We just don’t see enough cocktails with bourbon nowadays. Today’s drink is the Bourbon Bog, named as such because bogs are where cranberries (and many other kinds of berries) are grown, and cranberries and bourbon are the two main ingredients of this beverage.

Bourbon and Whiskeys in general are of those liquors that most people never really consider to be great cocktail ingredients. This, to me, is precisely the reason to post a recipe for a delicious Bourbon-based recipe. Also, I wanted to make sure that once I posted a recipe for Lemon Syrup, you’d have something to make with it.

Bourbon Bog - Recipe:

• 1 1/2 ounces bourbon
• 1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
• 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon syrup, recipe follows
• 3 dashes orange bitters
• Fresh cranberries, lightly smashed and soaked in bourbon

Fill a cocktail shaker or small pitcher with ice. Add the bourbon, cranberry juice, lemon syrup, and bitters. Cover and shake vigorously until thoroughly mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drop 2 to 3 cranberries in the glass.

So, today’s Groundhog’s day, and just about every single available groundhog in the western hemisphere has evidently seen his own shadow. Thanks a lot, friggin’ rodents.

It’s finally warming up here in Brooklyn, though, so I figured I’d stage an open act of defiance against our new natural enemies, and post a warm-weather drink. I’m not about to let a little fuzzy woodland creature tell me I have to bundle up for another month and a half.

In other news, the forecast says it’ll snow for the next two days.

Pisco Sour - Recipe:

• 1/2 tablespoon meringue powder
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 2 oz pisco
• 1 3/4 tablespoons simple syrup
• Dash bitters
• Finely grated zest of lime

Dissolve your meringue powder in the lime juice. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and pour in your mixture. Then add the pisco, simple syrup, and a dash of bitters. Cover and shake for about thirty or forty seconds, to make sure it’s frothy and cold. strain into a glass and garnish by sprinkling some lime zest on top.

Yesterday, I went outside. I was outside for about, oh, 8 hours or so.

My move? I didn’t wear a coat outside. Nature’s move? It snowed forever.

In honor of the hilarity that ensued yesterday, I give you the following recipe. It is called the Avalanche.

Avalanche - Recipe:

• 1 shot Crown Royal® Canadian whisky
• 1 shot Kahlua® coffee liqueur
• Balance (fill the rest of the glass) with cream

Mix ingredients in a mixer, shake well, and pour into a highball glass over ice.

Since I was challenged yesterday to come through with a few more tequila-based recipes — not that there aren’t some here already — I figured I’d go with one of the best named tequila cocktails around. Why? Because it makes for good blog headlines, mostly.

Tequila Mockingbird - Recipe:

• 1 1/2 ounces Tequila
• 1/2 ounce Triple Sec
• 1/2 ounce Blue Curaçao
• 2 ounces Orange Juice
• 1 ounce Cranberry Juice

This is one of those rare drinks where the “balance” ingredients (the juices) are also measured precisely. It’s also uncommon, in that it has juice ingredients, but you don’t mix this cocktail.

Fill your highball glass or tumbler with ice. Add tequila and triple sec, followed by orange juice and cranberry; then, lastly, the blue curaçao. Don’t shake or stir it; let it blend on its own. Garnish with a lemon wedge or a cherry, if desired.

It’s somewhat strange to me, but there aren’t too many people who truly appreciate Cranberry Juice; especially not in their cocktails. Still, cranberry juice - or rather, the combination of cranberry juice and vodka - is the cornerstone for many a cocktail. So, as was done with orange juice, I’m going to hit you with a few cranberry juice based highballs all at once.

You know, in case you just happen to have several bottles of Ocean Spray lying around.

Cape Cod - Recipe:

• 3 oz (or one shot) vodka
• Cranberry juice

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in your vodka, and fill the rest of the glass with cranberry juice as the balance. If you can’t measure ounces very easily (we’re Americans, it happens), then just pour it in a shot glass.

Madras - Recipe:

• 3 oz (1 shot) vodka
• Orange Juice
• Cranberry Juice

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in your vodka, then add equal parts Orange and Cranberry juice until the glass is filled. Garnish with an orange slice.

