I honestly didn’t know that iguanas bit people. Considering the fact that I’ve only ever seen them eating vegetables and sitting on heat-rocks, I’m still pretty sure they don’t. This shooter is slammin’, though - so I’m going to add it in spite of the fact that its name besmirches the good name of iguanas everywhere. Don’t worry, iguanas: I still love ya; even if you do look like naked moon-chickens.

Bite of the Iguana - Recipe:

• 1/2 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Tequila
• 3/4 oz Triple Sec
• 1 oz Orange Juice
• 1 oz Sweet and Sour Mix
• splash of sprite, 7up, sierra mist, or whatever

Mix ingredients in a cocktail mixer and shake. Strain and pour into shot glasses. Enjoy.

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.

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!

If I were the one naming these drinks, I’d have named the Lemon Drop after Lemonheads candy (as evidenced by the picture on that page, and this drink after the old Cherry Clan candies. Many bartenders make this with grenadine, but I prefer Sloe Gin, as its made with Sloe berries, which taste a lot more like cherries than grenadine. Grenadine, for those who are wondering, is from the French word grenade - which means pomegranate, not those little fragmentation bombs with the pins in them. Grenadine used to be made out of pomegranate and cherry juice, but now is made entirely out of high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, and “artificial flavors.”

Cherry Bomb - Recipe:

Pour your vodka and Red Bull energy drink into a rocks (small) glass. Add sloe gin slowly (no puns intended) so it sinks to the bottom; it should look like a layered drink, if done right.

I had totally forgotten about this drink until yesterday afternoon, when my cousin mentioned that he was watching the Back to the Future trilogy. Since then, this shooter has been on my mind, and Huey Lewis and the News songs have been stuck in my head for the past 24 hours. Maybe I’ll drink some of the former until I forget about the latter.

1.21 Gigawatts

- Recipe:

0.5 oz Hypnotiq
0.5 oz raspberry vodka
3 drops grenadine syrup
1/2 can Red Bull® energy drink

This is a “bomb” drink, which means it’s a shot that’s dropped into a pint glass, then chugged. For the shot: pour the Hypnotiq in the shot glass, then the raspberry vodka, then the drops of grenadine. The drink should be layered; in fact, you may notice it comes out red, white and blue. For the glass: pour half a can of Red Bull into the pint glass.

Drop the shot glass into the pint glass, then chug.

If you’re throwing a party on the cheap, a great way to keep everybody happy in the drinks department is to serve up some Jell-o Shots. The cups barely cost anything, and you can get them in biodegradable plastic if you have ecological concerns about using lots of little plastic one-use cups (like me.)  You really only need one type of liquor for each batch of shots (when in doubt, vodka works with almost every flavor, but it might not always be the best fit), and a pack of Jell-o doesn’t really cost much either.

Rather than just name the ingredients like I normally would, today I’m going to list the instructions first, then offer some ideas as to the kinds of liquor/jello combinations you can use to make your shots. Some are my own, others are just popular variations. If you have any variations you’d like to share, feel free to drop in a comment.

Jell-o Shots - Recipe:

• 1 Packet of Jell-O
• 5 oz Boiling Water
• 3 oz Simple Sugar
• 1 Cup (8 oz) Liquor/Liqueur of your choice

Mix hot water and jello, then add the alcohol. Pour into your 2 ounce cups and refrigerate. Serve after the jello has set; this should only take a couple of hours.

Variations (don’t forget - each requires 1 cup of boiling water per packet):

• Strawberry Jello and Raspberry Vodka
• Berry Blue Jello, UV Blue Vodka
• Margarita Jello, Tequila
• Peach Jello, Rum
• Lime Jello, 1/2 cup of Vodka, 1/2 cup of Triple Sec
• Pinapple Jello, Malibu Rum
• Strawberry-Banana Jello, 99 Bananas
• Grape Jello, 1/2 cup of Vodka, 1/2 cup of Grape Pucker Schnapps

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.

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: