Summer in the City

Coolin’ Sauces to sip between your lips

It’s that time of the year where the grill is hot and your guests are thirsty. To keep them well liquicated, the following seasonal sippers should be considered for your next outdoor gathering. Have plenty of ice on hand, a couple cocktail shakers, and some cool glassware.

Soon after you get checked into your room, you’ll be livin’ it up at the Hotel California. What a lovely place. What a tasty recipe. Starting off with a parfait glass and the use of a blender, put in 1 scoop of orange sherbet with a little bit of cracked ice, and pour in 2 oz Bols apricot brandy and 3-4 oz of orange soda, depending on how thick or thin you want it.

Change into your swim shorts or hot little bikini, and head on out to where everybody else is hangin’, By The Pool. Build this drink in a tall or poco grande glass filled with ice, and add 1oz Skyy vodka, ½ oz Dekuyper Peachtree schnapps, ½ oz Midori liqueur, fill with cold 7-Up and top with a splash of orange juice. Garnish with a melon and peach ball with umbrella.

Finished with the day’s tan, the Lady In The Shade wants her drink in a tumbler over lots of ice, and now! Pour 1oz Porfidio tequila, 1oz Midori melon liqueur, and fill with grapefruit juice. Garnish with lemon and lime wheels, and an umbrella.

So sweet and so shy. Yeah, right! Turn away for five seconds and the next thing you know, she’s Skinny Dippin’. No complaints though. In an old fashioned glass with cracked ice,pour in 1 ½ oz Thor’s Hammer vodka, ½ oz Hiram Walker peach schnapps, ½ oz DiSaronno amaretto, and top with a splash of cranberry juice. Garn with a slice of peach.

The spell is upon you, so grab a pint glass, pack it with ice, and start the build with 1oz each of the following: Voodoo Spiced rum, RedRum, Midori, orange juice, and pineapple juice. After all of that, there should be enough room to throw a splash of club soda on top. Garnish – The Big Bad Voodoo Cooler doesn’t get one, unless you beg . . .

Carrying your board in from a couple hours of waverunning, be sure to quench your thirst with the Surf Room Mai Tai. Shake & strain the following over crushed ice in a tumbler: ¾ oz each of Sea Wynde pot still rum, Lahaina dark rum, and Lemon Hart Demerara rhum. Then add ¼ oz Dekuyper orange curacao, 1oz each of orange and pineapple juice, ½ fresh lime juice, ¼ oz fresh lemon juice, ¼ oz orgeat syrup and ¼ oz simple syrup. Add garnishes.

Even on a Summer’s night, nothing feels better than a Hot Springs Cocktail. In a chilled wine or cocktail glass, shake & strain 2 oz Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, a splash of Rene Niel maraschino liqueur, ¼ oz pineapple juice, and a couple dashes of Fee Brothers orange bitters.

The L’aird of Summer Isle is as old fashioned as it gets. And so it goes, in an old fashioned glass, filled with cubed or cracked ice. Shake & strain 1 ½ oz Compass Box scotch, ½ oz Pernod, and 3 oz of Dole pineapple juice. That’s it. No garnish necessary.

This romantic coastal town is always just what the doctor ordered. With a gentle breeze as we walk up and down State Street, the Santa Barbara Sunset is something to behold.
Shake & strain the following in a chilled martini glass: 2 oz Martin Miller’s gin, ¾ oz Bols apricot brandy, juice of ½ lime, 2 oz orange juice, and a dash of grenadine or raspberry syrup.

Listening to Jazz or the Blues in this musicful Missouri town, makes you want to get up and shake your groove thing.
The Kansas City Cooler may help put some hop in your step. In a tall chimney glass filled with ice, pour 1oz Boru citrus vodka, then splashes of club soda, lemonade, and cranberry juice. Top off with a fill of chilled red wine of choice. Garnish with a fruit kabob of lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, and a cherry.

You’ll have a hard time keepin’ yer jeans on after one of these. Denim Lemonade goes in a pint glass packed with cracked ice. Pour ¾ oz Blue Ice vodka, ¾ oz Gilbey’s gin, and ¾ oz Kuya Fusion rum. Then add splashes of cold lemonade and 7-Up, a top dash of pineapple juice and a final dash of Hiram Walker blue curacao. Garnish with an orange wheel.

Tattoo your rear end with a Solar Cowboy. This surprisingly tasteful combination of 1oz Jack Daniels, 1oz Chinaco tequila, with ½ oz Kahlua, and ½ oz Dekuyper butterscotch schnapps will wake you up to start gettin’ the coals hot.

