Today’s late, late post (sorry, holiday rush stuff) brings us one of my personal concoctions. I can’t – and won’t – say that I was the first person to come up with this drink, but I can say that I came up with it on my own, while having guests over at my place last Christmas. I just won’t say I created it first, because: 1)I’m not an egomaniac; and 2) I don’t want to start one of those epic “who invented which cocktail” battles that you see on Wikipedia. Anyhow, as the name (and picture) suggests, this is meant to taste somewhat akin to a red delicious apple.

The Underground “Red Delicious” Martini – Recipe:

• 2 oz. Vodka
• 1 oz. Green Apple Schnapps
• 0.5 oz. Triple Sec
• 1 oz. Grenadine
• Splash of Rose’s Lime Juice
• 1 Green Maraschino Cherry

Chill the martini glass before mixing. Pour the ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes. Shake well. Place a cherry into the martini glass, then strain into the glass. Serve and/or enjoy.

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.

It tastes a lot better than it sounds – I swear.

Sorry about no post yesterday, folks – I was a little swamped with my day job; I guess it’s the pre-holiday rush. Which is fine, because tonight I’m going to whip up a batch of my homemade Egg Nog. Since I always bring a bottle to a party, and keep one for when guests come by during the holidays, my recipe is for 30-40 servings. Just an obvious reminder – since these are raw eggs you’ll be working with, you should make sure to buy pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes.

Underground Egg Nog – Recipe:

• 12 Eggs – separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 quart milk
• 1 pint bourbon
• 1 cup dark rum or brandy

Beat the egg yolks with sugar until it dissolves. Add the cream, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and liquor and stir. Beat the egg whites until they become fluffy, then add that in as well. Chill for several hours, then serve sprinked with nutmeg, or garnished with a cinnamon stick.

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.

Today’s a pretty big day here at Underground Bartender. We’re throwing our first giveaway, and the prize is a fancy martini set. The best part of all is – you barely have to do anything in order to win!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment anywhere on the site (any post before and after this one is also fair game). On New Year’s Eve – the last day of the contest – we’re going to count up all of the comments made on the site since today, and then pick a number between the current amount of comments and the final tally. Then, we’ll email the person who left the comment that goes with that number, and tell them that they’re our winner! There is no limit to the amount of comments you can post; just no spamming please.

Basically, we’ll do all the work, you just leave comments, and somehow, you get a free martini set. Why? Well, why not? It’s the holidays, and we never really did anything special to celebrate the launch of the site until now. This is really just a fun way of saying thank you for being a part of our blog.

Martini Set – Contents:

• 4 Martini Glasses
• 4 Glass olive picks
• 1 Glass Shaker with stainless steel Lid
• 1 stainless steel tray

This is another cocktail that represents my inability to cope with the weather. Right now in New York, it’s cold and rainy, and has been like that all week. So, to escape, I’ve been thinking of cocktails associated with warm, sunny tropical environments. If you’re like me – in a cold place; dreaming of a warm summer evening at an outdoor bar by the ocean side – then try this Mojito recipe, and have one for me.

Mojito – Recipe:

• 3 mint sprigs (should be fresh)
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 1.5 oz light rum
• club soda

Muddle some mint leaves at the bottom of the glass. Add the simple syrup and lime juice and stir well. Next, add some ice cubes to the glass, then add the rum. Mix the ingredients, then top off with cold club soda (don’t use seltzer unless you have nothing else around). Garnish with the lime slice and the un-muddled mint sprig, and serve.

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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Caipirinhas are one of the many, many things to love that come from Brazil. Unlike most of them, however, you don’t need any special ointments after enjoying this one. What? I meant sunburn ointment! From all the beautiful beaches!

I kid because I love, Brazil. Also, I kid because I’m jealous that I can’t live in a quaint, quiet little Brazillian villa, sipping Caipirinhas at sunset while gazing at the landscape. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish up this article, then go for a jog to fill my lungs with that clean, crisp Brooklyn air that I was raised on. I call it the Smog-Jog!

Caipirinha – Recipe:

• 2 oz. Cachaça
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 lime, quartered

Place lime in a chilled old fashioned glass, then muddle with simple syrup until the lime is mushy. Add the Cachaça and cracked ice and mix well.

If you don’t have any Cachaça where you live, you can substitute it with vodka. This is called a Caipiroska. Or, if you prefer rum, add your favorite brand of light rum for the Cachaça. This is called a Caipirissima.

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.