Boney Wench

One of the lightest and freshest tasting rum drinks you’ll find — this one is actually a combination lock — with both rum and MeKhong, the Thai spiced rum-whiskey.  It’s a lot of  tall, icy drink on a summer day — for not so many calories.

1/2 oz Captain Morgan’s spiced rum
1/2 oz MeKhong
4 oz pineapple juice
dash Burlesque bitters
dash sea salt
1 t lime juice
1 t marischino cherry juice
10 oz La Croix Coconut sparking water
1 c crushed ice
+
cherry to garnish
1/4 c lime sherbet to garnish
powdered nutmeg to garnish

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake until icy cold.  Strain into a tall chilled glass with a small scoop of lime sherbet floated on top, with a cherry and a dusting of nutmeg.

175-190 calories, depending on sherbet

Camper Coffee

You know that strong, sweet, slightly smoky coffee you make when you’re out camping?  On the beach, in the woods, at the lake — wherever you camp.  This is not exactly that coffee — but an homage to it. 

6 oz strong, hot coffee
2 small chocolates, like a Hershey’s Kiss or miniature Hershey bar
2 t molasses
1 oz Jim Beam whiskey
2 dashes Napa Distillery Coffee-Pecan bitters
2 oz milk

Stir molasses and chocolates into coffee until thoroughly mixed, then add whiskey and bitters.  Pour into a (preferably clear glass) coffee mug and top off with milk or cream.

Tom Collins (and his brothers John, Juan, and Vodka)

Collins glass

A Collins is where a lot of people start when they level up to legal drinking age, and when they begin to mix drinks for themselves and friends.  Why?  because it’s easy.  It’s made of familiar flavors and won’t require a special trip to the store.  It’s a pretty drink in a pretty glass — with a pretty slow hit on metabolism.  It’s fairly low calorie and low impact.  It won’t stain your clothes — or cause you to forget where you left them. (as long as you just drink one, anyway.)

And if you don’t like one distilled spirit’s flavor  in your collins, — just move down the list of “brothers” until you find the one that fits your taste buds!  A Collins is categorized as a “long” or “tall” drink — and the tall 10-12 oz cooler glass is commonly referred to as a “Collins Glass.”

1 1/2 oz distilled spirits

Tom Collins = gin
John Collins = bourbon or other whiskey
Juan Collins = tequila
Vodka Collins = too easy

Collins

1 oz lemon juice (or lime, or a mix)
3/4 oz simple syrup (or 2 t of sugar)
5 oz club soda
maraschino cherry
lemon slice
crushed ice

Combine spirits, juice and simple syrup/sugar in a shaker with 1 c crushed ice and shake vigorously.  Pour into a tall cooler (Collins glass) and top off with club soda.  Add a cherry and lemon slice(s) for garnish.
120 calories

Whiskey Sour

I had a good chuckle the first time somebody told me what was in a Whiskey Sour:

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (okay — go ahead and use Southern Comfort)
1 1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 oz simple syrupMaraschino cherry

Take away that cherry — and give it a spin in the microwave and it transforms into that old puckery stand-by the Hot Toddy!

So — instead of that — how about this:  shake the whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup with 1/2 cup of crushed ice, then pour it all over 2 ice cubes in a rocks glass — with a maraschino cherry.

Which, all things considered, sounds like a much better idea.

****In truth, this is a little much for my taste.  If you’re like me — give it splash of sparkling water/seltzer to lighten it up.  A fizzy lemonade sounds so much more refreshing!

Dose

Clever little shot glasses

Whenever my grandma had to take liquid medicine (think: castor oil !) she called it a “dose” and made a face that told you right away she was talking about something really disgusting and nasty flavored.

This is not that kind of dose.   Though, it will probably cause you to make the sour-face.

3/4 oz lime juice
1 oz bourbon whiskey
1 T ice water
3 drops grapefruit  bitters

combine all and pour into a shot!  What could be easier?

Flu Shot

Bormioli Rocco Shot Glass

This started out as a joke during flu season — but was so good it became part of the list!

1 oz Orange Juice
1 oz bourbon whiskey
3 drops Angostura bitters

Mix it all together and POOF!  It’s a medical miracle!

