I’ve yet to find a ginger-beer cocktail that I don’t like. There’s just something about the snap and spice you get with the ginger that elevates a drink into the land of yum. Usually, I’ll recommend that ginger-beer drinks are best served in the colder months, from say September through January, on account of that gingery tang, but the Bulldog’s an ideal spring/summer cocktail. The orange-juice crosses the seasonal line making this a perfect cooler. Easy to make so you can always whip one up when you’re hot and bothered.

Here we go –

• 2 oz gin
• 2 oz orange juice
• Ginger beer (or ginger ale)

Mix gin and orange juice in a double old-fashioned glass with plenty of rocks. Add ginger beer (or ginger ale, if you prefer) to fill. Garnish with an orange wheel.

You can serve this one as a straight-up cocktail or over rocks in an old-fashioned glass. I prefer it strained into a chilled martini glass. This is just one of those cool little finds that is extremely refreshing, potent, and fun for the senses. The mint sprig garnish, floating, suspended in this beautiful cocktail adds that wonderful mint aroma as you taste. This is a great dinner party cocktail, guaranteed to fetch the “ooohs” & “ahhhhs”. The addition of the liqueur and juice in such spare amounts really work together in such a clean and subtle way. This is a perfect spring, early summer drink.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz gin
• 1/3 oz maraschino liqueur
• 1/3 oz grapefruit juice

Shake with cracked ice and strain into chilled martini glass or pour all ingredients, ice and all, into a chilled old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Sometimes, even Mr. Booze is late to the party and boy, was I late to this one. I’ve only very recently been turned on to this absolute classic, and I wanted to rush it to your attention in time for spring. Champagne, as an addition, makes most cocktails ideal for a late spring brunch or perfect to stroll the back patio with on cool evenings. Like the Sidecar, the French 75 has World War One connections, probably being named after a WWI artillery gun. Returning French pilots, familiar with the guns deadly potency, demanded a drink equally disarming and were given one. You can substitute gin for the brandy. Mr. Booze prefers the brandy.

Here we go –

• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz Brandy or Gin
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• Champagne

Add lemon juice, Brandy or Gin, Cointreau to a shaker or pitcher with a bit of ice, stir or shake till cold. Strain contents into a champagne flute and top with champagne.

After completion of their “Bright College Years”, I imagine Yale graduates in springtime Connecticut back in the ‘30’s and ‘40’s rushed to a campus bar and threw back a couple of Yale cocktails in celebration. I think it’s kind of cool that a few universities had the wherewithal to create their own private drinks, and I imagine if you graduated from one, you owe it to yourself to partake. Did you know that Cole Porter wrote the Yale Fight Song while attending? Go Bulldogs!

Here we go –

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 3 dashes Crème de Yvette (you can substitute w/ Crème de Violette)
• 1-2 dash(es) bitters

Shake contents with ice in shaker ‘til cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass.

With 36 athletic teams represented, Cornell must constantly have reason for celebration or commiseration. Their official cocktail is a pretty one, using an egg white to create a rich foam. Long winters in upstate New York so I imagine a night in a toasty bar with a couple of Cornells might be just the ticket.

Here we go –

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 egg white
• 3+ dashes Maraschino liqueur
• 2-3 dashes lemon juice

Shake above ingredients with cracked ice in shaker ‘til frothy & cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass with maraschino cherry as garnish.

This colonial college libation is a pretty adventurous one. The use of an olive as garnish is a bold move, yet one that carries the drink back to its sophisticated martini drinker’ roots. No idea when it was actually invented, but I found this one in a recipe book dated 1939, so the kids were knockin’ back in NJ pre-War. I can imagine the undergrads enjoying this one at their celebratory bonfire after beating Yale and Harvard back in the day.

Here we go –

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce dry vermouth
• 2-3 dashes of lime juice

Shake ingredients gently in an ice-filled shaker ‘til terribly cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass with an olive for garnish.

Just a quick pop to lighten your load before the in-laws arrive. I find this little two ounces is a great chilled bite that’s perfect for taking the edge off. The orange juice middle sort of hugs everything else in the shake. Best served in a small cocktail glass ice cold.

Here we go –

• ½ ounce gin
• ½ ounce dry vermouth
• ½ ounce orange juice
• 5 dashes bitters, orange if you have them.

Shake with crushed or cracked ice ‘til freezing. Pour up into a small cocktail glass, garnish with a small slice of orange peel.

Another one of those “be careful” drinks, the Little Devil is a true oldie but goodie. Its citrus-y enough to go down quickly and easily, but there is an alcohol bite that will haunt you going down and later while you’re slurring. This is a drink that lives up to its name.

Here we go –

• ¾ ounce white rum
• ¾ ounce gin
• ½ ounce lemon juice
• ½ ounce Cointreau

Shake with ice ‘til ice cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

Figured I’d kick-off with this one. It’s an easy drink to mix and you can make up a batch ahead of time if you’re having guests over. This was the first purely Christmastime cocktail I ever tried, and I still love it during the holidays. The peppermint flavor makes it a strictly seasonal drink but one most will really enjoy.

Here we go –

• 3 oz Gin or Vodka (I prefer gin)
• ½ oz Dry Vermouth
• 2 capfuls Peppermint Schnapps

Shake with ice ‘til North Pole cold, strain into one of those Christmas Martini glasses you picked up on sale last year and garnish with a peppermint stick or candy cane.

This is just a cozy drink, plain and simple. Perfect for a party, fireside chat or to pour before a festive dinner. The bitter sweet combination of the Campari, even as the smaller pour of the three ingredients used, really and pleasantly permeates this cocktail. This is complex holiday pick and one that drinks quite well with a soft, jazzy Christmas album. It’s another one of those old school drinks where the ingredients, while blended, really stand apart on the tongue.

Here we go –

• 3 oz Gin
• 1 oz Cherry Brandy
• ½ oz Campari

Shake with ice ‘til cold, strain into cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

Wow! A bartender chum was over recently and pointed out, as I was making Gimlets, that you can layer juice over the drink for a little flavor blast. We made a few and I pulled a bar bible and discovered that indeed, this drink existed, calling for pineapple as the juice. You want to take a nice bite of this drink when first poured to pierce the layers and experience the flavors separately. By your second sip, the drink’s ingredients combine. This drink is perfect for your guests who may not appreciate strong booze flavors.

Here we go –

• 2 oz Gin
• ¾ oz Roses Lime Juice
• Pineapple juice

Make your Gimlet by combining gin and Roses over ice in a rocks glass. Stir and softly pour pineapple juice over the drink to the top. Don’t stir, drink.