To see more cool Summer drinks and tasty liquifiers, check out my Summer Quenchers DVD available on Amazon.com, and my latest book titled The Hotel of Naughty Cocktails, a 10-floor, 195-room, 1000-page labyrinth of drinks produced as a custom CD Book (book on disc), available at CDBaby.com

Later, KB

RedCliff - The New American Liqueur

Everyone should saddle up to the bar and get a taste of the totally unique flavor of this new American liqueur. RedCliff, a 65 proof spirit with whispers of 15 different mysterious herbs and flavors hinting of cola, vanilla, sarsaparilla, spices, tangerine, coconut and sassafras, to name a few. The signature bottle is an original, Western-styled, elliptically-shaped saddlebag flask with petroglyph glass embossing and a label that depicts the red cliffs of the Southwest.

This is one of the most interesting liqueurs I’ve ever tasted, with uncommon complexity and character. RedCliff is to be served chilled, the colder the better, and can also be kept in the freezer due to its perfect proof level. Go to your nearest fine wine and spirits outlet to order.

website – www.redcliffusa.com
Contact by phone – 800-255-1350

Here’s some cool RedCliff cocktail recipes to fit your every occasion:

Branding Iron
In a pint glass or beer mug ½ - ¾ filled with your favorite beer, drop a 1¼ oz shot glass filled with RedCliff into the beer. When it hits bottom, chug-a-lug it all down

Sierra Madre
This is a shake & strain drink going into a tall glass, with 1½ oz RedCliff, 1½ oz white tequila and 2oz sweet & sour. Strain in and top with Coke or Pepsi. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon

Pale Rider
Build over an icefill in a highball glass, getting 1oz RedCliff and fill with club soda. Garnish with a cherry

Jagged Cliff
Pour over ice in a rocks glass, with 1oz RedCliff and 1oz Jagermeister

Leather and Lace
In a shot glass, layer in order ½ oz each of the following: RedCliff, Irish cream, chilled vodka

Rodeo Martini
Shake & strain the following in a chilled martini glass:
2oz vodka, ¾ oz RedCliff, ½ oz Rene Neil maraschino or tangerine liqueur. Garnish with a cherry

Mohave Mockingbird
Shake & strain the following in a chilled martini glass:
1¾ oz vodka, ¾ oz RedCliff, and a splash of chilled sangria.
Garnish with a slice of kiwi and a twist of orange peel

Sarsparilla Float
Build over cracked or cubed ice in a tall glass, starting with 1oz vodka, ¾ oz Kahlua,partial fill with cream, ½ oz RedCliff, and top fill with Coke or Pepsi. Garnish with a cherry

Sweatlodge Coffee, aka Blazing Saddles
Pour straight in a warm mug, but first rim half the mug with cinnamon sugar, then pour in 1¼ oz RedCliff, and fill with hot coffee. Garnish with whip cream and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

The Red C
A simple favorite of mine, poured over ice in a tumbler glass,with 1½ oz RedCliff and fill with Coke. Garnish with a lemon wedge

Kona Cliff
In a rocks glass filled with ice, add 1oz RedCliff and 1oz Kona Gold Hawaiian coffee liqueur. If you would like a pillow, add a dash of cold cream. Stir and serve

KB

Stars and Stripes Forever

This month we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and a hats off to all the individuals who’ve served our country in many ways.

This year the 4th falls on a Tuesday, so let’s start the extra time off with a cocktail called Three Day Weekend. Fill a double old fashioned glass with cracked ice and pour in the following: ¾ oz Jagermeister, ¾ oz malibu rum, ¾ oz cherry juice, and ¾ oz pineapple juice. Stir & garnish as you like.

For those who enjoy a bit of a cream drink, try the 4th of July by packin a highball with cubed or cracked ice and build the drink start- ing with 1oz bourbon, 1oz Kahlua, partial fill with orange juice, dash the top with cream, and add a final top lace of Galliano. Stir and enjoy.

In the city of angels, we can bump up the celebration a notch by having a Startini – chill a martini glass and shake and strain in the following: 1 ½ oz premium vodka, ¼ oz Cointreau, ¼ oz Chambord, and 1oz of lemonade. Add a slice of starfruit.

If you wish to have a little sparkle with your sipper, the Independence Day Punch may be right up your alley. Fill a tall glass with cubed or cracked ice and build with 1oz bourbon, 3oz pineapple juice, 1oz fresh squeezed lime juice, top with club soda, and garnish with a slice of pineapple.

Those in uniform have to serve not only in this country, but are also stationed in many of the close to seven hundred military installations the U.S has around the world. The planet is thirsty for a Ceasefire and it starts like this: Pack a highball with cracked ice and add ½ oz scotch, ½ oz cherry brandy, ½ oz dry vermouth, and fill with cold lemonade.Garnish with a slice of lemon and a cherry.

Sometimes, friends in high places and diplomatic gatherings is what it takes for things to be resolved in a good way for everyone. To those who do their best, the Allies Cocktail is for you. Shake and strain 1oz gin, 1oz dry vermouth, and a ½ teaspoon of Kummel into a chilled cocktail glass.

