Margaritas and daiquiris (YES, spelled it right the first time!) seem to be associated almost exclusively with their frozen versions, but they are both respectable mixed drinks when separated from all that shaved ice.
My favorite mixed drink with some sweetness is an Old Fashioned.* My favorite dry drink is a gin martini with a twist.
*Though the last time I ordered one in a restaurant, the waitress looked at me like I had nine heads. Do people not drink these now? Or did I order it wrong perhaps? I’m not too up on bar lingo.
And one more word of advice… by all means try scotch or martinis, when you’re out for a drink or two. But if you’re a beer drinker now, stick with something that has a mixer if you’re planning on making a night of it, at least until you go pro.
Ooh, and Unauthorized Cinnamon just reminded me that there IS one drink even better for summer than a vodka tonic, and that’s a margarita. Just a good, old fashioned, unfrozen margarita. Yum!
Don’t know how ‘mature’ it is, but my current fave is a healthy shot of Espresso vodka, on the rocks, with a splash of cream or half and half. If I wanted to make it ‘girlier’, I’d stub vanilla ice cream for the half and half, and throw it in the blender.
And people who actually drink, you know, martinis. If there isn’t any vermouth, it’s just a shot no matter what you call it. And you know who drinks shots, don’t you? Drunken sluts and fratboys, that’s who!
I don’t know that it’s so much that they have come back into fashion as there are really very few tasty alternatives when you are looking for a proper mixed drink to do more than get sloshed with. There is also something neat about getting a drink that is out of fashion.
Other thoughts:
A proper gin martini needs vermouth. A vodka martini needs to be served in a rocks glass with a squeeze of lime and called a vodka rocks.
Manhattan’s are fantastic, even better if you can find a place that actually serves real Rye. (Hint: Canada Club and other similar Canadian Whiskey’s are NOT rye. It’s Canadian Whiskey and no matter what they call it on their side of the boarder and it doesn’t have the right flavor profile for a proper Manhattan. Better to go with a Spicy Bourbon in that case.)
You might like an Old Fashioned, or a Tom Collins. I like the former, but not the latter. Sidecars are also neat. As are any of the “sour” drinks. Whiskey sour, amaretto sour (a favorite of a friend of mine) etc.
Of course, you can’t forget the great king (Queen) of all mixed drinks, the rocks margarita with salt. Do not be fooled by blended imitation margarita’s, they are not the same. A well made margarita on the rocks is sublime.
Do not order anything that requires the use of a blender. As a former bartender, blender drinks = pain in the ass. If you want a margarita, order it rocks.
A Mojito is delicious and has the right image you’re trying to adopt.
Any “and” drink is acceptable (Rum and Coke, Whiskey and Coke, Gin and Tonic, Seven and Seven) as is anything with juice (vodka cranberry is good, screwdriver- vodka and orange juice, greyhound - vodka and grapefruit juice, even a cape cod - vodka, cranberry and grapefruit juices) are “mature” (though the juice drinks tend to be more girly or young).
If you’re a guy, I’d stay away from anything too sweet. The only exception to this is possibly Southern Comfort. You also should avoid anything with milk, unless you have an ulcer and desire some milk with your scotch.
Scotch is more of an acquired taste in any of it’s servings, but I like it especially with soda and a twist of lemon.
I too am a beer drinker. But when I lay off of beer and opt for a cocktail I get a Mandarin and Soda with a splash of sprite. This is basically another way of saying a Mandarin Press, but its less Sprite. I’m just not a big soda fan (other than soda water). Get a orange and lime slice and sqeeze it in there.
This is a light drink… not too sweet… not hard to drink but still has some good flavor. I highly reccomend it.
Anything that was widely served before 1950 or so is a good bet. If you don’t feel like learning the history of cocktails, though, here are some pretty good (although extremely conservative) rules of thumb:
[ol]
[li]The fewer the ingredients, the better. Bonus points if the name of the drink is the recipe.[/li][li]Avoid sweet drinks.[/li][li]Stick to things that are made from vodka, whisk(e)y and gin. Some brandy drinks are OK too, but avoid trendy cognacs.[/li][li]Don’t drink anything neat except scotch.[/li][/ol]
Here are some drinks worth checking out. I’m not sure that everything I’m about to list meets all of these criteria, but you can’t go too far wrong if you don’t stray too far.
[ul]
[li]Tom Collins[/li][li]Old Fashioned[/li][li]Manhattan (with American rye, not Bourbon)[/li][li]Rob Roy[/li][li]Sidecar[/li][li]Cosmopolitan[/li][li]Gin and Tonic[/li][li]Brandy Alexander[/li][li]Martini (with gin, not vodka)[/li][li]Gimlet[/li][/ul]
As I mentioned earlier, this is an extremely conservative view. I certainly don’t worry about following all of these rules most of the time, but anyone who wants to drink something sophisticated can’t go wrong ordering something off this list.
Yes. Originally the word “cocktail” was used to refer to a drink with bitters in it, but the distinction has faded with time. However, most drinks that contain bitters are good on the points I outlined above, so they’re a safe bet.
1 shot vodka
1 shot Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1 shot Irish cream
1 shot Frangelico® hazelnut liqueur
1 oz cream
Pour liquors over ice in a highball glass. Top with cream or milk, stir, and serve.
One good bet - hit up your local speakeasy, and ask the bartender the same thing you’ve asked us. Speakeasies pride themselves on having knowledgeable bartenders - a good one should not only be able to recommend (and make) a cocktail you’d like, but tell you how you can order a good one at a lower-end bar.
In DC, I highly recommend The Gibson on U Street. If you’re in NYC, I’m told The Little Branch is very good, though I’ve never been there myself.
Hmm, I’m not quite sure what you are asking about, but if you are asking about “manly” drinks, just about the only mixed drink I would recommend is a bartender’s iced tea (aka long island iced tea.) Even though it has a wuss name and taste, there’s roughly 10 shots of hard liquor in it. If you want respect and/or fear, it’s about shots.
Couple examples from the last two times I went bar hopping:
Example 1:
Me: Do you have lychee flavored vodka?
Bartender: We don’t have lychee flavored anything here. giggles from the peanut gallery
Me: In that case give me a double shot of Grey Goose, straight up, on the rocks with a glass of water.
Peanut gallery: OoOoOo.
Example 2:
Me: I’ll start with a shot of tequila with the salt and lime and then a shot of Bacardi 151 (75.5% alcohol, almost twice the alcohol % as whiskey, and can cause physical injury if you don’t know how to drink it.)
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