This is a rye cocktail that Mr. Booze very much enjoys. I haven’t known this drink for that long but we’ve become pretty good friends none-the-less. Six ingredients make the Vieux Carre’ a drink you’ll want to make at the start of the evening. She’s special and your guests will appreciate the work. The drink has a strong taste so it’s not for the Cosmo set. If you or your friends enjoy a Manhattan, then you’ll very much enjoy the Vieux Carre’. I sure do.

A good friend on the Board of The American Cocktail Museum, provided a bit of history on this drink. “A New Orleans Bartender, Walter Bergeron created the drink to honor the New Orlean’s Quarter Vieux Carre’ in the 1930’s. The drink represented the demographic composition of the neighborhood. American whiskey, Italian vermouth, French Cognac. The quarter, at that time, was teaming with Italians, French Creoles and Americans.”
My kind of history…you can drink it.

Here we go –

• ¾ ounce of Rye Whiskey
• ¾ ounce Cognac
• ¾ ounce Sweet Vermouth
• 1 tsp. Benedictine D.O.M.
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Mix all ingredients in a double Old Fashioned glass over cracked ice; stir.

There’s a great scene in the hilarious, 1963 movie, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, where, while trapped on a drunk’s plane 2 boobs are ordered to the cabin bar to “whip up a couple of Old Fashioned. For every reason I laugh every time at this scene and used to wonder what was this drink that Jim Backus would send Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hacket to the back of a screaming twin-prop to whip up? Well, after I had my first Old Fashioned, I understood.This drink is damn good. Apparently, an honest to goodness bourbon distiller and a bartender chum came up with this classic back in 1900. Yes sir, Colonel James E. Pepper and a bartender at the Pendennis Club in Louisville were responsible.

This one takes a bit of time and trouble to make but she drinks well and is a drink absolutely conducive to conversation. 3 friends plus 6 old fashioned = 2+ hours of bar talk. There’s just something about bourbon that loosens lips.

Here We Go –

• 2 ounces Bourbon (this drink was made for Early Times)
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 White Sugar Cube
• Soda Water.

Place sugar cube in an old fashioned glass and soak with the bitters. Add a splash of soda to cover the cube and crush cube with a bar spoon. Add cracked ice to near top of glass. Add bourbon to fill. Stir and garnish with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry. I add a twist of lemon peel. Enjoy and gab away.

Here’s a drink my Dad used to whip up during our Family’s two weeks at the beach back in the early 70’s. I have great memories of my Dad wearing his Robert Culp shades mixing up this drink for his pals while the wives had us kids down on the beach. Apparently, the Harvey Wallbanger was named and or created for/by a California Surfer in the early 1960’s. Old Harvey had a habit of wiping out while surfing and would head on off to a local bar to nurse his aches and pains. He’d end the day drinking vodka and Galliano liquor with a little orange juice to tie it all together. He’d end the night by banging into walls on his way out of the bar. This is a wonderful Spring/Summer cocktail; a great cap on a day out on the golf course or before a barbeque. The drink calls for Galliano Italian Liquor. Easy to find, this yellow liquor tastes like a combination vanilla and licorice with a nice sent of flowers. Not too expensive and nice to have at your bar.

Here we go –

Pour the vodka and o.j. into a medium tall glass filled with cracked ice. Stir. Float the Galliano on top of the drink by slowly pouring over the bottom of a bar spoon. Garnish with an orange slice and a straw.

No…you don’t have to wait for an evening of Mexican food to enjoy this classic. When you actually take the time to make one proper and don’t just pour some radioactive-green sweet syrup out of a premixed bottle, this cocktail can be a real attention grabber. I love a Margarita and yes, it does go well with food. But…there’s no reason you can’t enjoy one or three on a lazy Saturday evening just sitting on a chair in your carport. The drink sips well and hey, who can’t manage to pull open a bottle of Doritos and crack a jar of salsa to go along with it. Always try and make this drink fresh and use the proper ingredients/

Here we go –

Rub the lip of a hi-ball glass with a wedge of lime and dip the rim into a saucer of course salt. Mix the above ingredients in a shaker with plenty of cracked ice. Shake ‘til freezing cold. Pour in glass. Garnish with a lime wedge on the rim. Make a few extra and keep to the side. Just chill them down in the shaker when needed….which should be within minutes of the first. Enjoy while listening to your kids play in the front yard or a Baseball game on the radio.

