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

Clementine

clementines, satsumas, mandarins, Sweetettes, Little Darlings…

A clementine is a little mandarine orange-type fruit — any one of about 3 dozen varieties.  Sometimes called a satsuma.  Sometimes called a Little Darlin’ (as in, My Darling Clementine.)

This frozen cocktail calls for a clementine — but any of the small mandarin-type fruits will do.  Plus some other stuff-and-nonsense available in summer and early fall.

To prepare the canteloupe, cut it in half firs, then scoop out all the seeds and goo from the center.  Slice each half into 4 pieces, then peel each piece and cut it into cubes that can be processed in a blender easily. (keep the remaining melon in a plastic bag or a covered dish in the fridge until you need it! –or just eat it!)  Since cantaloupes vary in size — the 8 oz portion called for in this recipe could be anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 a whole melon — so get out your scales!

You’ll need a 16oz milk shake glass/cooler for this one.

8 oz (by weight) ripe cantaloupe, cut into cubes and chilled (but not frozen)
4 Clementine sections
1 small apricot, pitted and halved (or 1 oz apricot nectar)
2/3 c crushed ice
1 oz orange vodka
1 oz orange juice
1 t fresh lemon juice
1/2 t Cherry plum salt
7 drops of falernum bitters
Marischino cherry
Banana slice

Reserve 1 cube of cantaloupe and 1 clementine section for garnish — add to the banana and cherry on a cocktail pick.

In a blender, combine the cantaloupe, clementine sections, apricot, ice, vodka, salt, juices and bitters.  Blend until smooth, then pour into a tall fountain milkshake glass and garnish with the fruit-pick.
140 calories  (3 servings of fruit)

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!