Renaissance

A lovely name, and appropriate, for a lovely drink idea. This is pretty much a Gin Milk Punch concept with the addition of fino sherry. Much of the spice does call to mind renaissance flavors of the spice trade. There's tarragon, juniper, citrus, thyme, and berries from the gin. Then there's nutty grape flavors from the sherry and nutmeg for the garnish.

The worry with creamy drinks is that they will be too heavy. Really only 1/5 of the drink is cream. The rest is a lot of light spirits that come through almost as if you are drinking them neat. So this doesn't have to be a dessert drink, though that's a pretty good time to have it.

• 2 oz. gin (Vigilant used)
• 1/2 oz. fino sherry
• 1/2 oz. half-and-half
• fresh grated nutmeg

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of ice. Grate nutmeg on top.

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Mexican Coffee

Just as good as the Irish Coffee, a tequila and hot coffee drink is exactly what you need to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. I used my homemade coffee liqueur (from Starbucks) and decaf Starbucks Pike Place roast. You can use any coffee on hand, but whipped cream is a must. Cinnamon dusted on top is optional but its also a really good idea!

• 2 oz. gold tequila 
• 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur
• hot black coffee
• whipped cream 

Build drink in a coffee mug with liquors and top with coffee. Garnish with whipped cream and dust with cinnamon. 

White Russian

"Careful, man. There's a beverage here!" So says the Dude from The Big Lebowski. No finer words have been said regarding this dessert cocktail. And if you are the Dude, you want it at all times of the day.

Like a milkshake with coffee, you know why this drink exists. It's surprisingly addictive, Dude!

• 2 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. heavy cream
• 1 oz. coffee liqueur

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into an Old Fashioned glass.

Berta's Special

A dry and fizzy cocktail that might be a more appropriate Tequila Fizz than the recipe posted with this name. It is sour and sufficiently dry with a great egg white foam on top. So much about this drink is doing it right. It is dry and less sugary than a Margarita with orange bitters replacing the triple sec.
Then there's the addition of honey for sweetness that sets the drink apart from other fizzes. Maybe that's why this is Berta's Special.

• 2 oz. gold tequila (Sauza anejo used)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 egg white
• 5-7 dashes of orange bitters
• sparkling water
• lime slice

Combine the first four ingredients in a shaker with no ice. Shake to produce foam. Add ice and shake to chill and pour into a chilled Collins glass. Top with sparkling water, garnish with the lime slice. 

Tequila Fizz

This turned out to be an unnecessarily sweet drink. I'm not saying it was bad, but there were too many sources of sugar that this drink gets tipped out of the Fizz category for me.

First, there's no reason to use a whole ounce of grenadine. That's just too much sugar. The fact that ginger ale and not sparkling water is also the reason the sugar content is so high. I could see not having as much grenadine and sparkling water being a nicely balanced sour drink. Using no grenadine and ginger ale would be acceptable as well. I'll print the original recipe and let you sort out how you want to make it less sweet. For less grenadine, I would use one tablespoon not one ounce. Take it from there.

• 3 oz. white tequila
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. grenadine
• 1 egg white
• ginger ale

Combine tequila, juice, egg white and grenadine in a shaker with no ice. Shake to create foam. Pour into a Collins glass full of ice and top with ginger ale and stirr. 

Tequila Collins

Of course a white tequila is necessary to mimic the fizzy gin drink known as the Collins. This recipe is easier to make than the one for the gin Collins. That must be because, when it comes to tequila, no one wants to stress too much or work too hard. This cocktail is built in a glass with no shaking involved. It calls for simple syrup rather than having to dissolve sugar granules, which is easier. Furthermore, the portion of tequila is less than the gin in a Collins so it fits in my Collins glass and is not as strongly flavored.

The recipe calls for a maraschino cherry garnish. I had a lovely blood orange that needed to be part of this experience, though. Garnish however you like.

• 2 oz. white tequila
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. simple syrup
• sparkling water
• maraschino cherry

Build drink in a Collins glass with tequila, juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and top with sparkling water. Stir and garnish. 

Tequila Shot

A recipe for a shot is is kind of a strange concept, especially if the shot is not mixed or chilled. But the Tequila Shot has its own method or madness. You decide which it is.

Pour the shot and wed the space between your forefinger and thumb. Sprinkle salt on the wet spot on your hand to get it to stick. Have a lemon wedge handy. Follow the following steps in quick succession. 

1. Lick the salt.
2. Down the shot.
3. Bite the lemon wedge.