Well, the weather is brisk, Mexican beer bottles and cheap margarita glasses are being swept into the back alleys of our minds, and everyone is emerging from their Cinco de Mayo hangover…in other words, it’s time for Mixology Monday again! And from the looks like of the creative and awe inspiring entries, we’ve successfully broke free from the ordinary chains of tradition and put the “Mayo” back in the “Cinco,” if you know what I mean (ok, that doesn’t make any sense but who’s counting?).

So let’s start with the one-two punch of Anita and Cameron over at Married…with dinner. First up is Anita with the The Prado, where she divulges their not-so-secret Seattle drinking ritual and entices us with a tart and frothy tequila classic. Cameron delivers punch two with a twist on an old standby and gives us the Tequila and Tonic, and throws in a tonic tasting to boot!

The girls over at Liquor and Libations take the Irish Lemonade south of the border and offer up Mexican Lemonade. Start the revolution!

Putting the ‘ol grey matter to work, George over at Bartender Thinking gives us two ways to take a Cosmo and give it some huevos via tequila with his Tequila Cosmopolitans.

Participating for the first time ever is the world renown Jeffrey Morgenthaler. Jeff gives us an original with the Santa Carla. It looks amazing, and you can serve it by the pitcher!

Jay at Oh Gosh! makes us pucker up with the tart Bald Eagle. If you like ‘em sour, give it a try.

Mixing up three drink recipes could be dangerous but in the hands of Phil at Lamb Martini, its probably a good thing. Try the Caimarquiri.

Serving up the gorgeous, Haalo at Cook Almost Anything says “Ole’” and goes where few dare to tread by using BANANA LIQUEOR! CRAZY MAN!

Dr. Bamboo explains the immigration issue with Mexico on Fire. Despite the name, its a classy drink with some of my favorite ingredients.

Jimmy gives us two versions of his favorite modern day tequila classic with the Tequila Bramble.

The Natural Born Cynic whips up a Sandstorm with his variation on the Tequila Sunrise.

Rick over at the Kaiser Penguin marches out the tiki torches (like that takes alot…) and, as usual, gives us an amazing photo and cocktail in the Acapulco.

They say necessity is the mutha of invention, and Darcy over at The Art of Drink shows his ultra resourcefulness and trots out an unusual combination that sounds like a great Memorial Day weekend beverage. I suggest that you Ride the Bull. It can only make you stronger…

Michael at A Dash of Bitters (love the new look buddy), takes the ‘ol margarita and gives it a cool tweak. Check out the I didn’t name this cool drink and don’t explain why.

Our Mixology Monday founder, Paul acts all nervous and unsure at first, but then lays out two stunning recipes with effortless grace. Although he expresses his preference in the post, they both look amazing and will send me to the liquor store for the missing ingredients. Check out Rosebud and Sangre de Agave.

The Bottle Gang pulls out all the stops and gives us not two or three, but five tequila recipes over at The Bottle Gang.

The eGullet posts give us the following:

La Mojada.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=102398&view=findpost&p=1406162

The Diablo.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=102398&view=findpost&p=1406768

The Prado.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=102398&view=findpost&p=1408767

Tequila Centeno.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=102398&view=findpost&p=1408884

The Weaver Special.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=102398&view=findpost&p=1409598

Dan Ryan gave us three cocktails, The Sadler, The Miramare (aka the Roselle Roselle), and The Azalea.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=102398&view=findpost&p=1408905

EJE did a riff on a julep which he creatively called, “Spiced Pineapple Julep-ish Tequila Drink”

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=102398&view=findpost&p=1408935

Keith from the Union Restaurant in Seattle doesn’t let having no blog stop him from posting these two:

La Rosita (sometimes just called Rosita)

1 1/2 oz tequilla (I use a reposado at my bar)
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz Campari

Stir, serve in a chilled cocktail glass
(I’ve also seen a dash of bitters and lemon twist garnish, but I personally don’t use them)

The Paloma

3 oz fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz silver tequilla

Shake, strain into ice-filled highball glass
Top with Sprite, garnish with a lime wedge

Same goes for Chip and Andy who post:

Silver Amour-a-rita

1 part fresh lime
2 parts Parfait Amour
3 parts Silver Tequila (I like Milagro Silver)

Shake hard with crasked ice and strain into a cocktial glass. Garnish with a very thin slice of orange.

And lastly, moi, at this fine site, gives you:

The Marina Margarita (pictured above)

1 1/2 ounces of silver tequila

1 ounce of Cointreau

1/4 ounce of blue caracao

2 ounces of grapefruit juice

1/2 ounce of fresh lemon juice

Moisten the rim of your glass with the lemon wedge and dip in kosher salt. Add all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour into your salt-rimmed cocktail glass and ENJOY!

Thanks for your patience.

Post your entries in the comment section to this post and I’ll try and get them all compiled by Tuesday evening. Saddle up my sombreros (yes, I just called everyone a “Mexican hat”)…let’s see what cha got!