Great Balls o’Fire

I love the idea of tiny drinks.  I’d love to serve (or be served) from a whole tray of tiny shot glasses with different colors and liquors….  It would be a big ol’ box of chocolates because you never know what you’re gonna get.

This shot requires that you make up a cup of Harney’s Hot Cinnamon tea in advance so it can be chilled and cold when you pour — but it’s worth it.  This tea comes in Black, Black decaf, Green or Rooibos — so pick you caffeine level.  (go with the black if possible.  It has an excellent flavor for mixing.)

If you’re unfamiliar with this product — it’s a treat.  Unlike most cinnamon flavored teas, it’s not a background cinnamon — but instead tasted remarkably like those cinnamon-soaked toothpicks that freshen your breath, burn your lips, and cold so much hot cinnamon flavor that you can chew on one for an hour and still not reach the bottom of the spicy goodness.  Or — think Red Hots candy…..

1 Harney’s Hot Cinnamon teabag + 5 oz boiling water
made in advance and chilled

1 oz Harney’s Hot Cinnamon tea — chilled
3/4 oz Fireball Cinnamon whiskey
1 T heavy cream

Bormioli Rocco Shot Glass

Pour the cream into the bottom of the shot glass, then add the Fireball and top off the shot with ice cold tea.  (pour the whiskey and tea in gently to create an unmixed swirl/marble appearance.)

Algonquin Split

It’s like a progression riddle.  If a martini is 4:1 gin:dry vermouth, and a Manhattan is 4:1 whiskey:sweet vermouth — an Algonquin is the next step.  It’s sweeter, and steps away from the “neat”-ness of classic martini drinks by adding juice at a 2:1:1 ratio.

This recipe takes that first juicy step away from neat, then another step beyond that.

1 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
3/4 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz pineapple juice
3 oz ice cold sparkling water
twist of lemon
twist of lime

Combine alcohol and juice in a shaker with crushed ice.  Strain into an 7-8oz martini glass that is half full of chilled sparkling water; then garnish with both lemon and lime twists.

Maiden Manhattan – Almost Perfect

The first off-spring of the classic Martini was the Manhattan — which traditionally uses 4:1 rye whiskey and sweet vermouth dolled up with Angostura bitters and a cherry.    If you stir instead of shake, this produces a martini glass of booze that’s about 65 proof or higher.

While that would be great for slow sipping over the course of an hour-long stage show with Ol’ Blue Eyes and Don Rickles, or the gentle hours of conversation at a round table full of clever literary types — it’s not a quickie cocktail you grab before driving home or at the bar on the way to dinner.

This “maiden” version isn’t a virgin by any standard.  But it is a little more appearance, and a little less substance than the usual.  It’s also a little on the criminal side, since it dilutes the liquors.  But then — all that shaking and bruising James Bond’s drink order was diluting that, too.  This maiden is just more honest about being watered down!

1 oz rye whiskey
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 T marischino cherry syrup
1 oz sparkling water
4 drops Angostura bitters (or try Orange bitters in a Manhattan)
2 Marischino cherries

Combine ingredients and shake with crushed ice, then strain into a martini glass and add your cherries.

Ancient Xocolatl Cooler

Okay — maybe not that anccient.  But the flavors combined here are clearly priceless.  Chocolate.  Cinnamon.  Spicy peppers.  Spicy.  Potent.  Rich.  Tall and cold with lots of ice — that’s the way I want this drink. 

With very little adjustment, however, it can be converted to a warm cup — stirred with a cinnamon stick!

6 oz VERY COLD Organic Valley 1% chocolate milk
½ oz pepper infused vodka (like Stoli Peppar)
½ oz Fireball Cinnamon whiskey
1 oz Godiva chocolate liqueur
dash Chocolate Mole (or other choc/pepper) bitters
*1 t cocoa powder
*1 t cinnamon powder
*1/2 t cayenne pepper
*1 t salt
*1 t sugar
cinnamon stick to garnish
dollop (2 T) whipped cream to top off
crushed ice

-combine *starred ingredients to make a powder and use it to rim glass.
-combine 1/2 c crushed ice with all other ingredients except cinnamon stick and whipped cream, and shake well until icy cold (or add to a blender for a slushy frozen drink), and pour into tall rimmed glass.  Serve with a cinnamon stick stirrer, dollop of whipped cream, and a light dusting of cocoa powder.
274 calories