Kamikaze (神風)

by Devon — 2 Comments »

This one’s a very popular crossover drink. (In fact, I ordered a round at my friend’s birthday celebration last night – Happy birthday, Jeff.) I call it a crossover drink because it’s served as a shooter, a martini, or a regular cocktail on the rocks; depending on customer/bartender preference. This drink is obviously named after the Kamikaze pilots of World War Two, and was invented during that time period.

This drink is made with equal parts vodka, triple sec and lime juice. Here’s a quick pneumonic device to help you remember the ingredients – Kamikazes had Very Trouble Landings. VTL: Vodka, Triple Sec, Lime juice. It sounds stupid, but all pneumonic devices do; and almost all pneumonic devices work, as well.

Kamikaze – Recipe:

  • 1 part Vodka
  • 1 part Triple Sec
  • 1 part Lime Juice

Mix and shake all ingredients with ice, strain into the glass of your choice, and serve.

Lemon Drop

by Devon — 3 Comments »

Today’s entry is our first shooter on this site. Shooters are basically like shots, except for two important factors: 1. They’re mixed drinks, rather than just one ingredient; and 2. They’re often served in shot glasses, but the “proper” way to serve a shooter is in a rocks glass. Shooters are usually called shots anyway, but being able to make the distinction between one and the other proves who the bartender in the room is.

Lemon Drops are among the most popular shooters ever, and now you’re gonna know how to make them.

Lemon Drop – Recipe:

  • 1 part vodka
  • 1 part lemon juice
  • 1 sugar cube

Add sugar to the rim of a rocks or shot glass, or drop your sugar cube into the bottom of the glass. Pour vodka and lemon juice into a stainless steel shaker over ice, and shake until completely cold. Pour into the prepared old-fashioned glass, and serve.

Margarita

by Devon — 2 Comments »

This drink is why Tequila was created.

Okay, so it wasn’t. But, Margaritas are the most popular Tequila based cocktail in Mexico and, indeed, the world. It is decidedly not the reason why Tequila was invented; but, there are many distillers of the spirit whose goal, specifically, is to make Tequila for Margaritas. Margarita is a word that has different meanings in different languages: for example, in Greek, it means pearl; in Spanish, it means daisy.

As for who created the Margarita and why, as usual, there is a lot of debate on the subject. What they can agree on, of course, is that it was invented in Mexico. Yeah, OBVSLY.

And now, on to the recipe:

Margarita – Recipe:

  • 2 Oz Tequila (Patron, if you want to be fancy)
  • 1 Oz Triple Sec (or, if you decided to be fancy, Cointreau)
  • Juice of 1 lime ( you don’t necessarily need to add this, but it’s a really nice touch)
  • 0.5 Oz of Rose’s Lime Juice (or, if you used the lime juice, replace this with simple syrup
  • Lime wedge for garnish

There are three principal ways to make this drink:

  • Shaken in a cocktail mixer, like a martini; then strained into a glass; or
  • Mixed and served on the rocks; or
  • all of the ingredients are put into a blender half-filled with ice, and blended (“Frozen Margarita” style)

Many people insist on salting the rim of the glass before pouring. Although that is often the case with certain other specialty drinks (where you “salt” or “sugar” the glass before serving), salting the rim of the glass in the case of margaritas is usually something you only do if the tequila you use is cheap. This is done because the salt helps hide the crappy taste of the cheap-o liquor in the cocktail. That’s why if you go to a bar, this is the only garnish or preparation that they’ll ask you your preference of beforehand. Typically though, all you need is a lime wedge to garnish.

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