I’m on a bourbon kick…for the last six or seven years… So, to anyone who knows me, it shouldn’t be a surprise that even a Champagne-themed Monday Mixology features a cocktail with a bourbon twist. The Seelbach cocktail is named for the most famous hotel in my hometown: Louisville, KY. It’s famous for its inclusion in the literary classic, “The Great Gatsby,” and for having jazz legend Dick Sisto in its house band. Since the hotel opened in 1905, it has housed nine presidents, countless actors, music legends, and Al Capone, and has been featured in many movies. With guests like that, craziness is bound to happen. Once such alleged act of craziness resulted in today’s cocktail…

Legend has it that the cocktail was created when a Seelbach bartender accidentally poured champagne into a customer’s Manhattan. On afterthought, that’s not so crazy at all. I’m sure much more interesting things have happened at the Seelbach that we’ll never hear about. Lucky for us this cocktail wasn’t one of them.
The Seelbach Cocktail is:

1 oz. bourbon

1/2 oz. Cointreau

7 dashes of Angostura bitters

7 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

5 oz. chilled Champagne

Combine the bourbon, Cointreau, and bitters in a shaker filled with ice. Stir briskly and pour into champagne flutes. Top with chilled Champagne. Enjoy!

Now head over to Married…with dinner to see the rest…

Imagine over a ton of raspberries in a giant beer tank. Imagine the strongest, most potent fruit beer in the known universe with an alcohol content over 18%. Imagine a brewery wacky enough to make it and call it “Fort” for reasons unexplained. Dogfish Head brewery is one of the most inventive brewers around today that insists on pushing the boundaries of what is beer and what is God only knows what… The Fort is one of their winter season beers that’s brewed and distributed each December to their beer-lovin’ geek cult following (disclosure: that includes me).

The Fort pours a beautiful dark reddish orange. The head is almost non-existent and what there is of it dissipates rapidly. The aroma is full of what else, mouth watering, tart raspberries. In fact, that’s pretty much all that you smell. This brew has a one-track, fruity mind. The tasting, however, revealed a little more. The brew had a definite chocolate undertone and a slight floral note combined with a big alcohol flavor. The alcohol wasn’t as dominate as the 18% might suggest but it was definitely present and accounted for. Fortunately it doesn’t detract from the beer’s charm. This is definitely not your run-in-the-mill frou frou fruity beer. This is one big, complex beverage that is not cheaply made. Dogfish Head is known for using high quality ingredients from all over the country and world. The Fort is another wonderful distraction from the world of regular beers from folks that love what they do. If you can find it, pick it up. You won’t be disappointed.

Different people will have many different associations with the word “golden”. Things like the phrase “you’re golden”, the golden rule, golden retriever, golden age, golden arches, golden tee, golden oldies, the golden globes, the golden girls…the list goes on. Well, here’s another little something that’s golden, a golden shot. Just look at it. An striking clear gold foundation (Drambuie), a warm and creamy middle (Bailey’s), and a misty white layer on top (Vodka).

Like many shots, its strength is masked by pure smooth deliciousness. Since there’s not a non-alcoholic mixer and two of the ingredients are powerful (Drambuie and vodka), this shooter aims to kill. The layers are very attractive and although the order of the ingredients was determined by their weight (and therefore the laws of physics), from a tasting perspective, it worked out very well. The vodka hits first with a slight burn. This is quickly followed by the sweet and creamy Bailey’s which immediately extinguishes the vodka. Then the Drambuie slides in last bringing its honey-flavored whiskey for a smooth but not too sweet finish.

This is the kind of shot that makes for a short evening if you’re not careful. It’s great for anyone tired of the weak, fruity shooters that cheesy clubs like to serve or it’s good for a twist on all the classic Bailey’s shots that everyone’s had way too many of.

The Golden Shot is:

2/3 oz. Drambuie

2/3 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream

2/3 oz. Vodka

Pour the ingredients in the order above into a shot glass. Use a spoon to layer the Bailey’s and vodka over the Drambuie. Bottom’s up!

Now head over to the Martini Lounge for the rest of the shots…

Another Mixology Monday is here already and this time around we’re doing whisk(e)y. Oddly enough, although there’s plenty of bourbon, I didn’t have any whiskey in my bar when the theme was announced. But thanks to Paul’s perfectly timed series on rye whiskey over at the Cocktail Chronicles, I picked up some Wild Turkey rye whiskey to have on hand as a good all purpose whiskey.

Being used to smooth aged bourbon and fine single malt scotch had me unprepared for what the rye had in store for me. It’s hot and peppery taste was not unexpected, but still took a little getting used to. Since this was my first time experimenting with rye, I searched for a recipe that’d be heavy on the rye to give me a good starting point, and allow me to taste how it worked with other flavors.

What I came up with was the Boomerang. This drink is usually made with gin as its base spirit, but I found a variation that called for rye whiskey. The drink is tart and savory. The dry vermouth mellows the rye a bit around the edges, while the lemon juice cranks the tartness up to 11. I still can’t figure out why the recipe called for maraschino liqueur since the quantity suggested didn’t allow even a hint of it to show, especially considering the domineering characteristics of it’s fellow ingredients.

