The Veranda Cocktail

Something I whipped up tonight in the Appalachian Voodoo Research Kitchens, and I call it a "Veranda".

The secret formula is as follows:

1 oz Bourbon
0.5 oz Maple Syrup
1 oz Bärenjäger
0.5 oz apple cider

Shake well.

I garnished it with apple here strictly for visual effect, but actually, if I were to serve this in a bar, I would probably cut a smaller segment, skewer it, and let it repose in the drink. Apples begin to oxidize the moment you cut into them, and would almost certainly turn an unsightly color before the customer has finished drinking it.

A variation I could foresee would be getting cinnamon into the mix somewhere, and there's probably already a recipe out there like this with Southern Comfort in place of the Bärenjäger.

If one didn't have Bärenjäger handy, you can always make it yourself by infusing pure-grain with honey.

Lychee Martini

You can learn more than you probably ever wanted to know about the Lychee Martini by clicking here on lycheesonline.com, but here's my personal recipe straight from the JSH files:

■ 2 oz Vodka
■ 1 tsp Lime juice
■ 2 oz Lychee nectar
■ 1 tsp Cointreau

Shake gently. Garnish with one or two lychees on a skewer.

I've also heard of some people adding a little Sake to the mix, but haven't tried that myself - I must admit I am intrigued.

I first had a Lychee Martini at the great Basa Modern Vietnamese restaurant here in L-ville.

The White Blizzard

From Martini Art:

Ingredients:

•4 ounces of Absolut Vanil vodka
•1 ounce of clear Creme de Cacao
•2 ounce of Godet White Chocolate liqueur
•1 teaspoon of coconut flakes
•2 freezing martini glasses

The mix:

•Add the vodka to a shaker half full of cracked ice.
•Shake vigorously for a full minute.
•Add the white chocolate liqueur, and Creme de Cacao.
•Swirl the shaker for another full minute, and then let it rest for a minute.
•Strain your martini into the freezing martini glasses.
•Each glass gets half of the coconut flakes.
•Stir each martini gently to start the blizzard!

Me, I skipped the coconut flakes and used vanilla Three Olives instead.

Underberg

What the fuck is Underberg? I don't even know. It's German and it comes in a tiny bottle wrapped in old-looking brown paper. It tastes like crap, but powerful crap, in a good way, you know, like Jagermeister and Killepitsch.

They've been making the stuff since 1846 using a super secret process involving 43 exotic herbs and aging in barrels of Slovenian Oak. But when you've overindulged and have pushed way too much pasta down your pate, the stuff hits the spot like no Rolaids can. Like the package says, "it cannot be explained - it must be experienced." (It also says Underberg is "not a beverage".)

Did I mention it's 44 percent alcohol?

Gin Rickey

The Gin Rickey is rumored to be named for a Colonel Joseph Kyle Rickey, an English officer once based in Washington, D.C., although others claim the seaside resort community of Wildwood, New Jersey is its true origin.

It's appallingly simple to fix:

• 2 oz. gin
• Juice of 1 lime
• Club soda
• Lime wedge for garnish

Fill a highball glass with ice, pour the gin and lime juice over the ice, top with club soda, and garnish with a lime wedge.

Esquire says, "Don't let anybody convince you to put sugar in this", but you know, a touch of simple syrup really can't hurt. It need not be mega-sweet and cloying like a Lemon Drop, but sometimes a Rickey can benefit from that slight accouplement avec du sucre.

And what kind of gin? Well, I prefer Hendrick's because of its complicated cucumberly nuances, but your results may vary.

Le Marie Sanglante

Me, I like my Bloody Mary to be nice n' spicy, and Cholula is my choice for kicking up a mundane mary:

• 1.5 oz. (30-45 ml) vodka
• Fill glass with tomato juice
• 1 dash celery salt
• 2-4 dashes ground black pepper
• 2-4 dashes Cholula
• 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Dash lime juice

Shake vigorously. Pour in a Highball glass filled with ice. Then garnish with:

• 1 spicy pickle spear

(That's how they do at the Chick Inn, one of my fave L-ville riverside watering holes.)

The Old Fashioned

You can learn more about the history of this toothsome treat by clicking here on the official blog of the Old Order of Transylvanian Gentlemen, and see variant recipes as well. But here's my version:

2 oz bourbon whiskey
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 splash Perrier
1 tsp sugar
1 maraschino cherry
1 orange wedge

Mix sugar, Perrier water and Angostura bitters, and pour into an old-fashioned glass. Drop in a cherry and muddle it. Then add the orange wedge - do not muddle the orange. Add ice cubes, then pour on the bourbon. Stir gently if you like, but I prefer to just layer on the bourbon and let it seek its own level.