Take it one step farther and sink two or three Spanish olives on a toothpick into the drink. A bartender made a margarita once for me with olives and I never looked back. Something about the sweet, sour and salty that was just incredible.

I’m passing on a drink I learned about from reading Dr. Cocktail’s column in Imbibe Magazine ( Jan/Feb 07). I LOVE this drink. You have to try it. I insist. The Apple Ginger Sangaree is a perfect fireside cocktail because the ingredients are all winter flavors – apple, ginger, nutmeg. The drink has a nostalgic, old-time taste. When you are sipping it, you feel as if you are tasting something men and women once enjoyed years back. The kind of flavors your Grandfather or his Dad may have enjoyed. I’ll warn you, one of the bottles you’ll need may be hard to find but look for it. I found one after a few days on the phone.

Here we go –

Fill double old-fashioned glass with cracked-ice. Combine ingredients in glass and stir ‘til mixed. Sprinkle ground nutmeg on top of drink and get ready for one hell of a cocktail experience. I think you’ll really like this one.

We’ve all enjoyed a rum and coke also known as a Cuba Libre, but next time you’re mixing drinks and someone asks for one, try this variation instead. This drink packs a quicker punch, so keep your eye on the drinker. You don’t want to find them asleep in your cat box when you’re cleaning up.
Learn how to make it

Here’s a quick and easy cocktail that calls for just two ingredients, tastes delicious, and is perfect for a drink before dinner or before stepping out for the evening. I like this drink a lot. Even though there’s a healthy dose of sour in this cocktail, the spirit can still be tasted and even stands out. The Gimlet, unlike other drinks on this site can be made and mixed in under a minute. The drink dates back to around 1930.Here we go –

• 2 ounces Gin (Vodka can be substituted but I prefer the Gin version)
• 1 ounce Roses Lime.

Pour the two ingredients in a short glass (Old-Fashioned) filled with cracked ice. Stir then garnish with a wedge of lime. Be careful with this one, they’re tasty.

Mr. Booze here with another great cocktail to enjoy while barbequing. The Jack Rose is the top-secret gun in the arsenal of summer drinks. Just 3 ingredients make this an easy one to throw together quickly. It’s a drink that, unlike the Cosmopolitan, is refreshing to look at AND can be drunk by men. Not sweet like the Cosmo, the Jack Rose is refreshing, citrusy, goes very well with food. I promise… This drink will be the one your guests ask for when they come back later in the summer. You can’t go wrong with a Jack Rose and an evening spent in the backyard.

I’m pretty certain the Jack Rose got its name from its color. After you make your first one, you’ll see what I mean. It’s a beautiful drink. The color of sun and roses (darken it up by adding a few extra drops of Grenadine). Served ice cold, up, in a martini glass, your guests will be impressed. No guests? Just you and the wife? That’s fine, too; you’ll want to mix up one of these just for you two. Like I recommend, have a relaxing drink as you prepare for grilling. It’ll help you slide right into a warm July evening.

Here we go…. You’ll need fresh limes, real Pomegranate Grenadine (though, in a pinch, I use Roses Grenadine and it’s fiiiine, just fiiiine), a bottle of Laird’s Applejack.

You can use the Laird’s Premium or you can also use Calvados, but I’d rather spend that kind of money on the steaks.

The Jack Rose Cocktail

• 1 ½ oz Applejack
• Fresh squeezed juice from ½ large lime (should be about an ounce)
• ¼ ounce of Pomegranate juice or Roses Grenadine.
• Shake the ingredients together in shaker with cracked ice.
• Serve up iced cold in a martini glass with a slice of lime on the rim as a garnish.

