Rum Sour

Rum is a perfectly acceptable base for a sour drink. The idea is to  do sours authentically--I mean in a small sour glass, not in the Old Fashioned glasses that are popular today with whiskey drinkers. This sour is very sour, with little sugar to balance out the tartness. That makes it very cooling on hot days.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. simple syrup
• lemon slice
• maraschino cherry

Combine rum, simple syrup and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled sour glass or small wine goblet (port/sherry glass). Garnish with lemon and cherry. 

Brighton Punch

I'm not sure what about this drink signifies the city of Brighton or even what it is referring to. What I did notice was that it was perfectly sized to fit in a tiki mug like Artie, here. This was a very bourbon and brandy cocktail. I made B & B by combining equal parts Benedictine and Courvoisier VS. So Brighton Punch is very rich and strong.

• 2 oz. B & B (Courvoisier VS and Benedictine used)
• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon
• club soda
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• orange slice

Combine B & B and bourbon, orange juice and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a grim faced tiki mug and top with crushed ice and soda. Garnish with orange slice.

Barbados Planter's Punch

There's not much to look at with a Planter's Punch. This one uses gold rum and lime juice, so it would look sort of wan, but otherwise mostly clear. The garnishes and a tiki like Lenny here give it so much more personality.

• 3 oz. gold rum
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. simple syrup (my pineapple syrup used)
• dash orange bitters
• club soda
• banana slice
• orange slice
• maraschino cherry
• dash of nutmeg

Combine rum lime juice, simple syrup and bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a grim faced tiki and top with crushed ice and soda. Garnish with fruits.

Rum Cobbler

Such a simple drink it doesn't even qualify as a Daiquiri which has lime juice. It's also small and really accentuates the flavor of a rum. I didn't know that Ronrico silver label was that complex until I tried this. It's just rum, soda, and sugar.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 2 oz. club soda
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• lime slice
• orange slice
• pineapple spear

Combine light rum and simple syrup in a wine goblet with ice. Stir until chilled and add club soda and fruit garnishes.

Irish Shillelagh

Is there any other kind of Shillelagh? Pronounced shey-ley-ley, the Irish walking stick comes from the County Wicklow forest by the same name. It's a fire-hardened blackthorn stick that could really do a lot of harm, and in a culture where the repressive English colonizers banned weapons, a trusty resource.

Note on the shillelagh: There's supposedly an Irish martial art called Shillelaghal which consists of a single attack--The belt in the gab.

This drink is also trusty and strong. Glendalough makes for a vanilla-rich whiskey base and light rum and sloe gin transform a peach puree and lemon juice cocktail into a tropical treat. Sloe gin gives it the fabulous color of orange-red.

Note on sloe gin: Sloe gin is gin mixed with a liquor made from the sloe berry, a relative of the plum. It's not particularly strong, but it has a really unusual gin/fruit flavor. You can see that I broke down and bought Mr. Boston's sloe gin because there are no other options in Virginia and I didnt't want to waste time before St. Patrick's Day. This particular (cheap) sloe gin tastes remarkably like the red colored Icee drink you got at the zoo or amusement park. It is an unidentifiable berry flavor with a bit of tingle that might actually be juniper.

Here's how to make the drink:

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey (Glendalough Double Barrel used)
• 1/2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. sloe gin (Mr. Boston used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. simple syrup
• 1/4 cup diced peaches
• raspberries

Combine all ingredients except raspberries in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Garnish with raspberries on a toothpick.

Pegu Club Cocktail

This classic made it to the top of the menu at D.C.'s Proof, an amazing wine focused restaurant in Chinatown. It's one of those easy to love cocktails with lots of citrus and gin bite and a little bitterness.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. triple sec or white curacao
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• dash angostura bitters
• dash orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Irish Fix

It's almost St. Patrick's Day and I'm looking forward to doing more cocktails with Irish Whiskey. Teeling is all the rage right now. A year since it emerged in the U.S. market, the Dublin based distillery made major inroads. You won't find an Irish bar in D.C. that doesn't serve it right now.

