Ahhhh, the good old days. Here’s a pretty simple spring & summer refresher that uses bottled lime juice as its sweetener. I actually like Roses juices and completely get why they were so popular during the 1960’s. People knew how to squeeze fresh fruit juices back then, but the almost artificial tang poured from a Martian green bottle of Roses Lime Juice added, and still adds, a zip to your drink that can be as refreshingly welcomed as a frozen Popsicle on a July evening. I realize bartenders and cocktails are all about “fresh” ingredients today, but here at Mr. Booze, we like to shine the spotlight on the golden flavors of the past. You can have a fresh avocado, cucumber martini next time you go to the trendy bar. Right now, take a trip back 40+ years and taste a true sweet & sour throwback.

Here we go –

• 1½ oz vodka
• ½ oz Cointreau or Triple Sec
• ¼ oz Roses lime juice
• Dash of cranberry juice
• Slice of lime for garnish

Shake till chilly-willy with cracked ice in a shaker. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

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.

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.

Make this drink only if you’ve always wanted to drink a cocktail out of a pineapple. Not sure what else to say. Not a drink to offer if you’re having a load of people over but if you have an extra pineapple and want to invite a buddy over to watch an old Elvis Presley movie, this one’s perfect.

Here we go –

• 2 oz Gin
• 2 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• ½ oz Cointreau
• Crushed ice

Cut the top off a pineapple and hollow it out (save the fruit for pineapple daiquiris later). Make a hole for a straw in the cut off lid. Combine everything on list in a shaker and shake till cold, pour in the pineapple. Have people call you Thurston Howell.

Women l-o-v-e this one.   A great drink to pour when you have a couple hens cackling ‘round your bar. With the Applejack as the base, a drinker with a mustache can even partake (sorry Aunt Gladys, didn’t mean to single you out)

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz Applejack
• 1 oz Cointreau
• ½ oz limejuice
• Small splash of cranberry juice

Shake with tons of ice in a shaker, strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

When you go to all that trouble to find the old, classic cocktail glasses and stemware, you’ll want to mix a beautiful drink to show it off. The White Lady, besides being tasty as all get-go, is a beautiful cocktail that, when mixed properly, will absolutely glow in a beautiful glass. Your less-than-experienced guests will enjoy this one; it’s boozy and not too sweet, yet it still goes down very easy.

Here we go – 

• 2 oz Gin
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz Lemon Juice

Shake in a shaker with cracked ice then pour into an old, beautiful cocktail glass. If you wish to garnish, an orange slice on the rim will look divine.

I love Rye, and really enjoy it when mixed in cocktails. Here’s another excuse to do just that. The Fox River calls for peach bitters, which, I’ll admit are a tough find. I have a bottle of Fee Brother’s Peach Bitters. Here’s a link although they are available in many liquor and gourmet stores. Feebrothers.com

This drink is a real combination of flavors, one of the hidden gems.

Here we go –

• 1.5 oz Rye Whiskey
• half an oz of Cointreau
• 4 dashes Peach Bitters

Stir above ingredients with cracked ice in a glass pitcher or large glass ‘til cold. Strain drink into cocktail glass and garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

One of the truly great French exports, the Sidecar was apparently quite the rage in speakeasies on both coasts throughout Prohibition.

Aptly named for the preferred mode of transportation for a certain booze-loving French captain, a man who arrived at the bar in a motorcycle sidecar and was later poured back into one; the Sidecar is a great drink, perfect for a party.

 Here we go –

•  1.5 oz Brandy
• 1 oz Cointreau or Curacao
• 1 oz Lemon Juice

 Shake ingredients with cracked ice, strain and serve ice-cold in a cocktail glass.

• You can make a Scotch Sidecar, which some prefer, by substituting the Brandy for Scotch.