic

Pome ‘n Tonic

1 oz. Gin
1/2 oz. Pama pomegranate liqueur
1/2 oz. Lemon juice
3 dash Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6
top with Q tonic water

Combine all gin, pama, juice and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with tonic. Can also be served on the rocks.

Like it? How would make it better? Let us know in the comments

more Drink of the Week cocktails

Irish Sour

1 ½ oz. Beefeater 24 Gin
2/3 oz. Suze
2/3 oz. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
½ oz. Yellow Chartreuse
2 barspoons Monin Green Tea Syrup
1 whole fresh egg white

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Courtesy of Pernod Ricard

The little bit of celery juice  and mint add a fresh Spring flavor and scent. Use your best gin in this one, as the flavor really comes through and the other ingredients are a good compliment to that spirit.

We concocted this with our friend Savvy Housekeeping, inspired by a drink we had at The Alembic in San Francisco.

One of the most difficult parts about creating these new drinks is naming them. We had a good laugh with this one before coming up with Irish Spring. Here are a few of our outtakes:

Patty McCelery
The Celery VirGIN
Cell Block
Luck O’ The Celery
Celery McGinington

Slainte!
Irish Spring Cocktail

1 oz celery juice from 1-2 ribs of celery
1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
5-6 mint leaves

Grate the celery ribs into a bowl. Then put the celery in a sieve over the bowl and mash until you get all the juice out of the celery. Juice 2-3 limes for fresh lime juice. Muddle the mint, simple syrup, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Add in the celery juice, gin, and ice. Shake thoroughly for about a minute. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with mint.

St. Patrick’s Day cocktails
How to pour a perfect Guinness pint

A true American icon, whose can-do spirit captured the hearts and minds of Americans for decades, Rose Will Monroe was a Jill-of-all trades out of necessity, and a fun loving, ambitious woman by nature. She joined thousands of Kentuckians who left their rural homes during World War II in search of good-paying defense jobs.

During the war she worked at a Ford Motor plant in Michigan, and after continued her valiant strides toward women’s empowerment. Rosie drove a cab, owned a beauty shop, ran her own construction company and even became pilot!

Toast this iconic woman whose incredible spirit and attitude has helped carve a path for women everywhere, and celebrate Rosie the Riveter’s 90th Birthday with a cocktail fit for the occasion.

Mixologist, LeNell Smothers crafted a cocktail inspired by Rosie the Riveter’s tough exterior and light-hearted spirit. Made with Hendrick’s Gin and softened with PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur, dry rosé and a touch of honey syrup, this cocktail perfectly embodies Rosie the Riveter’s incredible spirit.

The recipe for LeNell’s “Rosé the Riveter” cocktail is below, and is also featured in Gary Regan’s new book, The Bartender’s Gin Compendium.

Rosé the Riveter

1 1/2 oz. Hendrick’s Gin
1/2 oz. PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
1/4 oz. honey syrup*
3 oz. dry rosé

Lime wheel for garnish

Shake with ice and strain into tall glass filled with cracked ice. Garnish with lime wheel and straw.

*Honey Syrup

Mix equal parts honey and water for a simple syrup. Do not heat up. Let dissolve naturally.

Recipe courtesy Hendrick’s Gin

I decided to go call up a classic, the Monkey Glad. This classic cocktail was either created at by Harry MacElhone at his Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the 1923 or by Frank Meier over at the Ritz. My vote is on Harry. The cocktail’s name comes from a surgical technique of the time that involved grafting monkey “glands” to humans.

Monkey Gland

1 1/2 oz. Gin
1 1/2 oz. Orange juice
2 tsp. Absinthe
2 tsp. Grenadine syrup

Combine in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Mixology Monday XLVI

Here’s a cocktails our commander and chief’s preferred.

Gerald Ford: Gin and Tonic
Herbert Hoover: Martini
Richard Nixon: Rum & Coke
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Scotch or Brandy
Harry Truman: Bourbon
Lyndon Johnson: Scotch and Soda
Warren Harding: Everything

FDR Portrait of a Drinking President from Modern Drunkard
Our Drunkest Presidents
Cigar Smoking President

see what the Queen of England drinks on Mental Floss…

Hence this delightful cocktail we created in collaboration with our friend Savvy Housekeeping! The result has the satisfying kick of a gin martini with some added layers of flavor.

Green Tea and Ginger Cocktail

1 1/2 oz gin (we used Tru Gin)
1 oz Ginger Liqueur
3/4 oz green tea, brewed
Lots of ice
Lemon for garnish

Brew 1 tea bag in 1 cup of water. Combine 3/4 ounce of tea with gin, ginger liqueur, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Swirl the cocktail in the shaker until it is cold. Fill a martini glass with ice. Pour in the cocktail and garnish with a slice of lemon.