I need to pick up some Irish Mist, but a good substitute is The Knot, Irish liqueur. It's sweet and strong and doesn't taste too cloyingly of honey like various honey whiskeys that have come and gone over 2015. Though you're encouraged to drink The Knot straight, I think that the sweetness of the liqueur plays well with tropical drinks.

A fix is essentially a way to "soften up" a stiff liquor, and the Irish Fix, is likewise not very Irish. Pineapple and liqueur make for a tropical blended slushy that's perfect for sipping while working on your tan. Not very Irish, though, is it?

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey
• 1/2 oz. Irish Mist (The Knot Used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• orange slice
• lemon slice
• pineapple spear

Mix all ingredients except fruit pieces in a blender and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with the fruit.

Pikaki

Not exactly a tiki, it is very much in the tiki vein. Consider a dark rum and juice drink strained into an Old Fashioned glass and garnished with a baby pineapple quarter. It can only be explained by a lack of barware where the drink was being made. It's pretty good, but I would recommend cutting back on the grenadine to 1/2 tsp. to bring down the sweetness. It makes your teeth ache from the sugar in the original recipe. But if you do that, just serve it on ice in a tiki glass.

• 1 1/2 oz. dark rum
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. grenadine
• 1/4 baby pineapple

Combine all ingredients except pineapple in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned. Garnish with pineapple.

(El) Presidente

There's a couple of recipes with the "President" name. In the New York Bartender's Guide the Presidente is light rum, in other books it is El Presidente with dark or "dark or light" rum with the rest of the recipe remaining the same. I've even seen orange juice substituted for the triple sec and light rum used in one President recipe.

Anyway, I'm coming down on the side of the New York Bartender's Guide for the best recipe. Light rum keeps the drink dry and similar to a rum Cosmopolitan. Grenadine, present in every recipe, makes for a ridiculous light pink colors that doesn't seem presidential at all.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• several dashes grenadine
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Fluffy Ruffles

Jerry Thomas invented this drink, a dry and simple light rum cocktail that is similar to a Martini, but flavored with those coppery notes that rum has over grain spirits. It's really quite nice and helps you appreciate the dry vermouth you chose. I found this recipe in a different book than the New York Bartender's Guide. I don't know why it wasn't in there, because it is old and well regarded, but I'm sure that if it was, it would have more rum in it. I recommend using two, no, three ounces of rum to make the drink last longer.

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• lemon twist

Combine rum and vermouth in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over glass and drop in.

Special Rough

The name suggests a roughness, and the flavors certainly keep you on your toes. Pernod, even in small amounts is rough, but you can find your groove when you pick out licorice flavors and hang in there. This is definitely a drink to use cognac instead of your typical brandy. Courvoisier VS was my go-to for this one, and with the Pernod, that makes this a French cocktail.

• 2 oz. apple brandy
• 1 oz. brandy (Courvoisier VS used)
• 1/2 tsp. Pernod (Absente Refined used)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Warday's Cocktail

Whoever this Warday is, he's a strange dude. Here are combined some of the most unusual liquors to make a great cocktail. I wonder how he came up with it. I also made a few improvements to the drink as well. I used Bluecoat Barrel Reserve gin because I figured it would fit in fine with barrel aged apple brandy. I also didn't deign to use yellow Chartreuse (the sweeter, milder version) when I had the bitterer green. Carpano Antica Formula rounded the whole thing out into one of the most nuanced drinks I've made in months.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (Bluecoat Barrel Reserve used)
• 1 oz. apple brandy (Catoctin Creek Quarter Branch used)
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth (Antica Formula used)
• 1 tbsp. yellow Chartreuse (green used)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

East Wing

I'm not sure if this drink refers to the East Wing of the White House or some other use of the word wing, physical or metaphorical. I was surprised how full-bodied it was and complex with lots of brandy and cherry sugary goodness. I would ordinarily have made it with cherry brandy as the recipe calls for, but it is a little hard to come by in Virginia. I didn't have time to shop in D.C. and I wanted to make this drink soon. So I had already come up with my own recipe to turn brandy into cherry brandy that I found worked very well. It changed the grape brandy roundness to a slightly bitter and deep cherry flavor that a quality cherry brandy might have--without being overly sweet like a cherry liqueur.

