Lemon Syrup is more useful than you think. With its smooth texture and not-to-sweet flavor, it’s a great ingredient in more than just drinks. Those sorts of things are outside the scope of this site, of course, so I’m going to stick with drink based applications, starting tomorrow.

Lemon Syrup - Recipe:

• 2 lemons, pitted and cut into small wedges
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Put the lemon wedges, sugar, and water into a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Today’s a pretty big day; aside from the end of a pretty eventful year, it’s the end of our first contest - which I think is way more important. And, the winner is…

…going to be contacted discreetly by email. It’ll be up to them whether or not they want to gloat about their winnings on the site. Don’t worry too much if you didn’t win this time, though; since it worked out pretty well, and everyone was so excited about it, we’re going to start having contests every month! And yes, we’ll have different items to give away, if you were wondering.

As I can’t guarantee that either you nor I will want to look at a computer screen after tonight’s festivities, I’m going to go ahead and post a few tips on how to beat a hangover.

Beating a Hangover

Hangovers are caused by the by products of the chemical process involved with processing alcohol in your body. When your liver breaks down the alcohol, your body synthesizes acetaldehyde, which is chemically not too different from formaldehyde (it’s not good for you). At the same time, your body uses a lot of water, vitamins A, B6, and C as components in the chemical process.

What does all that mean? It means if you drink a lot, your hangover is caused by vitamin deficiency, dehydration, and your body’s synthesis of a toxin that resembles the stuff they preserve dead things with. Therefore, whatever it is you do to cure a hangover, it should attack one or all of these problems. Here’s some ways how:

• Drink LOTS of Gatorade. I, personally, drink tons of gatorade right after drinking, just to stave off a hangover, but if I fall asleep before I can (hey, it happens), then I usually chug away at at least a half gallon of the stuff once I get up. It’s more efficient at rehydrating your body in a hurry than water, so it’ll help take care of that side of things.
• Take Vitamins. Take a multivitamin, and if you’re really feeling it, take an extra vitamin C and B-complex. Those are water soluble so you’re okay to take extra on an off day; vitamin A is fat soluble, so overdosing on that one can do a lot more harm than good.
• SLEEP. Not only will your body be able to process out the acetaldehyde (so that by the time you wake up, you just pee it all away), it also helps because you’re not awake while it hurts.
• Ginger Ale. You’re probably feeling pretty nauseous today, what with the hangover and all. The bubbles and the ginger essence in ginger ale will calm that down for you.
• No Coffee, No Coke. I know lots of people say drinking coffee will help you deal with how tired you feel, but with the dehydration that caffeine induces, this will work against you more than for you in a hangover situation. If you’re taking the B complex, the B12 should be giving you a bit more energy that day, which will help you avoid the immediate need for caffeine.
• Eat something after drinking. This is more of a preventive measure. Whenever I go drinking, by the time I’ve said “when,” I’m ready to grab some pizza, a cheesesteak, or some other warm, cheesy, substantial food. Food doesn’t absorb the alcohol - that’s a myth - but every time you eat, you trigger your metabolism. Eating foods that are cheesy and have lots of ingredients is good because cheeses and carbs are a good source of some of the amino acids you’re going to want back after liquor takes them away.
• Asprin. Asprin doesn’t help process the alcohol, but it takes the edge off of that headache of yours. But take it when you wake up; taking the asprin before you go to sleep is a really bad idea; mainly because your liver has enough to deal with at that point. If you want to kill two birds with one stone, get yourself a couple of Alka Seltzer tabs  - the ones that are for pain relief contain asprin, and they’ll calm down your upset stomach.

There you have it - a simple, but very logical and effective way to deal with any hangover. Best part of all, you don’t have to do any of the more ridiculous remedies, like drinking pickle juice, or doing a “wasabi bomb” right before drinking a quart of chocolate milk. Now that you’re armed with information, feel free to go out there, have a Happy New Year, and celebrate the start of 2009 by scoring yourself a category 5 hangover; you’ll be able to handle it.

