Baja Bound

If you drive down the California coast and just keep goin’ and goin, you’ll find yourself in a place called Baja – more cactus than people, more time than worries and surrounded by the ocean and the sea. It’s a great place to slow down and play your guitar, and the perfect setting for romance – and Tequila. I hope these recipes bring a little of Baja to you, wherever you are.

The traditional drink of the blue agave harvest festival is the Cantarito, a refreshing celebration of Amatitan, Jalisco, and Mexico itself. The recipe is as follows: Over ice in a large glass, pour in 1 ½ oz of Partida Blanco tequila, 2 ½ oz of Schweppes tonic water, 1 ½ oz of fresh lime juice, 2 oz of orange juice, and 4 ½ oz of grapefruit juice. Garnish with diced pieces of each fruit.

Nothing could be more enticing on a hot sweltering day underneath the sheltering sky than a taste of sweet Lolita. In a chilled cocktail glass, shake & strain 2 oz Casa Vieja Anejo tequila,the juice of 1 squeezed lime, a teaspoon of honey, and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters. Garnish with a melon baller of honeydew.

For those of you whose palate favors the flavors of orange, lime and black raspberry, then indulge yourself in the preparation of the San Remo Martini. First in a shaker, than in a chilled martini glass goes 2 oz Corazon tequila, 1oz Chambord, 1oz Cointreau, and a dash of fresh lime juice. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.

If you’re a bit old fashioned, it doesn’t bother me. In fact, this drink is for you. The Chapala goes in an old fashioned glass filled with cubed or cracked ice, but you still have to shake & strain the ingredients well before you throw it over the ice. And they are: 1 ½ oz Don Julio Blanco tequila, a dash of Hiram Walker triple sec, a dash of Trader Vic’s grenadine, ¼ oz orange juice and ¼ oz lemon juice. Garnish with a cold slice of orange.

After a refreshing afternoon siesta with a gentle breeze caressing your hammock, you may want to take a walk over to the hotel bar and order a brisk cocktail La Paloma. The bartender will build it over ice in a tall glass, but here’s the recipe in case you want to make it when you get home: 2 oz Herencia de Plata Reposado tequila, the juice of a half lime, a pinch of salt, and fill with either Hanson’s grapefruit soda or Canada Dry club soda and a splash of grapefruit juice. Garnish with a slice of lime.

Even though there’s a little High Chaparral in all of us, one can only take so much the dust of getting thrown off again before you just have to leave the corral and call it a day. Ease the pain over an ice cold Doralto. Using a highball glass filled with cubed or cracked ice, shake & strain the following: 1 ½ oz Tequila 33, ½ oz Bols triple sec, a pinch of sugar and a dash of Fee Brothers old fashioned bitters. Strain in, top off with tonic water and garnish with a wedge of lime.

In the evening sometime after a nice meal, guillotine the cigar and enjoy a simple cocktail, my Compadre. Take a cocktail glass out of the refrigerator and stir-chill & strain the following: 1 ½ oz Cazadores tequila, ¼ oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur, a dash of grenadine for color,and 2 dashes of Fee Brothers orange bitters. No garnish, just sit back and fire one up.

Beaching it on any afternoon in the freedom of the summertime, there will be a time to rise up and brush off the sand before heading over to the nearest beach bar and ordering up a cocktail
while waving another solar goodbye. The Hermosa Sunset can go in a chilled martini glass or a tumbler over ice. Shake & strain the following: 1 ½ oz Patron Silver tequila, ½ oz of
Citronge, 2 oz Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice, 1oz fresh lemon juice and ½ oz simple syrup. Strain in or over, and garnish with a small bunch of red currants.

If this drink isn’t designed with a cabaret club in mind, I don’t know what is. And I still work at one in Hollywood once in a while when Tom calls me into The Gardenia on a sold-out night.
The Diva goes in a chilled martini glass, preferably a large one of course! That’s not all she’ll be going in, but that’s another torch song altogether! Anyway, the ingredients are: 1 ½ oz Patron Anejo tequila, ½ oz Citronge, 2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1oz prickly pear syrup and ½ oz simple syrup. Shake & strain, and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Want a drink to bring out the devil in you ? The El Diablo may just be the potion for your notion. Grab a tall glass or footed goblet and fill it with cubed or cracked ice. Pour in 1 ½ oz Patron Reposado tequila, ¾ oz Marie Brizard Cassis de Bordeaux, juice of half a lime, and fill with ginger beer. Garnish with a wedge of lime. Devil, take me now . . .