Here's how I made cherry brandy substitute with 1 ounce of Catoctin Creek 1757 Reserve brandy. Add 1/2 tsp. Luxardo maraschino liqueur and 1/2 tsp. Bada Bing cherry juice (or other black cherry juice--not maraschino cherry--) to an ounce of brandy. This creates an ounce and a teaspoon of brandy that tastes very close to Cherry Heering, with the same dark red color. Use this same recipe to make a Singapore Sling taste sweet, rather than bitter, which you can't do with Luxardo maraschino alone.

• 3 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. cherry brandy (1 oz. Catoctin Creek 1757 Reserve, 1/2 tsp. bing cherry juice, 1/2 tsp. Luxardo maraschino liqueur used)
• 1/2 oz Campari
• lemon twist 

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Cossack

Another drink for my Russian readers: this one named after the historic irregular cavalry forces that are a symbol of Russian strength. This was a strong drink too. I was looking for a photo of Vladimir Putin or a copy of Tolstoy's novel by the same name, but it turns out that all of my copies of these are digital and I had a drink in my hand that I really wanted to try while it was cold.

Less sour than the Woman Warrior, the Cossack is sophisticated. It calls for Cognac, which lends body and tamps down the grittiness that lime juice often produces.

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. cognac
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

St. Petersburg

This is a drink for all of my Russian readers out there. A simple and tasty vodka rocks drink for a social gathering, St. Petersburg is a vodka lover's cocktail. Orange bitters give the liquid flavor without drowning out the alcoholic bite that you enjoy from vodka. Then the orange slice provides fruity scent of juice and peel with every sip.

• 3 oz. vodka
• 1/2 tsp. orange bitters
• orange slice

Combine liquid ingredients in an Old Fashioned glass with ice and stir until chilled. Garnish with orange slice.

Woman Warrior

I love this photo. The color of blue that you get with a full ounce of blue curacao is just amazing in the right light. I know that the liqueur is out of favor right now and many are of such poor quality that they taste terrible. But there is room for this spirit in select cocktails and this is one.

The Woman Warrior is pretty potent, sour and bitter. So it's much prettier than it tastes. That's not a problem. Imagine a Margarita with no sweetness, then multiply its alcohol content by three. If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

•  3 oz. vodka (100-proof Smirnoff used)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. blue curacao

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Kiss Me Again

This drink is one of the short "Kiss" series. I made it before making the original Kiss Me Quick, which will follow. This is served up with an orange slice.

• 1 1/2 oz. scotch
• 1/2 egg white
• several dashes Pernod
• orange twist

Combine scotch, egg whit and Pernod in a shaker in ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange slice.

Lord Rodney

Lord Rodney is a rich and tropical tasting drink. The most famous Lord Rodney was a Royal Navy officer and merchant. I like how the Karaken Rum bottle label is creeping out behind the anthologies and encircling the ship in its tentacles. It's like that part of an old map that warns "There be dragons."

The drink calls for coconut syrup, which you can make like orgeat. I decided that cream of coconut (not coconut puree) would be the best substitute. I took 1/2 tsp. of cream of coconut and added 1/2 tsp. of coconut rum to thin it out. Then I strained it into the shaker through a fine mesh to catch any coconut chunks in the syrup. Here's how to do the rest.

