The Old Fashioned

In reading the book, it seemed like the only drink Amis mentioned as the Dry Martini was the Old Fashioned. He once said it was the best drink on the other side of the spectrum from said Dry Martini, and he was actually right.

The Old Fashioned
Mostly Whiskey
Sugar
Angostura Bitters
Orange Juice
Maraschino Cherry Juice

I followed the method he described in the book--dissolving the sugar in some warm water, adding the bitters, then the whiskey (he calls for bourbon, I used 7 Crown) and the oj and cherry juice, stirring, then adding ice and stirring again. I forwent the fruit garnish, as I dont like cherries, and I didnt feel like slicing an orange.

This drink is a little time consuming to make, but not anymore so than my homemade mojitos, and it has the added bonus of being the only whiskey + fruit juice drink that I have found good, let alone tolerable.

The Old Fashioned has made whiskey interesting again

The Tigne Rose

This drink may be the precursor to the Long Island Iced Tea, or it may have been just created by someone only had one shot left of everything in his cabinet and put them all together.

The Tigne Rose
1 tot Whiskey
1 tot Rum
1 tot Vodka
1 tot Gin
1 tot Brandy

I don't know why anyone would want to drink this if not for experimental purposes. This drink has no taste but all aftertaste, but not good aftertaste like the Rusty Nail. This is just awful.

The Vodka Martini

I needed to get some vodka today to make some rigatoni's so I figured I might as well try the more popular version of the martini

The Vodka Martini
Mostly Vodka
Some Dry Vermouth
Olives

I'm not sold on this drink. It seems to me that the Gin martini is better because Gin at least is supposed to have some flavor to it. Vodka by nature is not supposed to have color and very little taste, so this drink just tastes like alcohol.

The Margarita

The Margarita is the only acceptable way to drink Tequila, in my book. Shots are just a waste of time, if i want to get drunk real fast, I'll do shots of something more amazing, like Rumple Minze or something. Also, Tequila mixes in nothing else very well.

The Margarita
Mostly Tequila
Some Triple Sec
Sweetened Lime Juice/Sours Mix
Rim Salt

Sadly most people in today's age think that Margaritas are tequila and prepackaged margarita mix. While this is an acceptable shortcut, the full recipe is so much better. Pre-packaged mixes have a tendency to be too sweet or too acidic sometimes. Also I prefer my margaritas on the rocks. The frozen margarita just leads itself to brain freeze more often.

I never, ever, drink flavored margaritas. Just like the daiquiri, the margarita is best served in it's original concoction.

The Cuba Libre

To most people this drink is just rum and coke, but throw in a little bit of lime and you end with the Cuba Libre.

Cuba Libre
Rum
Cola
Lime Juice

My favorite incarnation of this drink involves using Pepsi Max Cease Fire. I suppose Diet Coke Lime would work the same, but Pepsi Max is more caffeinated. Cease Fire is a special release from Pepsi, so I snag it up while I can. I once tried this drink with Pepsi Twist a few years ago and it was terrible. Fake lemon flavoring bad, fake lime flavoring good. Amazing, I know.

Rum is the only drink that is acceptable to be mixed in cola for me, and even then I don't think its all that great, the daiquiri is a far better rum drink.

The Harvey Wallbanger

Well, I've been putting off both the Harvey Wallbanger and the Sidecar for some time, because they both sound gross. Tonight, however, I decided to try and drink one of them. Given that my local Friday's has this bottle of Galliano that I have never seen touched in all the times I've been there, I decided to go with the Wallbanger.

The Harvey Wallbanger
Mostly Vodka
Some Orange Juice
A Tinge of Galliano

Why someone decided that a screwdriver just wasn't good enough as it was is surely lost to history, but mess with it they did, and for some reason it was with Galliano. For those of you not in the know, Galliano is an Italian liqueur, flavored with anise, but with the added flavors of vanilla. It's bright yellow and comes in a two foot tall bottle, and how it ended up in the Harvey Wallbanger was probably because someone needed to get rid of it.

The Harvey Wallbanger isn't as disgusting as I thought it would be. I mean, I don't know why you just wouldn't order a screwdriver. but it isn't all that terrible. The fact that its only a tinge of Galliano doesn't really change the flavor of the drink all that much, it adds some sort of complexity, but I'd still just have a screwdriver.

The Daquiri

The Daquiri has long been known to me, but mostly in strawberry or banana varieties. Banana Daquiris are still the only drink I order at Red Robin, but the original formula was one I did not try until a few months ago, mostly because I got tired of making my mojitos by hand. Amis gives the recipe using Bacardi, but I have become a Sailor Jerry fan and as such am using that. Light rum is for the birds.

The Daiquiri
4 Parts Rum
1 Part Lime Juice
Sweetened to taste with simple syrup

Now I didn't have and fresh lime juice, nor did I feel like making simple syrup, which is what the drink calls for. Thankfully Rose's Lime Juice exists. The Daiquiri in its original incarnation has long been lost to casual drinkers because it lacks the sweetness and frozenness of it's fruity varieties, but let me tell you, there is no drink that is better. Amis favors his Dry Martini, I choose the spiced rum daquiri (albeit I enjoy it more when made into a tall cocktail by adding club soda).

Judging from my bartender friends, I am the only person that regularly drinks rum, lime juice, and soda. My friend Cam, who drinks rum like it's water when mixed with diet coke, called the drink "so bitter." I guess I'm just that old school for liking bitter drinks.