If no one has ever tried this one out there in the world of cocktails yet, then you will soon.
The Tequilajito is a masterstroke of a classic takeoff from a now popular standard. So why not use the best for the best. The recipe is as follows: In a tall or pint glass, toss a small batch of mint leaves in the bottom and pour a ½ oz of simple syrup over them. Muddle the mint and syrup to bring up that brisk spearmint aroma. Squeeze 2 halves of 1 lime in the glass, leaving one hull in the bottom. Add 1 ½ - 2 oz Patron Gran Platinum tequila. Stir all, then fill the glass to the top with cracked ice. Top with Schweppes club soda and garnish with a mint sprig.

“Are you coming over for a nightcap, Darling ?
I’m making Cafe Royal . Good, I’ll see you
soon and make two.” You better hurry up. I can hear her footsteps. Let me see. Warm coffee glasses, 1 ½ oz Patron XO Cafe, fresh hot coffee, some freshly whipped cream, and a dust of cocoa powder over the top. That should do it. “Hi Sweetheart, let’s go out on the back patio, shall we ?”.

Hey everyone, just finishing up the typing of all the recipes that will be going into my new book titled
Cocktails of the American West
I hope to have it all complete by the end of August.

kb

Room 332 - Dirty Maid with Lemonade

Upstairs on a Hot Afternoon

Avalon
In a tall glass filled with cubed or cracked ice, this is a build-over-ice drink, starting off with 1½ oz Hampton’s vodka, ½ oz Pisang Ambon, 2oz Martinelli’s apple juice, ¾ oz lemon juice, and fill with lemonade. Garnish with a slice of cucumber skin and a cherry.

Buzzby
In a sizeable tumbler glass filled with ice, pour the following over ice: 1oz each of Belvedere vodka, Bacardi rum, and Dekuyper schnapps. Then fill with 2oz cold lemonade and the juice of
1 fresh lime. Garnish with a slice of lime.

Citronella Cooler
In a highball glass packed with ice, pour 1oz Ketel One Citroen vodka, 2oz Sant Cruz organic lemonade, 2oz Ocean Spray cranberry juice and a splash of Rose’s lime juice. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Escape Route
In a highball fill with cubed ice, this drink gets 1oz Bacardi gold rum, 1oz Punt e Mes, ½ oz strawberry liqueur, and 4oz lemonade. Pour over ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

Full Monty
In a highball glass, this pour-over-ice drink gets 1½ oz Finlandia cranberry vodka, ½ oz Bols peach schnapps, ½ oz Hiram Walker blue curacao, and fill with ice cold lemonade. No garnish.

Fuzzy Cooter
With cracked ice packed in a mason drinking jar, pour the following in: 2oz Grey Goose L’Orange vodka, 1-2oz Arrow peach schnapps, partial fill with Canada Dry ginger ale, and splash top to fill with lemonade and orange juice. Slice of peach for the garn.

Loose Caboose
Shake and strain this next one in a collins glass filled with ice. 2oz Boru vodka, 2oz cranberry juice, 3oz lemonade, and a dash of grenadine at the top. Garnish with a twist of lemon and a cherry.

On the Deck
In an ice-packed pint glass, pour over ice 1¼ oz Captain Morgan’s spiced rum, ¾ oz Lamb’s original Navy rum, ½ oz Cointreau, 4oz lemonade and 1oz cranberry juice. No garnish.

Sex Appeal
A shake and strain drink over cracked or cubed in a collins glass, this cocktail gets ½ oz each of the following: Ronrico rum, Malibu rum, Midori melon liqueur, Dekuyper peach schnapps, Bols blue curacao, and a dash of Dr. Swami and Bone Daddy’s sweet & sour. Strain in and top with cold lemonade. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Swedish Lemonade
Pour this drink over cubed ice in a pint glass. 1oz Absolut vodka, 1oz Swedish Punsch, and fill with lemonade. Garnish with a full spiral of lemon peel.

Summer Quenchers

Sipping Coolers for the warm days along the Pacific

As the morning awakes up and down the California coast, the energy of a new day is full of fresh inspiration, as well as plenty of hot weather this time of year. A variety of liquid fusions tempt the palate through the season, taking care of your thirsts from mid-morning to the middle of the night. And the swimming pool is always nearby . . .

