Cocktail

Now that summer is upon we've decided that it is gin season, so, we opened up the old 12 Bottle Bar and found us a good one; the Opal! This is a pretty simple drink, and if you have followed the advice of the 12 Bottle Bar, you should have all of the fixings in the liquor cabinet. All but the Orange Flower Water, which, fortunately, I was able to pick up at the New Seasons. Ok, you probably don't have the Campari either, and maybe not the OJ. So if you follow the advice of the book you will have two fifths of the ingredients.

Coffee drinks, what can you say about coffee drinks? Well, I can say that I don't often drink them since I don't usually drink booze before, say, noon, and I don't usually drink coffee after 2pm. However, I make an exception for the Arab Strap and indulge in a little coffee in the afternoon when I am not required to fall asleep at a reasonable hours. And, so it was the Sunday before Memorial Day.

On the eve of Derby Day I felt that our fancy cocktails tonight should be a nice mint julep. The mint julep is a pretty simple drink; simple syrup, mint and whiskey, but rather than tell you how to make one, tonight we are going to show you.

Hold onto your hat! This one is a bit of an ass kicker. While it has quite few different liquors in it, it really is a tasty drink. I guess that is because of all the sugar, but whatever the reason, be careful when you go for number two.

The Chi Chi really should be served in a coconut glass and come with an umbrella, but we do what we can. This drink screams tiki and after a couple, so will you. It is a pretty simple drink, sugary and sweet.

The Rye Smash is a pretty simple cocktail, but it is quite tasty and you know how I love to muddle.

A tasty, adult version of the classic Roy Rodgers, the Rye Rogers is a refreshing cocktail for any time of year.

This one came from Rachel Maddow's Cocktail Moment and includes one of my favorites, the American classic, applejack..

The Jamaican Honey Bee is a refreshing rum and honey drink. The Honey Bee is very simple to make and requires very few specialized tools. The only bartender's tool that is required is a Boston shaker, or some means of mixing by shaking. If you don't have a Boston shaker, you should buy one. They are are only three or four dollars online, or even cheaper at a restaurant supply shop. The Boston shaker is simply a metal mixing cup that fits over the top of a pint glass. I'm sure that you have seen them at pretty much any bar.