• 2 oz. blended whiskey
• 1 oz. dark rum
• 1/4 tsp. creme de cacao
• 1 tsp. coconut syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Sir Walter Raleigh

An infamous spy, explorer, royal courtier, and drinker, Sir Walter Raleigh is a great name for a cocktail. It's actually the name of my home bar. And this drink is an especially ostentatious one. It has a full 4 oz. of 40 proof spirits. Dark rum doesn't even dampen the brilliant red from 1/2 oz. of grenadine, and then there's lemon and curacao that makes it bitter and fruity. I noticed the pomegranate flavor from the grenadine most, which felt appropriate for a drink named after an explorer of the new world.

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 1 1/2 oz. brandy (Courvoisier VS used)
• 1/2 oz. white curacao
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except lemon twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Purple People Eater (Non-Alcoholic)

I'm doing more non-alcoholic drinks as I am producing more syrups and buying more juices to make the complicated tiki drinks. The Purple People Eater is a really nice non-alcoholic drink that tastes so much like grape that it seems like it has alcohol in it. It's also a great color. Get this at a bar if you want to go easy without giving that fact away.

• 1 oz. lime juice
• 4 oz. grape juice
• club soda
• lime slice

Build drink in a highball glass with ice, and juices. Top with soda and stir. Garnish with lime slice.

Quarter Deck Cocktail

Arr, matey! What's that creature that breaches yonder? It's the Kraken black rum that fortifies the Quarter Deck, another piratical cocktail of the worst repute. At least it's not the Poop Deck! Not that that cocktail is bad, it's just an awful name. I like how Harvey's Bristol Cream sherry hangs with the deep vanilla notes of the rum in the Quarter Deck. Lime juice might not even seem necessary, but it does help prevent scurvy.

• 2 oz. dark rum (Kraken used)
• 1 oz. cream sherry (Harvey's Bistol Cream used)
• 1 tbsp. lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Nevada Cocktial

One of those boring "state" drinks. That's not to say that the drinks are boring, but the states they are named after seem to be. You don't hear about a California Cocktail, or a Colorado Cocktail, but for some reason Nevada and Montana have unusually richly flavored drinks named after them. Grapefruit and lime juice offset the heavy dark Kraken rum I used to make this drink. It also made the cocktail dark and a little ominous, like a prairie thunderstorm.

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 2 oz. grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• sugar syrup
• dash bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Canadian Daisy

The Daisy is a pretty standard whiskey, lemon, soda highball. I'm not sure why the Canadian Daisy is the only one that get's raspberries and raspberry syrup, but I'll take it. I guess Canadians, as much as anyone, love their raspberries. In this way it differs from the other Daisy variations: the Star Daisy, the Vodka Daisy, the Bourbon Daisy, and the Whiskey Daisy. The difference is that where all the other drinks used grenadine, the Canadian uses raspberry syrup for color and sweetener.

• 2 oz. Canadian whiskey
• 1 tsp. brandy
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. raspberry syrup
• sparkling water
• fresh raspberries

Combine whiskey, lemon juice and raspberry syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with sparkling water and float brandy on top. Garnish with raspberries.

Gloom Lifter

What an appropriate name for a drink. It certainly was rich and fruity, like a nice flan. So it did improve my mood some. I just find it a very unusual whiskey recipe all around. Egg white, blended whiskey, raspberry liqueur...Truthfully, I used up the last of my Chambord a little while ago. Not to worry, though. The recipe calls for raspberry liqueur and simple syrup, but I have raspberry syrup, so I just used that and omitted the simple syrup.

If you do have raspberry liqueur, by all means use it. The flavor in liqueurs is more concentrated in a small amount and might provide more contrast in this silky drink. But if you are like me, a quick fix like homemade syrups means not having to run to the liquor store to buy an expensive bottle only to use such a small quantity for one drink.