Photo credit Savvy Housekeeping

Well that’s it 2009 is almost a wrap, but not before we have a few cocktails first. As always Drink of the Week has some clever new cocktails for your enjoyment. First, a couple of cocktails for New Year’s Eve. Start with the New Year’s Sparkler and then just around midnight switch to the Midnight Kick for just that. A bit of tequila will keep the night going strong. On New Year’s Day you can start working on you 2010 resolutions, we have a few cocktail themed solutions. Booze will definitely make them easier to keep.

New Year’s Sparkler

Infuse passion into the New Year with a classic cocktail with SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit, fresh juice and raspberries. The New Year’s Sparkler is an easy way to spice up your champagne flute this New Year’s Eve. Even better? This cocktail is a smart, low calorie option to help you get started on your New Year’s resolutions.

1 oz. SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit
1.5 oz. Pomegranate Juice
3.5 oz. Champagne
5-6 Raspberries

Combine SKYY Infusions Passion Fruit and pomegranate juice in a chilled champagne flute and top with champagne. Garnish with raspberry tree.*

*Slide 5-6 raspberries onto long skewer and place vertically in champagne glass.

Midnight Kick

2 oz. Cabo Añejo Tequila
Orange Slice
Cinnamon

Wet the rim of a chilled shot glass with the orange slice. Then rim the shot glass with powdered cinnamon on a plate. Be careful not to turn the glass right side up until it has been rimmed. The orange liquid will drip otherwise. Shake the Cabo Tequila with ice in a shaker and strain into the chilled shot glass. Slam the shot and then bite into the orange slice to finish.

Learn A Foreign Language

Celebrate 2010 with the hottest drink in Scandinavia, which is now available in the U.S., Xanté. This pear-infused Cognac liqueur is a super premium spirit, from Sweden; made of high quality, all-natural ingredients containing no artificial additives. Xanté and is best served neat and as a super premium shot.

We suggest: The Ritual
A super premium shot cooled over a bed of ice. Simply chill Xanté, pour and consume.

Travel To A New Place

Take your yearly vacation to the next level with an exciting jolt of volcano surfing, beaching, touring the rainforest and sipping world-class rum. The hottest tourist destination right now, heating up Latin America is Nicaragua – and now’s the best time to book a vacation your family won’t soon forget.

We suggest: The One Good Pinch Punch

1 seedless Watermelon
One good pinch of Cayenne pepper
4 Sugar cubes
1 oz. Lime juice
2 oz. Flor de Caña year
1 oz Club soda

Method: Dissolve the sugar cubes in 1 oz. of club soda. Add and muddle several 1-inch pieces of watermelon. Finally, add the rest of the ingredients one at a time and stir as added. Chill.

Recipe can be multiplied to fill a traditional punch bowl.

Created by Phil Ward of Mayahuel, NYC

Try Something New

Don’t be afraid to stop into that new-fangled cheese shop around the corner, spend an afternoon at the museum, or take a sip of absinthe.
Lucid absinthe is the brand that lifted the absinthe ban in America three years ago and is a robust flavorful spirit, available nationwide for everyone to try.
On 12/31, we suggest: Traditional absinthe louching favored by green fairy enthusiasts Oscar Wilde, Vincent Van Gogh, and Picasso

Pour 2 oz. of Lucid in a glass. Top with slotted spoon and sugar cube. Slowly pour water over sugar cube until dissolved. Stir and enjoy.

Do Something Good For Yourself – Without Hitting The Gym

We are not suggesting that you skip the gym – we are simply leading you towards a “better way to drink” with VeeV, the world’s first acai spirit. VeeV is packed with antioxidants and $1 of every bottle sold goes back to the Brazilian rain forest.

We suggest: The VeeV Eco-Aid

1 ½ ounces VeeV Açaí Spirit, Lemonade, Splash of Cranberry.
Garnish with the lemon slice.

Entertain Without Breaking Your Wallet

Even though times are tough and every penny counts, you still have to celebrate the New Year, and nothing beats a fantastic sparkling cocktail.

Bombay Sapphire is a great premium gin by value and we absolutely love it with some delicious bubbly. In this case, we’re digging a fabulous Cremant D’ Alsace (super affordable – about $20). More Champagne Picks

We suggest: A classic French 75

¾ oz. Bombay Sapphire.
½ oz. lemon juice.
½ oz. simple syrup.
Top with Cremant D’ Alsace

I was mulling over different ideas for a end of year post and landed on this fun list while looking at the years site activity. This list is as democratic as they come, it basically the top cocktails determined by views. The biggest surprise? The sidecar at #1, glad to see. It was always Rachel’s favorite. It knocked the much derided Appletini from the top spot (it’s #2 this year), a spot it had held for several years.

So here it is with out further ado - the top 10 cocktails Drink of the Week readers looked at most in 2009.

1. Sidecar
2. Appletini
3. Bahama Mama
4. Tom & Jerry
5. Witches Brew Punch
6. Mai Tai
7. Manhattan
8. Margarita
9. Flirtini
10. Long Island Iced Tea