Trust me, you’ll be squeezing a lot of limes after folks taste this classic, so maybe, squeeze up a batch of them the night of the barbeque and use a measured bar glass to add an ounce of lime juice for each drink.

In my opinion, the Jack Rose is the finest cocktail to enjoy on a muggy, buggy, summer night. “She” drinks well with the smell of citron candles and smokin’ meat.

In Mr. Booze’s younger days, he may have laughed at you for recommending this dusty, old classic. Sweet? Creamy? Are you kidding? But I’ve grown older and wiser in my years and have learned to appreciate these old-timer’s drinks; they’ve stood the test of time for a reason. My Booze has also grown larger in the past few years, he’s found in necessary to skip dessert on occasion and the Brandy Alexander can often be substituted for pie. Rich, creamy and yum. By the fire, with Nat Cole singing I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, this drink is a Holiday decoration in a glass. Every once in a while, this drink is just what the doctor ordered. The drink is simple to make and will have your guests feeling special that you’ve gone to so much trouble (when you haven’t).

Here we g0:

• 2 ounces Cream
• 2 Ounces Brandy
  You don’t have to break the bank with your Brandy choice, I use E&J and it is just fine.
• 2 ounces Dark Crème De Cacao

Add all ingredients in a shaker with plenty of cracked ice. The above recipe is almost enough for 2 large drinks but they’re so darn good, you’ll want seconds. Shake ‘til it is frosty and strain into a festive martini glass or double old-fashioned. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. Here’s a secret – Add a ½ ounce shot of Coffee Liqueur and you’ll have a great new twist on this classic. When I do this, I use Kamora.

When the last leaf has hit the brown, dead grass, when you start thinking about bed at 8 P.M on account of it has been dark for the last three and a half hours, when the TV weatherman isn’t sure if its going to rain, sleet, snow or be a soup of all three the following day, it may be time to light a fire in the fireplace or pit, fill up a bowl with some smoked-almonds, put on some 1950’s Jazz and mix yourself a nice, winter drink. Mr. Booze can think of few nicer ways to spend a chilly evening than by oneself or with family and/or a small group of friends and enjoy a smooth, strong pop. There’s just something wonderful about a fire-lit room, conversation (or not), music and the right cocktail. I’m gonna throw four recipes at you that I guarantee will absolutely be the right sipper come these long nights. As always, remember the good ice (not the stuff from the cracking, plastic ice-tray in the back of the deep-freeze), the right glass, and the proper pour (measurements count, folks). Today we’ll start out with the…

The Perfect Manhattan. – I know what your thinking…. A Manhattan? Jeesh, Mr. Booze, I can whip up a Manhattan in my sleep. Well, if you can make a perfect Manhattan, the kind that makes you want another one two-thirds of the way through your first, then move on to number two. I happen to adore a Manhattan, and it has taken me years to perfect mine. It’s my duty to pass on this wisdom. This way, if I ever make it to your house between mid-September and February, I can have a drink and be positive I’ll need you to drive me home after a few hours. Here we go.

–2 ounces good Bourbon or Rye. The choice between the two is really a matter of preference or how you may be feeling that evening. I love Rye. It’s spicy and more peppery than Bourbon, but I also adore the smoky and vanilla flavors of Bourbon. Really good/expensive Bourbon or Rye should be enjoyed with a few cubes of ice only. I save my Small-Batch Bourbons for sipping. I use Early Times, Knob Creek or Makers Mark for my Manhattans. Just depends on how much money you have in your wallet when you hit the liquor store.

• 1 once of Sweet Vermouth
• 4 dashes bitters (orange if you can get ‘em)
• Just a touch (a teaspoon or so) of your Maraschino Cherry Brine.

This adds a beautiful color and a kiss of sweet, which I love…more on this later.