I pour the hell out of these on Thanksgiving. While the men loosen their belts and snore away in the den, the gals and I pump these down in the living room while granny does the dishes. Not too sweet, nor too sour, this is an either perfect pre- or after dinner drink for a family get-together. I make a glass pitcher of them and leave it down on the bar. When someone needs a third, I’m able to simply pour another. This one has been my “go to” Thanksgiving cocktail for a few years now.

Here we go –

• ½ oz Cointreau
• 1 ½ oz Vodka
• ¾ oz White Cranberry Juice
• Squeeze of a lime wedge.

Mix first three ingredients with ice in a shaker or glass pitcher ‘til cold. Strain into cocktail glass and squeeze fresh limejuice over top. Garnish with four or five fresh cranberries.

Found this one in the excellent book “Tiki Drinks” by Adam Rocke. I love the lemony taste of 7-Up much more than any other citrus soda, just something old-school about it. Probably the easiest cocktail here to mix, the Green Chartreuse can be kind of tough to find and a little expensive. However, many cocktails call for it so this drink could be the one to make you go out and get a bottle. This is a very refreshing, fun to give and receive tropical drink.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz Vodka
• 1 ½ oz light or white Rum
• 1 oz Blue Curacao
• 1 tbsp of Green Chartreuse
• 7-Up

Fill tall glass or tall tiki mug up with ice and add all ingredients except 7-Up. Stir, then fill with 7-Up. Remember the straw.

I’m going to take a sec and give special credit to writer and Tropical Drink Guru, Beachbum Berry, from whose wonderful collection of researched and rediscovered tropical drink books, I picked up the following two recipes. His books can as easily be read for their informative history of the Tiki phenomena or for just the thrill of uncovering lost drink recipes. I have most of his books, and believe me when I say they’re juice-stained and rum-soaked from almost constant use from May through September.

It’s new, and I confess I first read about it in a house-keeping and craft magazine, but I’ve tweaked it and made it more of a “wow” drink. You’ll need a Cuisinart or small food processor, but who doesn’t have one by now. I made a pitcher of these this summer and had to make two more by 8pm. It was a hit and one I’ll stand by each time the neighbor’s pool becomes too tempting a target.

Here we go –

• Start with a medium, seedless watermelon and remove all the fruit.
• Cut the fruit into pieces small enough to fit into your food processor.
• Puree till liquefied, pour into large bowl, and repeat till melon is all gone.
  • Strain this juice through mesh; a strainer (I used my clean flour-sifter) till all you have is the sweet, cool juice.
  • In a large plastic pitcher, muddle 10 fresh mint leaves, ½ oz ginger or plain simple syrup.
  • Fill pitcher with enough ice to chill the drink, but remember you’ll also be adding ice to the recipients’ glasses so don’t go crazy in the pitcher.
  • Divide the watermelon juice and pour half into the pitcher.
  • Add a cup and a quarter of vodka, stir, and fill the rest of the pitcher with ginger ale.
  • Pour into tall, ice-filled glasses and serve with a straw. You’ll be pouring another pitcher so…make it ahead of time and keep in the fridge.

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.

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.

Here’s a hi-ball with a bit of history. Seems back in 1961, an American company acquired the rights to distribute Smirnoff Vodka. Before this time, vodka was considered a pretty rare and unpopular liquor. No one in the U.S. knew what to do with it. Gin was king. The American company meant to give gin a run for its money with their Smirnoff. John Martin, an employee of the company, was sitting in a bar one day contemplating how to market this vodka. He overheard the bar owner complaining that he had way too much ginger beer just delivered. John and the owner talked. The two ended up mixing ginger beer and vodka together and added a dash of lime juice to provide a bit more character. Bingo! The Moscow Mule was invented. The word “Moscow” was used in the name as a tip of the hat to the land of Vodka. The drink was originally served in copper mugs for an extra exotic touch. James Bond came along the following year and provided yet another use for the Russian potato juice.

This drink has a surprising punch of character. Very easy to drink.

Here we go –

Pour vodka and lime juice into a hi-ball glass. Add cracked ice. Pour ginger beer to fill. Garnish with a wedge of lime on glass. Add a stirrer.

The Bloody Mary is the Mr. Booze go-to drink when he’s enjoyed himself a little too much the night before yet has to be social the following day. I enjoy this cocktail because you never really feel like you’re drinking when you have one. They’re more like having a healthy, glass of soup. “Naaa, I didn’t drink two days in a row. I woke up hung over and had a couple glasses of soup at a bar the next morning.” I realize that there are as many personal recipes for this classic as there are fish in the sea. Here’s the Mr. Booze one, and she drinks very nice.

Here we go –

• 2 ounces vodka
• 4 ounces tomato juice
• ½ ounce lemon juice
• 1 tsp. ketchup
• 2 dashes Worcestershire
• dash of celery salt
• 4 dashes Tabasco

Shake with ice. Pour it all into a tall glass and sink a big celery stalk into it.
Have another and sweat the previous evening out…or enjoy with brunch.

Mr. Booze simply has to adopt the more popular nickname for his Bloody Mary. He’d be much more popular with his pals if he suggested heading over for brunch and a spicy “Bloody” than he is by belching out that he’s a little hung-over and is in serious need of some chow and a giant B.M.

Pretty much everything is going Green these days. Good for the planet – yes, but also great for marketing. So get ready for green alcohol, and we don’t mean absinthe (well, not yet). Vodka360.com is selling ‘green’ vodka. Touting everything from packaging to production as being eco-friendly. Here’s a run down.

• Uses locally grown grain
• State of the art distilling equipment that uses 200% less energy than ‘pot distilling’
• EPA approved water treatment plant
• Reduced sulfur dioxide and VOC emissions
• 85% recycled glass
• 100% recycled eco-friendly paper for labeling
• Water based inks