Lemon Drop –

“Rottweiler” or Spicy Greyhound –

“Saint Mary” –

“the original Mary” –

Whiskey Sour –

All are options:

All use fresh juice, so you need like a reamer or something.

Tools:

Reamer:

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Wooden-Reamer/dp/B0007VO0DA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1510945606&sr=8-5&keywords=reamer&dpID=41Uqk8ITDxL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

malt cup

https://www.amazon.com/Winco-Stainless-Steel-Oz-Malt/dp/B0015IWS9C/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510945638&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=maltcup

pint glass

https://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Hocking-Pint-Mixing-Glass/dp/B00XWY0UEM/ref=sr_1_10?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1510945669&sr=1-10&keywords=pint+glass

spoon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_atf_aps_sr_pg1_1?ie=UTF8&adId=A03169192ASNI8APZ1POI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHiware-Inches-Stainless-Pattern-Cocktail%2Fdp%2FB00IRY8CJ2%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1_sspa%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1510945732%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26keywords%3Dcocktail%2Bspoon%26psc%3D1&qualifier=1510945732&id=3803660261562204&widgetName=sp_atf

strainer

https://www.amazon.com/Winco-Stainless-Steel-4-Prong-Strainer/dp/B000H7VF64/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1510945749&sr=8-4&keywords=cocktail+strainer

Jar:

https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Pint-Jar-Regular-Mouth/dp/B01NBMPHYV/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1510945797&sr=1-5&keywords=mason+jar

Coffee filter (steal from somewhere or just ask a Starbucks barista for a couple)

Fruit:

Grape fruit

Lemon

Lime

Serrano chilis

Oranges

Spirits:

Ketel Vodka – Titos if you are from LA

Eagle Rare – or Bullet, but I like eagle for mixing

Disaronno or other almond liquor, trader vic has a great one.  Just pick one of these two brands

Hanger mandarin (no substitute)

St. Germain (no substitute) 

Hiram Walker Triple sec (ONLY USE THIS TRIPLE SEC EVER!!!!) 

Mixers: (I hate all mixers with sugar)

Soda water (seltzer water)

Don’t use mineral water ever.

ICE always use clear ice

STARTER INGREDIENTS:

Simple Syrup:

1C sugar

1C water

Nuke for 1Min stir, Nuke for 1M stir, Nuke for 1Min stir…should be clear.

Let sit till warm, not hot

Pour into mason jar, store in fridge.

Spicy vodka:

In a mason jar add  about 5-8 chopped Serrano Chili peppers, not minced. Just chopped and not whole.  Get a knife.

Fill the jar with vodka.

Seal and let sit for about a week…maybe less maybe more.  You can’t go wrong here.  The longer the stronger.

After it sits strain out the chilis.

Save chilis for …well chili…or just have them as a hors d'oeuvres at your next soirée. (look it up, it’s French)

Now…just strain through the coffee filter and put back on shelf or fridge or whatever.  It will keep for a long time.

DRINK RECIPES:

Lemon Drop:

2 oz. Fresh lemon juice

1 oz. triple sec

2-3 oz. vodka (depending on taste)

1 oz. simple syrup (1 Tb sugar)

ICE

Shake well, strain, pour into sugar rimmed glass.

Optional -- Spicy Lemon Drop

Add 1-2 Tsp Spicy Vodka

Rottweiler:

4 oz. grape fruit juice

½ oz. St. Germain

1-2 Tsp. Spicy Vodka (how hot you want it)

2-3 oz. Vodka

ICE

Shake over ice, pour into glass

Garnish with style

St. Mary

2-3 oz. vodka

2-3 fresh lime wedges (depending on taste)

½ oz. St Germain

ICE

Shake vodka, lime and st. germain with ICE

Strain into serving glass

Add ice to glass (3/4 full with ice) 

(Should look like a glass with mostly ice)

Deglaze ice in shaker with soda water (about 4 oz.)

You are trying to get the rest of the vodka mix off the ice in the shaker and into the soda water….

GENTLY (don’t kill the bubbles)

Strain the soda water in the serving glass.

If it’s not full, repeat until the glass is full with vodka, soda and ICE.

Pour out the excess ice from the shaker.

Roll the glass gently once into the shaker.

Pour into serving glass

Garnish with lime wedge

NOTE:  ROLLING

Basically, this is the simplest mixing method.  You have done this 1,000 times.  You pour ingredients into a glass and then pour that glass into another and back to mix it.

Funny, this is like the easiest one to make, but it takes a lot of explaining.  The ladies love this cocktail.  It’s like 180 calories (140 from vodka, 70/oz.) and tastes awesome.

The Original Mary.

2-3 Oz. Hanger Manderin

4-5 Oz. Fresh Orange Juice

ICE

Pour into shaker with ICE and shake…really shake it.

Pour into serving glass.

In hindsight, I guess this is the easiest recipe.  Whatever.