As the red, white, and blue keeps shining through, our liquid kitchens known as bars create many flag layer sipping cordials that can be consumed as an after-dinner dessert. If you don’t want to eat anymore, try a Stars and Stripes. In a pousse or cordial glass, layer in order the following: ¾ oz grenadine, ¾ oz heavy cream or Dekuyper Peachtree schnapps, and ¾ oz blue curacao.

On the last day off before we have to go back to work, enjoy the dog day afternoon with a drink called Early Summer. It happens like this – shake together ¾ gin, ¾ oz apricot brandy , ¾ oz Calvados, ¾ oz orange juice, and strain in a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of apple.

kb

How's The Golf Game

Drinks for the Spirit of the Swing

Getting a head start on the course for the day, you may want to consider taking a roadie with you, so slide into the clubhouse bar for an Arnold Palmer:In a pint glass packed with ice, half fill with Lipton iced tea and top fill with cold Santa Cruz lemonade. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

To help you get your swing on, praying you don’t slice on your first at bat, it could be Tee Time. If so, it’s
a perfect short drink to begin the day on the greens. In a chilled cocktail glass, shake & strain 2 oz Miller’s citrus gin and 1oz fresh squeezed lime.

Some make you walk, and other clubs let you roll. If not well maintained you could end up with a Crooked Golf Cart. Pour the following in a highball glass filled with cubed ice: 1oz amaretto Di Saronno, ½ oz Bacardi rum, fill with Ocean Spray cranberry juice. A slice of lime as the garn.

Pretty decent first hit. Looks like you’ll need to bring out your 8 Iron. This shot goes like this: In a shot glass, layer pour in equal parts of 99 bananas liqueur, Bols blue curacao, and Ouzo.

Ouch, now you’ll need some swift ball play to get yourself out of the Sandtrap and onto the putting green. In a collins glass topped off with cracked ice, build in the following: 1oz Seagrams gin, ¾ oz Midori melon liqueur, ½ oz strawberry juice, partial fill with Triple L sweet & sour, and top with cold lemonade. Garnish with a slice of strawberry.

Soon the cocktail cart will be on the course stopping and serving at each hole. Now that you’re fairly warmed up, ask the mobile bartender for a Tiger Woods.If he doesn’t know how to make it, tell him to get an ice-filled highball glass and pour 1oz 42 Below vodka, 1 ½ oz lemon juice, and 2 oz of cranberry juice. Throw in a wedge of lemon.

Feeling good after a few chugs, this next hole should be a
Chip Shotfor you. In a shot glass, layer pour ¼ oz each to the top with Tuaca, Kahlua, Irish cream, and hot coffee.

Good placement on the first swing, it’s possible this could line up for a shot at a Hole in One. Shake & strain the following in a chilled cocktail glass: 1 ¾ oz Chivas scotch, ¾ oz Cinzano sweet vermouth, ¼ oz lemon juice, and a dash of Fee Brothers orange bitters.

So close and worth the try, but it ended up in the rough. The Special Rough Cocktailthat is. Stir & strain 1¼ oz Presidente brandy, 1¼ oz Calvados apple brandy, and a ½ teaspoon Bols anisette into a cocktail glass.

Caught between a rough and a hard place, it may be time to break out The Wedge. Start with a highball glass filled with cubed or cracked ice, pour in 2 oz Malibu rum and fill with cranberry juice. A simple mixer cocktail with, you got it, a wedge of lemon or lime.

This may have been the longest hole of the day for you, so congratulations, you’ve finally made it onto the Putting Green. Shake & strain the following over crushed ice in a collins glass: ¾ oz Tanqueray gin, 1oz Dekuyper melon liqueur, 2 oz orange juice, and 2 oz lemon juice. Garnish with a green cherry and an orange slice.

Just when you thought the test of the day was over as you’re finishing up another questionable round, depending on your handicap of course, you end up taking another shot when your four-wheeler becomes a Broken Down Golf Cart. Chill & strain in a cold shot glass, ½ oz amaretto Di Amore, ½ oz Dekuyper melon liqueur, and a dash of lime juice.

Finishing up on the 18th, it’s time to cruise back into the clubhouse to wash off the hands and the sweat, and join in the happy hour at the bar by ordering a 19th Hole Mai Tai. In a large tumbler filled with cracked ice, add ½ oz each of Ronrico white rum, Tropico rum, Captain Morgan spiced rum, and Malibu coconut rum. Fill with 1oz orange juice, 1oz Dole pineapple juice and a dash of grenadine. Garnish with a wedge of pineapple and a cherry.

For those who want a classic ending to the game should indulge in a Golf Martini. Stir & strain the following in a chilled martini glass: 3 oz Beefeaters gin, ¾ oz Cinzano dry vermouth, 3-5 dashes of Angostura bitters, and garnish with an olive.

Then again, if your old fashioned and these last two drinks didn’t goose your hammer well, you must be an Iron Man. In an old fashioned glass filled with cubed ice, pour in 1oz Seagram 7, 1oz Absolut vodka, and fill with club soda.

Update - Sorry I missed last week's posting. Very busy, and will make it up soon. KB