Cranberry Cooler - Recipe:

• 3 oz vodka
• 1 oz amaretto
• Cranberry juice
• Orange juice

Fill a collins glass with ice. Pour in your vodka and amaretto, then add equal parts orange and cranberry juice until the glass is filled. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Ruby Relaxer  - Recipe:

Happy New Year, everybody!

I’m finally back to 100% after the mysterious surgical procedure I alluded to right before New Year’s Eve. So, regular posting has returned to Underground Bartender! w00t!

Yeah, you’re not saying it out loud, but I can tell - you’re really excited. I feel it. 

Before I get into today’s recipe, a quick note - to the winner of the Martini Set: I emailed you last Thursday morning, and haven’t heard from you since. In order to send this item to you, you’re going to have to respond. If you don’t speak up by this Friday, I’m going to go back to the ol’ number generator. Although technically, you could just win all over again. 

Now that that’s out of the way, I present you with the Malibu Bay Breeze. This is a fun, tasty drink, and a safe one too; if you overdid it for the New Year and don’t want to drink anything too strong, yet still want to be social, ordering this drink might be the move for you. 

Malibu Bay Breeze - Recipe:

• 1 1/2 oz Malibu® coconut rum
• 2 oz cranberry juice
• 2 oz pineapple juice

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in your Malibu, and add your juices as the balance. Serve.

There aren’t really any Hanukkah themed cocktails that I know of that are also blue; so I’m just going to post one of my favorite blue drinks. I wanted to post this one yesterday, but what interrupted me was an apparent need for emergency dental surgery. It was even worse than that sounds. Anyhow, what follows is my blue drink, in observance of Hanukkah, on Christmas day.

At least we keep ya guessing, here at Underground Bartender. Merry Christmas, everybody.

Blue Lagoon - Recipe:

• 2 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Blue Curaçao
• Balance Lemonade
• Lime Wedge

Combine the Vodka and Blue Curaçao in a highball glass. Balance with lemonade (fill the remainder of the glass with lemonade), and garnish with a lime wedge. L’chaim!

Since the holidays all start this week, and because I’m a dork, the theme this week is holiday colored drinks. The catch, however, is that I have to make somewhat holiday-appropriate stuff as well. I’m not sure what that means; it was something that was suggested to me by a friend. Let’s see if I can make it through the week! Up first is the Grasshopper - it’s great; it’s like an After 8 mint in a glass.

Grasshopper - Recipe (makes 2 servings):

• 1.5 oz Green Creme de Menthe
• 1.5 oz Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
• 1 oz Half and Half

Mix all three ingredients in a cocktail shaker (like the one some lucky commenter will win! - shameless plug over) with ice, and strain into two glasses. Rocks/Old fashioned glasses are good for this drink. If you don’t want to shell out for the Godiva brand, white creme de cacao will work just fine as a less expensive replacement. If you’re looking to garnish this drink, top with whipped cream and green sprinkles.

This is the Underground Bartender’s “more bang for your buck” post. Today, we’re going to post not just the Screwdriver, one of the most popular highballs ever, but also some of the screwdriver derivatives. It’s even more bang for your buck when you consider the fact that this site is 100% free. Who’s awesome? That’s right - we’re awesome.

Screwdriver - Recipe:

• 1.5 oz Vodka
• Balance Orange Juice

Drivescrewer - Recipe:

• 1.5 oz Orange Juice
• Balance Vodka

Hi-Fi - Recipe:

• 1.5 oz Orange Soda
• Balance Vodka

Sloe Screw - Recipe:

• 1.5 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Sloe Gin
• Balance Orange Juice

Sloe Comfortable Screw - Recipe:

• 1 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Sloe Gin
• 1 oz Southern Comfort
• Balance Orange Juice

Sonic Screwdriver - Recipe (yes, it is named after the Doctor Who item):

• 1.5 oz Vodka
• Balance Jones’ Blue Bubblegum Soda

The preparations for these are all the same - fill a highball glass most of the way with ice, then add your liquor(s), then the balance, then serve.