At the behest of our current mathematical favorite to win our first ever contest, I am posting a tutorial on how to make Simple Syrup, for those of you who’d rather make your own than purchasing one in the store. Homemade Simple Syrup is usually better than storebought anyway; it’s made by you, with sugar, as opposed to by a factory, with High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Some people know it as Simple Sugar - although that name doesn’t make much sense to me; as regular granulated sugar is already a simple sugar. But I digress. Here’s how you can make you own Simple Syrup.

Simple Syrup - Recipe:

• 2 parts pure granulated sugar
• 1 part water

Bring your water to a boil, and slowly add the sugar to the boiling water to dissolve it. Stirring with a wooden spoon helps if you’re impatient, but the water is hot enough to do the job for you. Once youve added all of the sugar, and it has dissolved completely, turn off the stove, allow the mixture to cool back down to room temperature, then bottle it up.

If you want to add a certain flavor to the syrup, all you have to do is boil that ingredient in with the water. For instance, if you wanted mint flavored Simple Syrup, add mint leaves to the pot with the water before boiling, then dissolve the sugar as you would normally. After it has cooled off, remember to strain out the extra ingredient you’re adding to enhance the flavor.

After yesterday’s post, a lot of my friends who read the blog (thanks btw) were asking me questions related to Cachaça; mostly, what it is, and where to get some. Fair enough. So, here’s the deal with Cachaça:

Cachaça (pronounced Kah-sha-ssa) is hands-down the most popular liquor in Brazil; despite being virtually unheard of everywhere else (in fact, more people know about Caipirhinas than Cachaça outside of Brazil). It’s produced in a manner similar to rum; that is, it’s made with sugarcane. The method is very different, however - which makes for a very distinct flavor. If you can find it, it’s worth trying, because Caipirhinas are awesome. And after the jump (yes, today, there’s a jump) you can find a list of places that sell Cachaça.

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Highballs are some of the most popular drinks on the planet. Almost everybody who has had a drink has had one, and most people’s favorite drinks are highballs, even if they don’t know what a highball is.

The Highball family of drinks is built upon a simple formula: Liquor and a Balance. That is, first you pour the liquor by measure, and then you “balance out” the rest of the glass with a non-alcoholic ingredient. Because of this, most of the drinks are referred to based solely on their ingredients - you know, this and that. Like, you know, Jack and Coke, Vodka and Red Bull, et cetera.

Nobody really knows the origin of the highball’s name, but there are lots of theories out there. What people do agree on, however, is that they were originally intended to be less strong than the classic, all-alcohol cocktails, so they could be enjoyed any time, instead of just late at night after a big dinner. The reason for this is that they were created during the time when alcoholic beverages were more for when people were simply thirsty than for when people get together to have a good time. Bartenders needed recipes for drinks that were quick and easy to make, yet light enough for workers to not get completely trashed off of one or two drinks, because they were just stopping by during their lunch hour.

Nowadays, having so much as a beer with your burger during lunch can get you canned, so try not to put the highball during the workday theory into practice unless you have a highly unusual level of job security.

As for historical specifics, I won’t pretend to know where exactly they came from or how they were named, so instead I’ll do one better - this week, I’ll be covering the most popular highball drinks around, and, of course, I’ll show you how to make them. Stay tuned.

Highball - Recipe:

• 1.5 oz whiskey
• Balance ginger ale

Fill a highball glass with ice; add the whiskey, then fill the rest of the glass with ginger ale and serve. (Told you they were quick)

Once you start bartending, you’ll find that because you know the craft and show off your skills to become a better host, you’re going to have people who are, for lack of a better term, “haters.” They’re going to throw the most obscure drink names at you, just for the sake of making you look like a clown in front of everyone else. Luckily, there’s an easy way to fake it, so that you save face: you can get the drink made, and you won’t have to flat out say “I don’t know how to make that.”

It’s more than a simple matter of not just wanting to admit you don’t know the answer, though: the moment you don’t know how to make a drink is the moment somebody can say “well I can make it myself, move over!” and you suddenly lose your post behind the bar. Then, you’ll have spent a bunch of money on creating the perfect experience for your guests, as well as being the center of attention behind the bar, all to have the situation hijacked by some joker who just wants to steal your thunder.