As the waveriders hit the shores, The Surfer is a flavored martini with 1 ½ oz Level Vodka, ¾ oz Malibu coconut rum, and a splash of Dekuyper Banana liqueur. Shake and strain into a chilled stem of choice, and garnish with a surfboard-shaped
pineapple spear. Only a few ounces in size, it’s a nice appetizer with breakfast!

Looking for something with some spice and a bite to go along with it. Cactus Juice is a shake & strain cocktail that finishes in a tall collins glass over ice. And the recipe is
½ oz each of the following: Captain Morgan’s spiced rum, Patron tequila, Hiram Walker triple sec, and Di Saronno amaretto. Add splashes enough of sweet & sour, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. Chill and strain. Garnish with slices of lime, lemon, and orange.

For those with a taste of less sweet and more sparkle, the
Havana Club Rickey may be in order for the early day sun. In a classy lookin’ bucket, squeeze the juice of half a lime in the glass and drop the half hull in as well, creating a bottom garnish. Add a dash of simple syrup and then fill the glass with cracked ice. Pour in 1 ½ oz Havana Club Rum (if you can get it) and top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and/or lime wheel.

Pump it up with a fruitier, premium version of a long island standard. The Berry Island Tea gets ½ oz each of the four whites – Ketel One vodka, Martin Miller’s gin, Sea Wynde rum,and Bols triple sec. From there we add a dash of sweet & sour, a good splash of 7-Up, ¼ oz of Dekuyper blueberry schnapps, and a final fill with Santa Cruz organic berry nectar. Big glass, big ice, big straw, and garnish with a berry kabob.

If you get lucky enough to find a parking spot in front of your favorite cantina, pull up with a Cadillac Margarita. On-the-rocks in a tumbler with salt rim, split rim, or no rim. Shake and strain these ingredients over ice: 1oz Don Julio Tequila, ¾ oz fresh lime juice, ½ oz Bols Triple Sec or Cointreau, and a splash of sweet & sour. After the chill and pour, float a lace of Grand Marnier over the top and garnish with half wheels of lime, lemon, and orange.

It’s time for something blenderfied. Get out a large parfait glass of sorts or whatever looks cool, and get some ice that actually works well in a blender, not leaving any big chunks around. Start out with 1 oz of VooDoo spiced rum, ½ oz of Dr. McGillicuddy’s vanilla schnapps, ½ oz of either Cointreau or Marie Brizard Parfait Amour liqueur. Then add dashes of orange juice and cream. Put the top on and start the engine until it runs smooth and thick. And there you have it, the classic Spicy Creamsicle. Garnish with a slice of orange and a violet petal.

The rules of this drink are simple. Build it in a tall glass over ice, enjoy, and take a message from your cell phone.
The Cider House Cooler first gets the glass half-rimmed with cinnamon sugar. Pour in 1 oz Bacardi spiced rum, ½ oz Berentzen cinnamon-apple liqueur, splash it with club soda, partial fill with cold chardonnay, and top fill with Santa Cruz organic cider & spice juice. Garnish with a slice of a red Washington apple.

As the Ocean air is cruising through your hair, imbibe your buds with a slight Asian slant. The Sparkling Ginger Breeze requires you to grab a tumbler, throw some cracked ice in it, and a pouring over we go. 1oz Grey Goose vodka, ½ oz Canton ginger liqueur, splashes of grapefruit and cranberry juices, and top with Canada Dry ginger ale. Garn with a ruby red slice.

As the evening music continues to flow, and as the CD player is on random selection, the great sound of Pink Floyd fills the glass. ½ - ¾ oz each of Bacardi Amber Rum, Malibu Rum, and Dekuyper Peachtree schnapps. Fill with cold Pink lemonade and dash the top with grenadine for color. Garnish with a cherry and sip back under the dark side of the moon.

The great thing about Southern Cal are the perfectly cool weather nights after a hot day. In Phoenix and other lower parts of Arizona at nine or ten o’clock at night, it’s still 85 degrees outside. Therefore, we get that goosebump chill that tells us it’s time to jump in the Hot Tub, but don’t forget the champagne! This enticing recipe goes like this: Chill a flute with ice and set aside. Stir chill 1oz of Ciroc Vodka, ½ oz Chambord, and dashes of sweet & sour and cranberry juice. Throw ice out of glass, and strain in the cold mixture. Top with Taittinger Champagne and garnish with a few floating raspberries.

Enjoy the Summer. There's more cool drinks to come. kb