Blackberry Bramble

1/2 ounce simple syrup
1 1/2 ounce blackberry cordial
3 ounces bourbon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Shake with ice, garnish with fresh blackberries.

Margarita (Frozen)

Who doesn't love a good margarita as a summertime refresher? If you raised your hand, then you should leave this web site.

Our margarita recipe is dead simple. There are two secrets to success: 1) use freshly squeezed lime juice and 2) use a good blender. Regarding the former, it's true that limes are expensive... if you buy them at a grocery store, which can charge $0.50 to $1.00 per lime. Don't do that. Buy them at Costco. We recently hosted a large party and needed lots of limes for margaritas. We bought six large bags of limes for $6 per bag (each bag had a couple dozen limes). Regarding the latter, we use a restaurant grade blender, the Waring BB900S with a stainless steel carafe. This blender will chew through anything without stalling and it does a fantastic job of blending frozen drinks. It's expensive, but I know it will last my lifetime and beyond. These things are industrial grade.

Waring BB900S

Ingredients (per batch)

6 oz. of your favorite Tequila (Espolon Blanco)
3 oz. fresh lime juice
2 - 3 oz. simple syrup (recipe follows)
3 oz. Triple Sec (Grand Marnier)
2 c. (or so) ice

Blend and enjoy. Add a 1/2 - 1 oz. "float" of a really good Tequila for a top shelf margarita. We usually use Patron Citronge.

Simple Syrup

2 c. caster sugar
1 c. water

Heat to dissolve sugar. Let cool and then bottle in an old liquor bottle. Keep refrigerated.

Cucumber Gimlet

If you want an absolutely delightful, summer-time drink, then this refreshing cucumber gimlet will more than satisfy you.

Ingredients

Lime cordial (recipe below)
Scrappy's Bitters Lavender Bitters
Top shelf gin of your choosing (we use Hendricks)

Muddle a thin slice of peeled English cucumber in the bottom of an old fashioned glass with two or three (I like two) shakes of lavender bitters. Fill glass with ice. Pour two oz. of gin over the top and then fill will lime cordial. Stir and garnish with two slices of unpeeled cucumber. Guzzle the first one, because, yum. Fix a second one and sip it in a more genteel fashion.

Lime cordial

Warm 1 c. of sugar (caster sugar melts faster) in two cups of water. When cool, add 2/3 c. fresh squeezed lime juice. One batch fits nicely into an empty bottle of your favorite booze.

Old Fashioned (for Allan)

I've always liked old-fashioned drinks, my favorite being an actual "old fashioned". My grandmother once drank too many old fashioned drinks at a family American Thanksgiving dinner and ended up spending the night in the bathroom. We were told, being very young, that Grandma was ill, but now we know that she indulged in one or two or three too many Old Fashioneds. :) Grandma was an awesome, very sturdy, German lady who loved her Whisky (forget the "e") and loved the occasional drink (usually at our home when she visited) or three (or four or five). So in memory of my Grandma Hermann, here's my Old Fashioned recipe.

Ingredients

1 in. square (or so) piece of fresh orange peel*
1/2 oz. simple syrup **
4 oz. Canadian Rye Whisky ***
2 shakes of Angostura Orange Bitters (or regular if you desire)
2, 1 in. square ice cubes

Put orange peel into the bottom of an old fashioned glass. Add simple syrup and bitters. Muddle gently (very, very gently) until the mixture becomes pale yellow. Add whisky. Add ice cubes and stir for 30 rotations or until the drink becomes "shiny" (trust my description--this is your cocktail lesson for the day). Serve and repeat until you obtain a beautiful glow. :)

~David

* The best tool to use, I think, is a simple vegetable peeler: it takes off the peel, but it leaves the pith, which is very bitter and will make for a nasty drink

** 2 c. sugar and 1 c. water; heat until sugar dissolves; chill in bottle

*** We adore Pendleton 1921; best whisky ever; very good over ice or just neat; note huge vanilla overtones.

Alternatives:

1. Substitute 1/2 oz. Hennessey Black for 1/2 oz. of the whisky for a special touch, but only if you're only having one. :)
2. Substitute 2 oz. of Edgefield Distillery Aval Pota (apple malt whisky) for 2 oz. of the regular whisky and instead of the orange peel, use grapefruit peel, but do not muddle--it's too bitter. A nice touch is to add an Amarena cherry wrapped in the grapefruit peel to the drink.

Kahlua

Boil:
6 cups of sugar
3 cups of water

Boil until almost clear, then cool.

When your sugar water is cool add a mixture of:
1/2 cup of brandy, bourbon or vodka
1/2 cup of instant coffee (not freeze dried)

Pour into containers. Add vanilla beans (at last 1 per bottle). Let sit at least 7 days. The longer it sits, the better it tastes!