So, how do you pull it off? Simple: you ask for their preference. It works for everything: if you’re lost on what the ingredients of the drink are, or if you’re not sure which garnish goes with the cocktail, simply saying “Well, I have seen that made that a few different ways; how do you like yours?” can pull you out of that situation, and keep you in the driver’s seat.

Off for the next couple of days; have a very Happy Thanksgiving, and shop on Black Friday - it’s good for the economy.

(Just kidding.)

Sometimes known as the “Balance,” depending on the type of mixer and use, mixers are usually the non-alcoholic component of a cocktail. Sometimes, the mixer is meant to create the entire flavor of a beverage; other times, to subtly complement the other ingredients, in order to make the perfect blend.

Sweet Mixers:

• Grenadine
• Rose’s Lime Juice
• Maraschino Syrup
• Simple Syrup (MUCH better than sugar: blends better and has a smoother taste.)

Mixers (known to bartenders as the “Balance”):

• Club Soda/Soda Water (they’re exactly the same thing)
• Cola
• Tonic Water
• Ginger Ale
• Orange Juice
• Pineapple Juice
• Tomato Juice (V8 is fine, too)
• Cranberry Juice
• Sprite/Sierra Mist/Whatever brand you prefer

Garnishes are important because they add a little bit of flair and character to the drink. They also add a little bit of flair and character to the bartender, which is why we learn how to garnish drinks. It may sound silly, but there’s something a little more dignified about drinking a fancy, dressed up drink; as opposed to trying to sip a martini from a dixie cup.

Fruits, etc:

• Lemons
• Maraschino Cherries
• Olives
• Limes
• Oranges
• Pineapple Slices (if you’re serving pina coladas.)
• Mint Sprig
• Carrot Sticks
• Pearl Onions
• Celery Stalk (with the leaves attached; used in Bloody Mary drinks)

Seasonings:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Angostura Bitters
• Tabasco Sauce
• Sugar
• Nutmeg (grated)
• Cinnamon

Decoration:

• Paper Parasol (umbrella)
• Swizzle Sticks (can be found in the shapes of straws, swords, spears and everything else that’s pointy)
• Candles
• Bead Necklace (Mardi Gras and Carnival themed parties)
• Flags (as in, real flags of a country)
• “Flags” (made by skewering half an orange slice and a maraschino cherry, then hanging over the side of the glass)
• Straws (of course)
• Sparklers (these go over well at New Year’s or Independence Day)
• Toy Animals
• Fire! (Yeah, seriously - some drinks are lit on fire before served.)

Glassware Part 2 - The Non-essentials:

• Margarita Glasses: Unless you really love margaritas, and serve them at every party, you usually can get away with serving them in another kind of glass; especially if you’re serving them frozen. (various sizes)
• Punch Bowl & Cups set: The cool things about punchbowl sets are that they’re often sold pretty cheap, and there really isn’t too large an aesthetic difference between one made of plastic, glass or crystal, so going cheap on these isn’t really a big deal.
• Parfait glasses: Used specifically for frozen and juice drinks. But, as I said, you can get away with using pint glasses for those, so this one isn’t a truly essential item. (12 – 16 oz.)
• Red/White Wine Glasses: Yes, there is a difference between the two: White wine glasses are longer, more slender, and taller (like fatter champagne flutes with shorter stems), whereas Red Wine glasses are shorter and wider, so that the red wine is given a chance to “breathe” before you drink it. (4 – 8 oz.)
• Cordial glasses: Small, fancy glasses used to sip cordials (also known as liqueurs.) There are also slightly larger short stemmed, fancy glasses used for whiskey sours and other sweet drinks. You really don’t need either; in fact, they’re so not useful, that I lumped both into the same bullet point. (1 – 4oz.)
• Collins Glasses: These look like rocks glasses and pint glasses had a kid. They’re somewhere in between the sizes of both. Honestly, though, you really don’t need these; in fact, other than a Tom Collins, I can’t even immediately think of what kind of drink you’d serve in these, and I’m an expert, so you know they’re useless. (12 oz.)