Here we go -

• 3 oz Brandy
• Ginger Ale or Ginger Beer (I prefer the spicier Ginger Beer)

Fill a tall glass with ice, add brandy and fill with the ginger. Garnish with an orange slice and straw.

A Buck is a cocktail so old; apparently it’s come back from obscurity a number of times, become popular again only to fall back off the radar. What Mr. Booze loves about it is that The Buck can be made with darn near any spirit you’re partial to. It’s a summer drink, made in a tall glass as a liquid weapon against a muggy August evening. I drink my Bucks in the carport on hot evenings with a little jazz n the background. The sound of summer cicadas and a Buck…how sweat it is.

Here we go –

• 3 oz Booze (Apple Jack or Bourbon or Gin or Rum or Tequila or Rye or Vodka)
• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (whichever you happen to prefer)
• Ginger Ale or Ginger Beer (Mr. Booze always goes with Ginger Beer)

Fill a tall Hi-Ball glass 2/3rds up with cracked or crushed ice, add the juice, the ribbon peel of the lime or lemon, and the booze. Fill to the top with the ginger then stir softly.

Find aluminum lawn chair in a shady spot and enjoy.

As I write this, we’re swinging on into spring, so I thought I’d include a cocktail perfectly suited for your Easter ham and deviled eggs. There are plenty of flavored brandies on the market but if you’re just starting your home bar or don’t yet have any, apricot’s a great one to start with. It’s a subtle fruit flavor that’s not too dominant a taste, so it blends quite well with other spirits yet provides that fruit sweet you’ll often need. I like this cocktail a lot. It’s very pretty to look at and tastes like a drink your grandma might have sipped back in her day.

Here we go –

• 2 oz Apricot Brandy
• 2 Dashes Grenadine (Roses is fine)
• Club Soda or Ginger Ale or Ginger Beer
• Twist each of an orange and lemon peel.

Fill a hi-ball glass 2/3rds up with cracked ice, add the brandy and grenadine and stir. Fill the rest of the way with soda or ginger, add the peel and stir.