Boston Sour

Boston has a bunch of cocktails to its name. It is currently one of the world's cocktail hotspots, as well. I wonder if the Boston Sour has made a comeback in recent years. I hope so; it's a good drink for this time of year.

The Boston Sour is a very sweet and silky sour owing to the large portion of sugar and egg white. It isn't a standout among many sours that include egg white, however. To make it more regionally specific, I picked an Irish whiskey, Donegal Estates, which is a good blended whiskey for mixing. With all the Irish-American influence in Boston, it seems like a good choice.

• 2 oz. blended whiskey (Donegal Estates used)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• lemon wheel
• maraschino cherry (green for St. Patrick's Day used)

Combine sugar, whiskey, lemon juice and egg white in a shaker and shake well until foamy. Add ice and shake again to chill. Strain into a chilled sour glass and garnish with lemon and cherry.

Creole Lady

The Creole Lady is really a lot like a Manhattan with sherry substituted for the sweet vermouth. The recipe in the New York Bartender's Guide calls for one red and one green cherry, but who has both on hand anyway. If you have them, good on you! You can make the drink look pretty. I used this nice sunset as a backdrop, though.

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 1/2 oz. Madeira (Cossart and Gordon used)
• 1 tsp. grenadine
• red maraschino cherry
• green maraschino cherry

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