Amaretto Whiskey Sour:

2-3 oz. Bourbon

2 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. simple syrup

1 oz. almond liquor (Disaronno)

ICE

Shake well and pour into glass.

Another easy one.

Level 2 for this cocktail would be 1-2 Tsp of spicy vodka to make a sweet and sour. 

Garnish and serve.

==========================================

Bonus cocktail for the rest of your life.

Margarita –

2-3 oz. Silver Tequila (not the good stuff, but not the bad stuff)

2 oz. Fresh Orange Juice

1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

½ oz. Triple sec

½ oz. Grand Marnier

Ice

Shake well with ice, pour into salted serving glass.

NEVER, EVER, EVER buy pre-mixed cocktails EVER.  EVER.  EVER.

NEVER buy Cocktail mixers like margarita mix unless you are serving it to a murderer for his last request and even then, just know that you did a horrible thing.

Always use fresh squeezed juice…Like the stuff that YOU PERSONALLY squeeze. Don’t buy if squeezed.  It’s wrong.

De-Oxidizer

Here is one of my customer concoctions. It's a nice friendly rum punch.

Fill up your shaker with ice
Add 2 oz mount gay light rum
1 oz malibu coconut light rum
1 oz pineapple juice
3-4 oz pom (Pomagranite and blueberry) juice
shake
server in an oldfashion

ahhh. so nice on a hot day

Mai Tai

This is my version of the Mai Tai. I've read lots of recipes and the only item in common is generally the Almond syrup and the rum.

Original Recipe

2 ounces 17-year-old Jamaican rum
1/2 ounce orgeat (almond syrup)
1/2 ounce orange curacao
Juice of one fresh lime
1/4 ounce rock candy syrup or Simple Syrup

Lime slice for garnish

Sprig of mint for garnish

1. Shake ingredients and pour into an ice-packed glass.
2. Garnish with lime and a sprig of mint.

Makes 1 serving.

I'm not really partial to this however, since I don't really care for Curacao.

I make mine this way.

1/2 to 1 whole lime (depending on size and flavor)

1/2 oz simple syrup or 1TSP sugar

1 whole orange

1 - 2 oz dark rum

1 - 2 oz light rum

orgeat (1/2 - 1 oz)

1/4 tsp grenadine (for color)

that's it

Pineapple Mojito

This is one of the favorites... It's a bit sweet, but packs a punch.

In an old fashion glass or a pint glass (my way)
muddle 1 whole lime
5 sprigs of mint
1 .5 oz malibu rum
.5 oz simple syrup
1 oz light rum
3 oz pineapple juice
add ice
fill 50-50 with soda water
server in a tall glass...or plastic red cup.

great for the summer.

Fresh Margarita

This is one of my favorite summer drinks. I generally hate the flavor of cheap Margarita mix...it's way too sweet for me. So here is my answer...

1/2 orange, squeezed
1 whole lime squeezed
1 oz triple sec
1 oz grand Marnier
2 oz Azul tequila (this is an awesome but inexpensive tequila)
actually it's Gran Centenario Azul Tequila Reposado
add ice to the top
cut up part of your lime and throw it in the mix
shake, shake shake. shake, shake, shake
shake your bootie...shake it up, shake it up!

salt the rim of a glass and serve over ice.

You will be surprised how fresh it is.

If it's too tart (this would depend on the limes) add simple syrup, but not a lot.

cheers

Mojito (common)

This is a favorite summer drink.

in your shaker add 6-7 mint leaves.
juice 1 whole lime.
add 1 Tablespoon of sugar or 1 oz of simple syrup.
muddle everything together (vigorously)
add 2-3 oz of rum (light rum, use something tasty).
add ICE
cap and shake vigorously
pour into 16 oz old fashion glass
pour in plain soda water to fill the glass.
stir
garnish with mint leaf.

Best shaker set

I'm a big fan of the Malt shaker...as anyone who has come over to my house will tell you. Basically this is the shaker cup you see in most of the "real" bars around town. It's the same metal cup that was used for a malt blender (I used one in my baskin-robbins serving days...)

The malt cup looks like this.

$4 at restaurant supply company online: http://www.restockit.com/Malt-Cup--(MLT-30CR).html

This works in conjunction with a standard pint glass:

http://www.restockit.com/Glass-Pub-Tempered-16Ounce-(09-0365).html

The way it works is that you pour the ICE and the liquid in metal cup, then push the glass on top of it.

NOTE: there is a trick to this. You will notice notches down the sides of the malt cup. You need to force the glass in hard enough to bend those groves out a little, but not so hard as to break the glass (I've never broken a good bar glass like the above). This will allow the cup to make a seal and will hold it in the top a little.

If you do this right, you will have a pint glass stuck inside of the metal cup. Is should be straight up and down. It should also be well seated in the malt cup. This should make a complete seal.

now you should be able to shake the glass without having liquid pour out everywhere. It does take a little practice and you need to work in the malt cup slightly for best results.

The nice thing is that it will work with other smaller or shorter glasses, since the malt cup is tapered.