I found the cocktail to be a pleasant surprise. It was bold and pucker-inducing, with the spicy rye underneath. More for the adventurous than the faint of heart. I hope you enjoy.

The Boomerang is:

1 2/3 oz. rye whiskey

1 oz. dry vermouth

2/3 oz. fresh lemon juice

4 dashes of Angostura bitters

1/4 oz. of maraschino liqueur

Shake the above in a with ice and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Now head over to Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour to see the rest of the whisk(e)y hoopla!

A beer named “Midas Touch Golden Elixir” makes it hard for a brew lover to resist. This isn’t a limited edition beer, but after trying it a few years ago, I haven’t been able to find it again until recently. I remembered it to be a very unique and distinctive beer that I really enjoyed. So when I saw a four pack at “Total Wine and More” for $11.99 (ouch), I didn’t want to pass it up, regardless of the hefty price tag.

The story behind the recipe can be found at the Dogfish Head site. They claim to have taken the ingredients found in the drinking vessels of King Midas’ tomb, developing a beverage that combines elements from beer, wine, and mead to make an unique drink that they purport to be “the oldest known fermented beverage in the world”.

Some more information from the Dogfish site:

“Most remarkably, the tomb held the largest Iron Age drinking set ever found–157 vessels, including a ram-headed and lion-headed situla–for preparing, serving, drinking and libating a special beverage at the funerary feast of the king. The secrets of the beverage were revealed by the new methods of Molecular Archaeology. Dr. Patrick McGovern of the Museum discovered that the residues inside the vessels belonged to a “Phrygian cocktail,” which combined grape wine, barley beer and honey mead. Starting with the ancient chemical evidence, Dogfish Head Brewery “re-created” a marvelous golden elixir, truly touched by King Midas.”

The beer poured a beautiful golden amber, with a head so small it really doesn’t even count. The aroma was sweet and full of grapes, raisins, and honey. Upon tasting it again I remembered why I pick it up every time I see it. It is totally unlike any other beer I’ve ever had. In fact, you could easily argue that it’s not really a true beer at all. Some characteristics are present, but, all in all, the beverage really is the quasi-beer barley wine mead drink (for lack of a better description) that Dogfish Head described above. The flavor falls in line with the aroma with the fruity grape quality coming on strong in the beginning. Then it switched to honey and spice (which I assumed was the saffron mentioned on the label). It finished very malty with a tartness at the very end. Overall very sweet, but you can definitely taste all the ingredients. Plus, the richness of the flavors mask the strong alcohol level (9% for those who are counting). Although it won’t be for everyone, Midas Touch has such a unique story and flavor that I highly recommend trying it at least once.

Ok, we are running behind for “Mixology Monday.” But it’s all good. This recipe is a winner. Considering that the temperature has been in the mid to high 70’s and the air conditioner went belly up at work, it was a little bit of a challenge to mentally shift my brain up North into the cold weather. But we worked through all that to bring you the “Monk’s Coffee”. This warmer features no less than four (count ‘em) liqueurs that you can combine with your coffee bean of choice. We happened to have Starbuck’s Breakfast Blend on hand.

The Monk’s Coffee is:

1/4 oz. Amaretto

1/4 oz. creme de cacao

1/4 oz. Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)

1/4 oz. Cointreau (orange liqueur)

Add the liqueurs to a cup of coffee, stir, and top with whipped cream. My wife added the orange zest on top for a very nice touch.  Enjoy!

We all want to find a safe, happy place…don’t we? Well now you can find it via the liquor cabinet with this pleasant little cocktail.

This cocktail based on the “Happy World” recipe from the “Complete Home Bartender’s Guide,” which I received for Christmas. The original recipe includes banana liqueur. While I don’t have anything against bananas (they are one of my favorite fruits) they tend to overpower any competing flavors in a recipe - whether we’re talking about a bread, a smoothie, or a cocktail. Plus, I haven’t figured out how to juice one to get a nice, fresh banana flavor instead of using a liqueur with a flavor manufactured chemically in a lab. That was my justification for swapping the banana liqueur for blue curacao (citrus liqueur). This had a twofold effect: first, it changed the drink color from bright yellow to light green and, second, it gave the drink a more balanced taste. No more getting slapped in the face with a bunch of bananas.

I was quite pleased how well it turned out. That’s the fun part of experimenting with cocktail recipes. It becomes a discovery process that can be rewarding, or disastrous, but that’s how new drinks get made. Obviously, in this case, it was a very simple swap between liqueurs. But getting the experience of tasting how the endless combinations work together is the first step in the creation of your own private stock of recipes.

The Happy Place cocktail is:

1 oz. of brandy

1/2 oz. of Cointreau

1 oz. of fresh orange juice

1/2 oz. of Blue Curacao

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and stain into an old fashioned glass.

Recommended listening for your Happy Place…Witty, upbeat rock from Belle and Sebastian:

Belle and Sebastian’s latest album was one of best releases in 2006. On this perfectly produced disc they draw from the 1970’s glam-rock of T. Rex and David Bowie while still keeping their classic pop rock sensibilities intact.