• 2 oz. blended whiskey
• 1 oz. brandy
• 1 tbsp. raspberry liqueur (raspberry syrup used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 egg white
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup (omitted)

Combine whiskey, brandy, syrup/ liqueur, egg white and simple syrup in a shaker without ice. Shake vigorously. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled highball glass filled with fresh ice. 

Bayard Fizz

Raspberries and raspberry syrup make this drink a fresh and summery drink. I know it is pretty much winter now, but the ripe fruit warms the heart and makes for a great fizzy drink. Luxardo helps add complexity to what would be an ordinary Gin Fizz.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 tbsp. maraschino liqueur (Luxardo used)
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. raspberry syrup
• club soda
• fresh raspberries

Combine all ingredients except raspberries and soda in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass full of fresh ice. Top with soda and add raspberries.

Quaker Cocktail

So I didn't think Quakers were much into drinking, or that they would approve of such a hefty helping of booze in a single drink. Altogether the Quaker Cocktail has 3 1/2 oz. of 40 proof spirits. It also has raspberry syrup, which I will also include with this recipe.

On first taste, this cocktail was like love and I am happy to be experimenting with delicious pink syrups right around Valentine's Day. It seems that raspberry syrup adds both color and sweetness that is fresher and more tart than grenadine, but would make an excellent substitute in almost any occasion. Lemon juice gives it acidity and the hefty 2.5 oz. of brandy (I recommend cognac) means that it has a silkier mouthfeel than a gin or rum only drink.

• 2 1/2 oz. brandy (Courvoissier used)
• 1 1/2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. raspberry syrup
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except lemon twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

For an excellent raspberry syrup, combine 1 1/2 cups of fresh raspberries, 2 cups of water and 1 cup of fine sugar in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Stir occasionally to dissolve sugar. Cut heat and allow to cool for ten minutes. Use a potato masher to smash the berries into the syrup until it is evenly mixed.

Using a fine strainer, separate the syrup from the berry seeds and store in a cool dry place.

Mainbrace

Another swashbuckling grape juice cocktail. I don't know what it is about pirates or privateers that makes them a lightning rod for grape juice names, but this one is really not too bad. It follows the same formula as the Grapeshot, except that it is made with gin. Use a mildly flavored gin for this, of course.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. grape juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Grapeshot

Are you a pirate or a highwayman? Do you say, "Stand and deliver!" before pulling your pistol and pilfering a man's purse? Is there some reason why you have grape juice and tequila, but not wine? Because that's pretty much what's going on here. This drink tastes like a cheap port, and if you had actual wine, you'd be better off drinking that.

I guess a swashbuckling pirate doesn't have time to wait for the grape juice to ferment. In that case, make this drink.

I have two versions of this cocktail now. The silver tequila and white grape juice looks just like a Martini but will likely go down much quicker. Purple grape juice and gold tequila is richer and has a totally different look.

The reason for there being two recipes is because the New York Bartender's Guide circa 1997 includes one recipe but it is cross listed with both gold and silver tequila and white and purple grape juice. The printed recipe shows gold tequila and white grape juice. Follow the recipe and do whatever you like with the colors of the liquids.

• 2 oz. gold or silver tequila
• 1 1/2 oz. white grape juice (purple grape juice also ok.)
• 1 oz. white curacao

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Blue Margarita

I know I've made this 1980's classic several times for friends. I've even photographed it for the blog. It's out there somewhere on the internets with my photo credit and everything. But it's also lost to history. I know I didn't do it in the classic 1980's frozen mode, which really makes it feel like you are at Chi-Chi's. Still a good tequila drink and a good use of blue curacao for anyone feeling nostalgic for those days of neon colors.

• 2 oz. silver tequila
• 1 oz. blue curacao
• 1 1/2 oz. lime juice
• coarse salt
• lime slice

Combine tequila, curacao and lime juice in a blender with ice. Blend until smooth and pour into a cocktail or Margarita glass rimmed with salt. Garnish with lime slice. 

Brave Bull

I can't believe I made this. I really can't believe I drank it. There's something gross about coffee liqueur and tequila together, but it appears over and over in Mexican themed drinks.

It did begin to grow on me though. I used my homemade coffee liqueur, which is bitter and chocolatey. The tequila was spicy and interesting, but made the coffee liqueur taste thinner. After having a Campari drink, it was nice to continue the bitter experience. The lemon twist does a lot to change the scent, like having espresso with lemon. So not a disgusting drink altogether, but one I'd only recommend to those few who can't get enough of coffee liqueur.

• 2 oz. silver tequila
• 1 oz. coffee liqueur
• lemon twist

 Build drink in an Old Fashioned glass full of ice. Stir until chilled. Garnish with twist.

Rosita

Ever felt that a Negroni is just not strong enough...not bitter enough? The Rosita is the answer. It has twice the Campari of a Negroni and a mix of vermouth. It was so interesting and huge on flavor and quantity that I sipped it for an hour. This might now be my favorite tequila drink!

• 2 oz. silver tequila
• 2 oz. Campari
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients except the lemon twist in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled and pour into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with twist.

Rampart Street Parade

Just a guess...this is a New Oleans cocktail. It has Southern Comfort (A Louisiana Original!) and creme de bananes (banana liqueur) for sweetness alone--and it is pretty sweet. It's a strong rum drink that sounds like it would be a party in your mouth. I've been dissing it for a while, but I have to say that this is a fun cocktail to drink. It has the kind of addictiveness of Dippin' Dots banana split flavor in that you can't stop with one taste and it doesn't overtly taste like bananas. If you have the weird combination of ingredients at home, do the Rampart Street just so you can say you drank it. Like Mardi Gras and New Orleans in general, it is strange experience that you have to have yourself.

• 2 oz. light rum
• 1 oz. creme de bananes
• 1/2 oz. Southern Comfort
• 1 oz. lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Nirvana

This is more of another "exociticising" a drink by appellation only. I'm sure the name refers to the Hindu state of enlightenment, not the 90s grunge superband. The recipe treats it like a highball on the rocks with no garnish, but listen to my take on it before you decide. It's not intended to be a tiki, but it pretty much is. Nirvana is a dark rum highball drink that is strong. It contains three types of syrup, one of which is tamarind. It includes a topper of grapefruit juice to balance the sweetness. Taken altogether, it's pretty much a tiki. So the one rule about tikis is to garnish profusely. A grapefruit wedge and mint sprig are almost required. Raspberries came from my own inspiration.

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 1/2 oz. tamarind syrup
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 1 tsp. simple syrup
• grapefruit juice

Combine all ingredients except grapefruit juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass full of fresh ice. Top with grapefruit juice.

Oriental

There's few Asian-styled drink, and maybe it is important to address the outdated name of the cocktail rather than look at the disparity of cocktails by country or continent. Now Oriental means from far away, but in the not-to-distant past Oriental meant Asian. 

Like the Shanghai Cocktail and the Mikado, there's no Asian ingredients in the drink. The Opera Mikado not even an Asian thing...it's a Gilbert and Sullivan show that mimics Japanese culture like a blackface minstral show mimics African American culture. What we have here is an attempt to exociticise cocktails by name only. What we have here is a Margarita made with whiskey. And again, like the Japanese Fizz, it's only Asian because Japanese people like American whiskey as much as anybody else does.

• 2 oz. blended whiskey
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz. triple sec

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Palm Beach Cocktail

Like the Miami Beach Cocktail, Palm Beach has a healthy dose of grapefruit juice. This is a tart drink that the dash of sweet vermouth is intended to mitigate. It doesn't do it very well, but you get the sense you are drinking a grapefruit Martini with very little alcohol. In reality, the gin sneaks up on you, especially if you are drinking out in the sun. Better take this one back into the beach cabana for some shade.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 tsp. sweet vermouth
• 2 oz. grapefruit juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.